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Al Franken

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate Audio CD – CD, June 6, 2017

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From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum -- comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.

"Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." -- Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.

Language

English
Publisher

Twelve
Publication date

June 6, 2017
Dimensions

5.25 x 1.5 x 5.75 inches
ISBN-10

1478912561
ISBN-13

978-1478912569
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best political book of 2017."―Alex Shephard, The New Republic

"In this excellent, insightful memoir, comedian turned senator Franken recalls his unlikely path to public service...Franken is quite a raconteur, and he tells the story of his remarkable life and times with a sense of humor that is always irreverent and often self-deprecating."―Publishers Weekly

"This is a great book about politics. No joke...Compulsively readable [with] laugh-out-loud lines in every chapter."―Booklist Starred Review

"[AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE] may...be the funniest memoir by a sitting - standing, recumbent, squatting - U.S. senator. Scratch that 'may.' It surely is. This is a genuinely funny book, often hilarious...the Senate, and the country, would be the poorer without him. He's an American original."―Christopher Buckley, The Washington Post

"Admirably incautious...Franken has weaponized the gifts that proved so useful for comedy - a sharp eye, a sharper tongue, the ability to tease out the essential absurdity of a given situation and deliver the goods with maximum impact." ―Mark Binelli, Rolling Stone

"In a breezy, funny, biting, and often earnest read, Franken pulls off what many of his congressional colleagues have failed to do: write...an interesting and honest memoir."―Sam Brodey, MinnPost.com

"A fun and compelling book. [Franken] uses self-deprecating humor to poke fun at everyone on either side of the aisle, and he gives readers insight into the daily workings of life in the Senate. His love of the people and the state of Minnesota is crystal clear."―Jeff Ayers, AP

"With this book, Franken is both resistance leader and family counselor...A hilarious guide to what happens when a comedian runs for Congress."―The Nation

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve; Unabridged edition (June 6, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1478912561
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1478912569
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.5 x 5.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,610,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #872 in Political Humor (Books)
- #7,871 in Political Leader Biographies
- #8,976 in Fiction Satire

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Al Franken

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Senator Al Franken has represented Minnesota in the United States Senate since 2009. Before entering politics, he was an award-winning comedy writer, author, and radio talk show host. He's been married to his wife, Franni, for 41 years — many of them happy. They have two children, Thomasin and Joe, and three grandchildren. Senator Franken graduated from Harvard College and received his doctorate in right-wing megalomania studies from Trump University.

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4.7 out of 5

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Learning with a laugh

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 1, 2023

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Al Frankin is a funny guy. This book describes his life as a Senator, including his campaigns and elections. His descriptions always bring a smile and sometimes even a laugh. Hmm, being a Senator is not as glamorous as I thought.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 15, 2017

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Al Franken rose to prominence as a funny man, experiencing success as both a comedy writer and a comedian. But Franken also has other passions. Unlike many in show business, he is still happily married his first wife, Franni, a union that has lasted more than forty years and produced two fine children and several grandchildren. He is also an idealist who has an uncommon interest in the survival and well-being of the little people of the world, those who are enjoined in the daily struggle of just getting by. His concerns for the welfare of the common man are what led him away from comedy and into the realm of public service.

Franken, the junior United States Senator from Minnesota, is the author of six previous books, all with a liberal political bent, and a couple of which launch verbal harpoons at Republican gasbags like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly. He is now out with book number seven, a modest tome entitled: "Al Franken: Giant of the Senate."

The new book is an autobiography that is mainly comprised of sketches of the author's life from his childhood in Minnesota, through his evolution as a comedian - with particular emphasis on the fifteen years in which he wrote for and was featured on Saturday Night Live, to his entry into the political orbit of Minnesota's revered Senator Paul Wellstone, and finally to his own life in politics. Quite a bit of the book is focused on Franken's experiences in learning to be an effective senator and his constant struggle to work within the arcane senate system while always staying focused on the needs of his constituents back home in Minnesota.

In many ways this book is a primer on both how to be an effective senator as well as a functioning human being. It should be read and pondered by anyone who is considering running for office.

The author goes into much detail about the importance of being prepared for the job, citing the extensive reading that he has to do in order to be ready for committee hearings on a wide range of issues - and his sheer delight when his thorough preparations enable him expose fallacies being presented as facts. Franken also hits, time and again, on the importance of playing well with others. Not every sitting United Stats Senator is someone that we might want as a next door neighbor - just ask the guy who lives next door to Rand Paul - but if a senator is going to be able to advocate successfully for the folks back home, he will eventually need the support of most of his colleagues, even the odious ones.

The one exception to Senator Franken's tireless efforts to find something to like about each of his colleagues is Ted Cruz. His disdain for Cruz is noted on the book's jacket and has been repeated on talk shows and almost every published review of the book. The junior senator from Minnesota famously said about the junior senator from Texas:

"Here's the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz."

One has to wonder how America's most humorous senator would characterize Senator Roy Moore!

But Roy Moore or not, and Donald Trump or not, Al Franken still views the world in positive terms and beats the drum for hope and change. Yesterday Senator Franken posted the following "alert" on Twitter. His importance as a voice for a caring and concerned America is reflected in the fact that it has been retweeted nearly 60,000 times in less than a day:

"RED ALERT: Senate GOP just added provision to their tax plan that would gut ACA & kick 13M ppl off insurance. Yes, it's same tax plan that would add $1 trillion+ to deficit while giving majority of benefits to corporations & the rich. We need you to make your voices heard again."

We are being called to action by someone who truly cares.

"Al Franken: Giant of the Senate" is inspiring - and so is the man who wrote it! He is the example that everyone who enters public service should strive to emulate.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

More biography, than political commentary

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 29, 2017

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It should be evident that the title is an example of irony, something Franken has been hounded about since he first decided to run for the Senate. Actually about a quarter of the book is rather self-deprecating.

No, this is a biography more than a political piece, although Franken does get on his progressive activist horse more than once.

He starts with his stint on “Saturday Night Live” which was originally a writing gig with his partner Tom Davis. They met at Blake school near the Twin Cities, Davis a year younger. Franken spent fifteen years, on and off, at SNL. When he ran for the Senate, Republican hounddogs dug up every off-color remark he made, trying to make him look like a wrote porn. Franken's most effective response was that he's been married to the same woman, Franni, with whom he has two children and I believe three grandchildren. No, he's not the character/characters he played on SNL.

Franken doesn't emphasize the close Senate race he had with incumbent Norm Coleman, former Democratic mayor of St. Paul turned George W. Bush mouthpiece. He lost by 750, just close enough to ask for a recount, which he won. Governor Tim Pawlenty sued, turning to the Supreme Court, which sided with Franken who eventually won by only 330 or so votes. Franken doesn't rub it in, although he could. Pawlenty's former law partner was one of the votes that turned the tide for Franken.

Franken was hardly funny during his first term, although occasionally he couldn't help himself. That's why his chief of staffs kept trying to “dehumorize” him. About the funniest line he's gotten off so far is “Here's the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.” Mark Twainish, right? Franken also wrote a country song with Orrin Hatch. Hatch's staff wondered why they were laughing so hard in Hatch's office. Hatch is President Pro Temp, third in line for the presidency if something happens to Trump. He's a staunch conservative.

Back to the self-deprecating part. For some reason Franken had the gavel when Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for the Supreme Court. Each senator got to say his piece during her hearing. Mitch McConnell tried to portray her as a personality with no redeeming experience. Franken rolled his eyes, much like Al Gore did when George W. Bush said something uninformed during one of their debates. Anyway, Franken realized his mistake and apologized profusely. McConnell responded rather well, saying that'll happen in the heat of the moment. Forget about it. From that moment on he took every chance he got to compliment McConnell on his rare apolitical speeches. Franken claims they're now friends, but he may have been kidding.

Franken is a much better senator than anybody thought he'd be. Like his cohort Amy Klobuchar, he takes every opportunity to co-sponsor bills with members from across the aisle. He managed to get a bill passed two weeks after being sworn in. It was about a study to consider therapy dogs for veterans with PTS. Unfortunately it took nine years for the study to be completed.

Franken used the accusation that he wrote off-color material at SNL as a kind of a joke in this one, using a synonym and a footnote to suggest he would've used a stronger word in that instance if he wasn't a senator.

5 people found this helpful

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Jon

Although not quite as funny as his other books because he has to reign ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

I've bought all of Al Frakens previous books so I am already a fan and this book just reinforces that. Although not quite as funny as his other books because he has to reign in some of his broader commentary his sense of duty to his job and his frustration at how things are in the States right now makes me wish there more politician's like him in the world.

2 people found this helpful

Alex Bowles

A fine read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 17, 2017

Verified Purchase

It's Al Franken, it's gonna be amusing, engaging and thoughtful. It's also gonna be liberal and warm. If you like that kinda thing, read and enjoy. If you don't, don't pick it up.
I had a great time with this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

One person found this helpful

DAVID J TWIGGE

A good read; book in very good condition./

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Still dipping in to it for reading pleasure.

RustyB

Giant indeed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

A humorous, entertaining, and at times heart breaking story ... Full of hope, doing the right thing in an enjoyable and easy read.

A. Miller

Worth reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great read

See all reviews

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