Once upon a More Enlightened Time: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Rating:
Summary: Enlightenment the easy way...
Review: Given the success of the first volume, 'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories', James Finn Garner took another journey into fairytale land to find a revisionist's dream of reframed stories, and assembled them into the volume 'Once Upon a More Enlightened Time'. Like the first volume, this one holds nothing sacred, highlighting both the excesses of prejudice in the past while exposing the excesses of the politically correct currents of today.

Once again, the tone is set from the start in the Introduction by Garner: 'At the outset, I would like to apologise sincerely for the success of my last book. The number of trees that voicelessly gave their lives so that my resource-greedy publisher and I could meet retail demand was truly appalling, and quite likely contributed to the global warming that gave those of us in the Northern Hemisphere such an unseasonably warm winter.'

Garner misses the opportunity here to remind us of the disparity of wealth between hemispheres, but beyond that, he doesn't miss much. The titles of the stories will give you insight:

- A Politically Correct Alphabet
- Hansel and Gretel
- The Ant and the Grasshopper
- The Princess and the Pea
- The Little Mer-persun (Mer-maid is a demeaning title)
- The Tortoise and the Hare
- Puss in Boots
- Sleeping Persun of Better-than-Average Attractiveness (to call her a beauty demeans all others)
- The City Mouse and the Suburban Mouse (the countryside having been ravaged and now no longer exists close to cities; the country mouse has become suburban)

The politically correct alphabet I will list below--this gives a flavour of the rest of the text.

A is an Activity itching to fight
B is a Beast with its animal rights
C was a Cripple (now differently abled)
D is a Drunk who is 'liquor-enabled'
and so forth...

Garner hastens to add that, of course, the traditional ordering of the letters does not in any way imply that 'A' is more better or deserving a letter than X, Y, or Z.

Garner's publicity blurb says that he is called 'a master of the tour de force' by The Washington Post and 'a smart-alec, mealy-mouthed creep' by The London Daily Telegraph, yet feels the truth lies somewhere in between.

These stories will be loved by anyone who doesn't take life too seriously. Nothing is sacred here--be prepared to find something in yourself in here.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of Fun
Review: This is very funny stuff. I throughly enjoyed everybit. I also suggest you check out "Corporate Fairy Tales". It a similar idea but for the business world.

Rating:
Summary: That Tortoise used Performing Enhancement Drugs
Review: This sequel to Politically Correct Bedtime Stories introduces the reader to more politically correct fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel and the Tortoise and the Hare are my favourites. This is on par with the first book but avoid the next book in the series Politically Correct Holiday Stories as it does not live up to the standards of these two. Also read Apocalypse Wow by the same author.

Other great versions of fairytales can be found in Once Upon a Crime and the book called Whatever happened to...? The Ultimate Sequels.

Rating:
Summary: That Tortoise used Performing Enhancement Drugs
Review: This sequel to Politically Correct Bedtime Stories introduces the reader to more politically correct fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel and the Tortoise and the Hare are my favourites. This is on par with the first book but avoid the next book in the series Politically Correct Holiday Stories as it does not live up to the standards of these two. Also read Apocalypse Wow by the same author.

Other great versions of fairytales can be found in Once Upon a Crime and the book called Whatever happened to...? The Ultimate Sequels.