Beating Around the Bush (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Garry Trudeau (Introduction) "ALL RIGHT CLASS, today we're going to discuss the economic factors that make a society work..." (more)
Key Phrases: Art Buchwald, Beating Around the Bush, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Buchwald has single-handedly restored humor to contemporary journalism."-Los Angeles Times

"Quite simply, the funniest US newspaper columnist published today and one of the nation's sharpest political satirists."-Newsweek

"Buchwald is a pitiless chronicler of human folly, particularly as it manifests itself in public officials; the targets of his satire are pretension, inconsistency, and hypocrisy. He makes his readers laugh out loud, then leaves them wondering whether what they laughed at might not equally well have made them weep."-Library Journal

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Art Buchwald returns undaunted to examine the ridiculous people and preposterous events that shape our daily reality. Collected from his recent columns, with an introduction by Gary Trudeau, Buchwald's satirical voice darts at politicians, power, corporations, and the media without pause. A self-described troublemaker, Buchwald continues to represent the great American traits of skepticism, humor, and a refusal to compromise in the face of absurdity.

Art Buchwald was born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and raised in Hollis, Queens. After serving in the Pacific in World War II and a stint at the University of Southern California, he moved to Paris and began his long career as a columnist and author. He has written 32 books, including two children's books and two novels. His most recent novel is Stella in Heaven (Putnam, 2000), and his most recent collection is We'll Laugh Again (Putnam, 2002). He was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary in 1982, and in 1986 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Buchwald is a workaholic and has no hobbies.

About the Author

Art Buchwald was born in Mt. Vernon, New York and raised in Hollis, Queens. He has written thirty-two books-including two children's books and two novels. He was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for "Outstanding Commentary" in 1982.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583227148
• ISBN-13: 978-1583227145
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,459,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Going Strong, November 23, 2005

By	Jerry Z (USA) - See all my reviews

Art Buchwald is one of the most influential newspaper columnists of the past half-century and one of the greatest humorists in the history of American journalism. So when he comes out with a new collection of columns, it is indeed a cause for celebration.

Buchwald has been plying his trade, which is to make us laugh at the absurdities of modern life, for an astounding 56 years. Along the way, he has won the Pulitzer Prize, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, has built a legion of fans and has written 32 books. "Beating Around the Bush" is his 33rd. It's also one of his best.

Buchwald works in two ways: His columns are fresh and funny snapshots of our society, but when the topicality wears off and they appear in a book one to four years after they were originally published, they become little history lessons, still funny and still, amazingly, fresh. Or, at least, not stale.

Fans of the Bush administration may not appreciate some of the jabs Buchwald takes, but fans of the Clinton administration probably didn't appreciate the jabs the humorist took at Bill and Hillary in his previous collection, "We'll Laugh Again."

Buchwald is an equal-opportunity jabber. His humor is never cruel or mean-spirited, but it always hits the mark. It's remarkable considering he suffered and fully recovered from a massive stroke five years ago, recently turned 80 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Thanks for all the laughs, Art. Keep them coming.

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather Bland, February 13, 2006

By	Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Buchwald's "Beating Around the Bush" takes jabs at politicians, corporations, and the media. It is comprised of a number of Buchwald's newspapers columns on current events.

The humor is there, but not nearly as strong as with fellow satirists Al Franken and Bill Maher. Topics addressed include Iraq (it's the only war we've got, so we have to support it), Compassionate Conservatives (someone who wants to help the working poor, the undeducated, and the unemployed - not with money, but with prayers and tax cuts), Wal-Mart (solving one of America's biggest problems - sending jobs overseas, by keeping cleaning jobs here and bringing foreigners here to do them), and Zell Miller (had a heart transplant after giving keynote speech for Clinton in '92 - this allowed him to bash Democrats at Republican '04 Convention).

I'd go with Franken or Maher instead.