Rating: 
Summary: Bless you, Michael Moore
Review: Great book, gutsy too. I hope he doesn't get wiped out because of it! Michael Moore delves into the powers that be in his unique, quirkish way with humor but also with the cold hard facts and proof to back them up. (just saw him speak at UMASS, Dartmouth, MA and he was wonderful)
The book has a great crescendo ending, he is hopeful that we, the people will help his crusade...and there really is no other way out of this mess!
Rating:
Summary: View from Down Under
Review: This book has just hit the shelves in Australia and I've just finished reading it. Moore is a funny guy and proves it once again throughout this book...but it's hard to laugh when there's something on almost every page that makes you feel sick with frustration about the current political climate in the US. Even though Australian Prime Minister John Howard signed up this country to the so-called Coalition Of The Willing to invade Iraq, at least 70% of the population of Australia were opposed to our involvement. So you can understand why many Australians have a keen interest in American politics...what happens in the US also affects Australia. And as you've seen by the percentage given above, we're not exactly fans of the neo-conservative movement or the increasing pressure placed on people in the US who wish to voice their opposition to the current administration and its policies. For those who accuse of Moore of fabricating information and distorting facts (most of those who level these accusations at Moore have probably not read this book anyway...some of the reviews here of Moore's work scream of an anti-Michael Moore agenda rather than being honest critiques of his work), there are notes in the back of the book and elsewhere that help support his claims. Another thing in his favour is that he writes in a clear and entertaining fashion, even when his sense of anger and frustration is evident. Moore writes in a conversational style that makes this an easy read. Maybe Australians are more accepting and less vitriolic about Michael Moore because of our cultural differences...? Michael Moore appeals to the "Aussie battler" part of us, the little guy who stands up to authority against all odds. That would certainly explain why folks like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, etc are largely unknown here. From what I have seen and read of these people, they exhibit a smugness and self-rightousness that just doesn't wash here. Moore has an "Everyman" quality that appeals far beyond his homeland, and his efforts to expose corporate and government wrong-doing find a collective sympathetic ear in Australia. I'm sure that Moore is preaching to the converted, but I sincerely hope that people who are unfamilar with his work take a chance with this book. It's a real eye-opener, and if there was ever a time when people should be taking more of an interest in who is governing us, it is most definitely now.
Rating:
Summary: Michael's Found It -- And That's The Truth
Review: Spent all night reading this fantastic and horrific book. Continually exclaimed to myself, "Wow, so I'm NOT the only one who is feeling this way!" and "Geez..you mean someone else was noticing this war and terrorism stuff doesn't add up...at ALL?" I hope all readers will be inspired to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" instead of "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch of the baseball playoffs in your honor. And not be terrorized any more. Thank you for reminding us that this is OUR country, and that in honest Abe's words, "The only thing to fear is fear itself." George W., this quote's for you! You'd better start running! And don't forget your toenail clippers. Thank you, Michael, for once again being our cheerleader for the good of our wonderful country and for liberating us all. Let the impeachment begin!
Rating:
Summary: If you love your country...
Review: If you love your country...then you have to read this book. ...and if you care at all about where your planet is headed, you have to read this book TODAY.
Rating:
Summary: This book is extremely intense, for a book
Review: From the moment I opened up the first page of the first chapter and started reading I seriously had a very hard time putting this book down. Republican or Democrat, Liberal or Conservative, this book is for anyone and everyone in America. Michael Moore does a spectacular job of painting an easy-to-read picture of the events that have happened...with rarely-known-but-widely-broadcasted facts based entirely in truth (as you can tell by the footnotes and endnotes that include articles from a long list of the major media sources in America and the world, including: the Associated Press, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun, Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express News, The London Times, St. Petersburg Times, The Boston Globe, Harper's Magazine, Agence France Presse, Money, The Nation, Christian Science Monitor, The Guardian, Newsweek, MSNBC, The Atlantic Monthly, Foreign Affairs, The Tampa Tribune, BBC News, The Telegraph, Omaha World Herald, Europe Energy, Institutional Investor International, Platt's Oilgram News, Houston Chronicle, Fortune, Los Angeles Times, Toronto Star, The Independent, Oil & Gas Journal, Middle East Economic Digest, Foreign Policy in Focus, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chicago Tribune, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, USA Today, The White House, London Telegraph, United States State Department - and those are just the sources for the first chapter). There are so many good things to say about this book that I won't even get started. I implore EVERYBODY to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: good honest book
Review: Is Chad confused???
Chad's review "in quotations" and my responses and questions (in parentheses): "During the Clinton years, we heard little or nothing from this guy. Now that we have a Republican in office, Moore is making millions. And it's this Republican Administration that he calls 'hypocritical'." (Maybe Moore felt they were doing a good job.. sounds more like supporting your own beliefs rather than being a hypocrite...) He has sold more books and movies under the very administrations he has criticized.
-(I don't see where Chad is going with this. Seems a bit desperate... Hasn't Michael sold more books because he believes this administration is corrupt and doing so well because so many Americans agree? What does making money under the Bush administration have to do with Michael being a hypocrite? That is ridiculous. Michael believes in the truth and if he said "gee, I make so much money under the Bush administration I should support them" He would be going against his beliefs and basically taking a bribe. What he's really doing is trying to bring the truth about today's extremists to the surface.) "At the time this book hit, The first example of this hypocrisy was under the Reagan administration of the 1980s."
--(and...(?) elaboration? supporting facts? What book?) "At the time this book hit the shelves, arguments against the war in Iraq were already showing themselves to be false." -(examples? Valid sources? who thought they were false...Bush?) "But some people will never believe the truth. Scary." (It is, isn't it.) I myself am inclined to believe that the comments in Chad's review are false. I am an 18 year old freshman in college and I'm trying to make sense of our society and our ethics as Americans. I deeply Respect Michael for his dedication to his cause and his regular dive into the painstaking process of research. I am going to try to see what I can find to dispute this review on my own. However, I am pretty sure I can trust Michael to be honest with me; these days research is so web based and inconsistent I am almost afraid to look because people pass off opinions as facts so often that the liars themselves forget they were lying.
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Nightmare!!
Review: Michael Moore has proven once again that taking a Satirist's approach to politics can be the best way to activate the people. This book makes you question everthing. It's a very important read for anybody(Republican or Democrat) who has felt uneasy about the actions taken by our country within the last couple of years. Warning: This book may induce anger and fear!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the previous review -- it's BS
Review: Firstly, the previous review was written by a right wing ideologue who DID NOT READ this book. Arguments against the Iraq invasion/occupation were being proved false as this book hit shelves? Really. Well it so happens as I sit down to write this review, there was a major explosion in downtown Baghdad. Car bomb. Yeah, the Iraq occupation is going swimmingly. Actually, the previous review is the exact reason to buy "Dude Where's My Country?": cut through the right wing BS and read the truth -- documented with precise footnotes and endnotes. "Dude..." is extremely informative and very funny. What more could you ask for? Put blinders on and believe the right wing propaganda like the previous "reviewer", or learn the truth. It's your call.
Rating: 
Summary: As I lose faith in the left...
Review: I picked up this book in the bookstore today and randomly opened to a page where he writes the mantra, again and again and again: "There is no terrorist threat, there is NO TERRORIST THREAT!" Again and again across an entire page, as if wishing this were true. If only it were. Now, if Moore actually went through and analyzed data, looked at intelligence, and presented an actual ARGUMENT for why he believes there is no terrorist threat, makes up for the fact that he is not a military man or defense analyst with some hard work and research and tries to convince me that his contention is correct, well, then I might be impressed. This however, is pure head-in-the-sand lunacy. Of course there is a terrorist threat. Maybe if Bush/Cheney had tried to have a war pre-9/11 based on "terrorist threats" we would have reason to doubt. Even now, one is free to question their response and propose other responses, but saying there is no threat simply makes no sense. This book is a bestseller? Dude, where's MY country? I try to read books on both sides of the issues, and Ann Coulter's Slander actually presents data, arguments, and hard facts showing severe liberal media bias and the weakness of the liberal position. A recent example: If Clinton had spoken in say, 1997, about the threat of terrorism in this country, the NYTimes story would have headlined "Clinton highlights terrorism threat, paints nightmare scenario"--but in the post-9/11 world, Cheney's speeches of the last few days(where he very clearly laid out the possibility of nuclear or bio-attack in this country with hundreds of thousands dead) receive this headline instead: "Cheney Lashes out at War Critics". And David Kay's compelling WMD report has received zero coverage as well. I started on the left but it seems their leaders and luminaries have lost there way in a reflexive reaction against everything Bush says or does, instead of analyzing the *actual* world and then drawing liberal reactions to it. Moore is a smart man but delusional, guided more by his hatred of those in power than by the search for truth(or the long-term survival of "his country".) Buy this book just to see for yourself. But don't let the rabble-rousing tone incite your own Bush-hating reflex. Control yourself and be serious. Unfortunately, 9/11 actually happened. One might argue about the validity of intelligence saying terrorism IS a threat, but I've seen ZERO intel that says it definitely ISN'T a threat. As Tom Friedman says, "Some things are true, even if George W. Bush believes them."
Rating:
Summary: The Last Straw
Review: I was a huge fan of Michael Moore before this book. I'm not kidding. I loved his unique brand of witty humor and subtle truth, and I faithfully watched any film or read any book of his that came out. Then came the Oscars. Now, I am all for having your own opinion...however, the Oscars is not the place. I didn't respect Moore's actions the same way I didn't respect the actions of Richard Gere or Marlon Brando when they, too, used the Academy Awards to lobby their own political ideology. Now, apparently, Moore has had his pride hurt so bad he has to make this book. And that ends my respect for him. As the previous reviewer said, the situation in Iraq is starting to look not as bad as the media has been portraying it, but Moore still wants to get his opinion out because every interview or award he receives, no one wants to hear it. I took this book more as Michael Moore crying over getting booed off stage, so he turns to his loyal fans because, hey, they'll listen to him. Well he's lost one. Some day I'm sure my grandchildren will come up to me and ask, "Grandpa, was Michael Moore really a victim of his times?" and I'll reply, "No kids, he went up there, preached a non-related topic like an idiot, and got booed off the stage in shame." One of the most hilarious things I ever heard that summed up my new opinion of Michael Moore came from a comedian on Comedy Central: "I don't think a 400 pound man should be talking about the excesses of capitalism."
| 
