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Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States
 
 
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Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "HUNDREDS of thousands of years ago, America was very different..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, Civil War (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
Price: $6.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  Hardcover, May 26, 1989 -- $1.65 $0.01
  Paperback, April 23, 1990 $10.20 $0.75 $0.01
  Mass Market Paperback, October 28, 1997 $6.99 $3.21 $1.84
  Audio, Cassette, Audiobook -- $50.00 $4.85

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Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States + Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need + Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys
Price For All Three: $21.97

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  • This item: Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave Barry

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dave runs American history through the wringer, and comes up with some wonderfully warped formulations. (The Vikings, for example, "were extremely rugged individuals whose idea of a fun time was to sail over and set fire to England, which in those days was fairly easy to ignite because it had a very high level of thatch, this being the kind of roof favored by the local tribespeople...") Covering pre-Columbian days through the dawn of the Bush administration, Dave Barry Slept Here is the funniest thing to hit this great nation since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.


From Publishers Weekly

Miami Herald syndicated columnist Barry here assembles a funny U.S. history replete with malapropisms (Ferdinard and Imelda of Spain financed Columbus), parodies ("This land is your land, / This land is my land, / Looks like one of us / Has a forged deed to the land."), literal-mindedness (President Monroe Doctrine) and, above all, anachronisms (the Wrights' first flight was canceled because of equipment problems at O'Hare). Several clever gags run through the book--one about the significant contributions of women and minorities (although none is ever detailed), another ascribing the date of every major event to October 8 (for ease in remembering) and a third featuring the Hawley-Smoot tariff, which had an immediate impact on the Great Depression. There are few heroes in Barry's pantheon, and only an occasional villain--principally Richard Nixon--while other widely admired figures, like Mark Twain and Winston Churchill, are given their lumps. Author tour.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 29, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0345416600
  • ISBN-13: 978-0345416605
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #85,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #81 in  Books > Entertainment > Humor > Political

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Dave Barry
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
HUNDREDS of thousands of years ago, America was very different. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, Civil War, New World, World War, Cold War, Native Americans, White House, George Washington, Soviet Union, Continental Congress, New Jersey, North America, Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin, Black Tuesday, Geraldo Rivera, Great Britain, Labor Movement, New Amsterdam, North Atlantic, Roaring Twenties, Thomas Jefferson, Vietnam War, Washington Post
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Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States
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Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States 4.7 out of 5 stars (50)
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Customer Reviews

50 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars laughed so hard I almost choked, November 6, 2005
Pulitzer Prize winning humor columnist Dave Barry set out to write a American history book that would be accessible to lay people. How did he accomplish this? For one thing, there are no dates to memorize, unlike the ones that menaced us in school. Or rather there is a single date (Oct. 8) for all important events, so chosen because it's his son's birthday.

Another way, this book is different is that it has left out the dull parts of history. Therefore, the reader is spared having to wade through tedious facts and figures that seem interchangeable and impossible to remember or care about. No, this book is bona fide funny. True to his promise, Barry adroitly gives us our history minus the really boring parts. He begins by explaining how America was "very different...no roads, no cities, no shopping malls, no Honda dealerships." He then progresses to Columbus's voyage with the three ships: the Ninja, the Pina Colada, and the Heidy Ho III. He is succinct when his narrative threatens to veer into dullness. For example, he sums up the "Decline of Spain," by saying "On Oct. 8, 1565, Spain declined." Presidential foibles, oddball interpretations of laws and amendments, amusing chapter headings (Deep International Doo Doo, The Seventies: A Relieved Nation Learns That It Does Not Actually Need a President, a running joke at the expense of Richard Nixon, plus creative use of quote marks make this a hilarious read.

And as a bonus, he does not forget to mention the many important contributions made by women and minorities. Well, sort of.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed my butt off!, March 25, 2006
By Calamity Jane (Virginia) - See all my reviews
  
I bought this book years ago before a plane trip to Boston. I was glad I was on a prop plane that was very noisy, because I was laughing out loud and no one could hear me. This book is an absolute riot, even if you don't know American history well (although it's definitely funnier if you do). I used to have a large collection of Dave Barry's books and stopped collecting after his "Dave Barry Does Japan" flop, but this is easily the funniest of all of his books (and one of the books I kept). HIGHLY recommend.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest book I've read, February 15, 2000
By Galen R Carnicelli (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
For sheer gut busting laughs, this is the funniest book I've read. You do need some knowledge of American history to appreciate a lot of the satire, but it's a riot on any level. "Science Made Stupid" (not by Dave Barry) comes in a close second.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars This was pretty funny... for about 10 pages.
This book was pretty funny... for about 10 pages then it got really old. It took me about 60 pages to give up on it altogether. Read more
Published 21 days ago by J. Alexander

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny everytime
This book is incredible. You will be laughing out loud. The more U.S. history you know the funnier it is. I highly recommend this book for anyone. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Adam Z. Rich

5.0 out of 5 stars The Funniest Book I've Ever Read
Dave Barry's "Dave Barry Slept Here" is a hilarious pseudo/satire-history of the United States. Anyone familiar with Dave Barry's wit from his columns will immediately recognize... Read more
Published 21 months ago by A. Courie

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry at his best...
I've read all of Dave Barry's stuff, novels too, and this is, hands down the funniest thing you'll ever sink your eyeballs into. Read more
Published on September 17, 2007 by J. Yates

5.0 out of 5 stars None Better
I first read this book when I was 12. I next read it... probably when I was still 12. I'm not one to read and re-read books, but this one will always be an exception. Read more
Published on August 8, 2007 by Robert J. York

5.0 out of 5 stars This History is signed "Spoof-fully Yours"
According to Dave Barry, hundreds of thousands of years ago, America was very different. For one thing, there were no car commercials which had broadcast toward Earth from another... Read more
Published on January 14, 2007 by Virgil Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a Dave convert now...
I read this book because a friend suggested that Dave would provide some good laughs. Boy was he right! Read more
Published on April 4, 2006 by Richard Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Re-live your elementary school American History education!
Re-live it, and this time around, have a heck of a lot more laughs! Barry delivers a biting satire of your American History book, complete with hysterically funny comprehension... Read more
Published on July 8, 2005 by Jessica Lux

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Dave
In my AP History class in 11th grade our teacher gave us a list of over five hundred terms to define. Read more
Published on January 2, 2005 by Evil_smokey

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious American Twistory
This book served as my introduction to Dave Barry, and he must have written few better to begin with. Who doesn't love a good mockery of history textbooks? Read more
Published on August 15, 2003 by Joshua M. Clark

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