Rating: 
Summary: Left of splinter
Review: aspires to the level of TSOG by Robert Anton Wilson, or Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson, capturing the healthy cynicism many of us have developed over the past few years with humor and a nice dose of combative sensationalism (to match the chosen weapons of mass deception from the "Right.")When the hypocritical, sinister likes of Bill O'Reilley and Rush Limbaugh threaten to usurp the last remnants of critical thought right out of our God blessed American brains, along comes a Franken or a Moore to refreshingly restore balance. Call it Yin Yang politics. It ain't perfect, but it's a lot of fun. Opposing sides duking it out to stimulate an economy left floundering by Enron greedsters and equally demonic bureaucrats. Hail to the Thief.
Rating: 
Summary: Punked
Review: Michael Moore is one of the better storytellers out, but that's all he is a storyteller. Most of the facts he sites in his works are made up or manipulated by him. If you are looking for a good fiction book pick this up. This is book is another non fiction work of Michael Moore. Do a little research and see for your self.
Rating: 
Summary: It's not about Reps & Dems, it's about Common Sense
Review: I read the whole book after work the night it was released, footnotes and endnotes included, I couldn't put it down. It's a fast read, entertaining and ultra-timely and thought-provoking at the same time, all the way through. Read the book, and I promise you'll recognize yourself, your family and/or your friends in it. That's because Michael Moore is a normal guy, and he writes like it. He's no fortunate son, he's no pointy-headed intellectual - he writes like most people speak, which isn't as easy as it sounds. Read the facts he presents, and if you think he's lying or distorting the truth, you can and should check out the multiple original sources cited, many of which will be posted in their entirety on his Web site, michaelmoore.com. Some of the jokes may offend you, but I challenge anyone to read the book without laughing at least once, I don't think it's possible. Republican or Democrat, I think you'll agree that he's funny and heartbreaking at the same time. There is blood on these pages, you can sense the pain he went through in getting this all out, but his efforts to make it enjoyable really work. He makes you laugh at yourself, at him, and at this great big lug of a country, which I believe he truly loves as much as I do. No matter where you stand on partisan issues, there is such a thing as common sense. Common sense is what he's after, and I think he nails it. If you're a conservative considering this book, please give it a chance. At least you'll know your enemy better, and you may even find that you agree with him on a few points, just like he agrees with Bill O'Reilly sometimes. In any case, you'll enjoy the long section on the mistakes and foibles of liberals, and his thoughtful presentation on policies that help Americans keep their hard earned money in their own bank accounts, and those that don't. If you're a liberal who feels alien, adrift in a country you love but don't recognize anymore, this book is will give you hope and make you realize that you're not alone. You'll enjoy the section on just how left-leaning the entire country is, based on polls conducted by organizations including Fox News. You'll find the same civic inspiration that Nader offers in Crashing the Party without having to slog through painful exegesis and repetition (don't get me wrong, to me Nader is a true American hero - but this is a better read). And if you were disappointed when you got to chapter 30 of Al Franken's Lying Liars and read that instead of writing about Bush's connection to Saudi Arabia as planned, he was going to write about racism (personally I wanted both), you'll find more than enough to satisfy you in Michael's book. I watch C-SPAN constantly, whether the person speaking is liberal or conservative, because I have a responsibility as a citizen of a country I love to know what's going on. (In fact, I saw Michael Moore ask his audience to vote on the title of this book on C-SPAN.) I don't want to have political opinions without a factual basis for those opinions. I watch the original sources, the whole press conference with Ari or Scott, the whole subcommittee hearing, so I know for a fact that mainstream newspapers and TV don't give me the whole story, or even a close approximation. Truly, Cheney explains his own position better in 45 minutes than Sean Hannity does in a 30 second recap which is repeated 20 times in 20 minutes. As I watch C-SPAN, I often think, I wish I had the time and energy after working all day and worrying about paying bills all night to sit down and connect these dots; I think a lot of people would be interested. Well, Michael Moore and his team of fact-checkers and researchers have done this work for us, quite elegantly and entertainingly, and I think anyone who isn't a bigot will agree with much of his common sense. (If you're a bigot and you know it, go ahead and clap your hands, but don't bother with this book.) There is one paragraph that truly offends me, one I hope he'll revise in the paperback version. I doubt anyone will read the entire book and agree with it all. But that's not his intention - he just wants us to think about our country and ourselves, about our world and our place in it, about our responsibilities and our future, and, most of all, about the 2004 election. I submit that you can't read this book without thinking about all of these things. And these are things that should interest all of us, no matter how we feel about abortion or gun control (issues which are NOT the focus of this book). Give it a chance - you owe it to yourself and your country to know what much of the rest of the world knows because it's reported on their page one, while our mainstream media buries it on page 12. And in these hard times, everyone can use a good belly laugh.
Rating:
Summary: captivating -- Moore's best work to date
Review: As much as I enjoyed "Stupid White Men," I found it to be meandering at times, often going off the subject (from the quality of drinking water to recycling to cars that don't start up unless you drive them every day) in a bothersome way. As much as I enjoyed "Bowling for Columbine," Moore's 'setpieces' tried to cover too much area, and all too often the editing machine gave the proceedings a blatant liberal slant; he hit on a lot of emotional and sociological terrain, but the film lacked any outstanding depth. Well, here I am to give Mr. Moore's new book the highest rating possible on this site (and it's a rating I hardly ever give, by the way), and to announce that it's simply the best thing he's produced in his career as political provacateur yet. After a sober opening chapter (in which Moore gives Pirate Dubya 7 questions to answer regarding 9/11), the book becomes a very focused, compelling, and sometimes hilarious account of our country, in the wake of terrorism. Moore describes a dream in which an earth reliant on oil for everything is quickly dying out; there's even an interlude from God, who has major complaints about G.W. trivializing his name; he gives advice on how to reach your conservative brother-in-law, and makes you belive that, indeed, America is a very liberal nation and the "Neo-Cons" are running scared (why else would they be buying up major media outlets to pump out their swill 24-7). Most importantly, Moore's own thoughts on the 9/11 attacks, terrorism, and media manipulation in general are not the outstanding observations of a highly-educated man--they're the thoughts of anyone who has a mind able to process logic and reason. Thank you for your amplification of the unheard, Mr. Moore--we certainly appreciate it.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting questions, interesting points.
Review: One may not agree with Moore's bull-in-a-china-shop style, but his points and questions about the Bush administration are fascinating, and for two reasons: 1) they are things that are unanswered, and 2) why doesn't anybody else in the news media ask these things or follow these stories? These are things that everyone asks themselves when listening to speeches by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, etc., because something just doesn't make sense, and these people seem to be consciously trying to confuse things even more. Moore can't be brushed off. He provides facts, figures, and cites. And while the book is mildy humorous in its writing, it will disturb any American who believes in all the ideals that make us great. Moore doesn't provide much in the way of answers, but his book sure opens the can of worms and throws away the lid. Read the book and start asking questions.
Rating:
Summary: Mmmmmm...More Moore!
Review: "Dude, Where's My Country?" completes a 'perfect storm' of books (the others being "Lies..." by Al Franken, "Bushwhacked" by Molly Ivins and "Thieves in High Places" by Jim Hightower) that expose the Bush administration for the maniacal bunch of crazies they are. Put together, they trap Bush in a spider web of well-researched facts and stories that will ill-serve him between now and election day. Good. But what more can you say about "Dude, Where's My Country?" than...welcome back, Michael. As always, he is scathing, angry, accurate, and downright funny. Moore's "7 Questions" for President Bush is chilling. If his next movie, "Farenheit 9/11," fleshes out this bit of Bushfoolery, look out. But lest you think the book is 100% anti-conservative, think again. There's a great chapter on how to actually understand---and even mend fences with---conservatives. He even presents a lengthy list of things that liberals, well, suck at (either through belief or action). And he's right! Moore seems to be getting more media coverage from this book than he ever did from "Stupid White Men" (a mini-scandal in itself). It will help drive this book to the top of the best-seller lists...a place it deserves to be for a good while.
Rating:
Summary: Now who's the liar?!?!
Review: First of all, in my family it's the left wing nut that ruins Thanksgiving. Secondly why isn't Michael Moore on the cover of Al Franken's book? Interesting?!?! Well once again Michael Moore has gone and pissed off everyone in the US except the hippies and communist. Will someone please "take care" of this guy for us? Apparently being white and successful in America is a crime. I'm going to follow his advice and become and drug addict, quit my job, and blame everything on the Republicans. That way I don't have to accept resposibility for myself anymore. Shame on us for trying. I wonder if her noticed he's white or that the top 5% in this country still pays 85% of the taxes. Probably not since he's not smart enough. O'well, if you buy this book you should just shoot yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is his country? Cuba is just south of Florida.
Review: What can I say, I read both of Mikey's scribbled out incoherent rants and this guy just keeps getting funnier. It isn't that he is a comedy genius; the laughter is more at him than with him. Once again, old Moore drags the same old liberal left wing nonsense out of the closet, dusted it off and ran it through one more time. This book reminds me of a used tea bag, not very potent and just plain tastes bad. The most laughable state of affairs is the slobbering loyalty of the other reviewers. The plain truth of the matter is that more holidays have been ruined by the screeching liberal with no common sense than any conservative brother in law. Good grief people. Let's get a grip, buy this moron's book and laugh at his complete departure from reality. Where is his country? Judging from his rhetoric, that laser keen <cough, snicker> perception Michael is alleged to have hasn't alerted him to the Soviet Unions demise. Three stars for laughable stupidity.
Rating:
Summary: Mad World
Review: Michael Moore hits the nail on the head in his new book. The Bush Administration is the most corrupt presidential administraion we've had since Nixon. Trying to take away our civil liberites, stalling investigations into the events surrounding 9/11, and scaring the nation into a war with Iraq are just some of it's past crimes, not to mention the current Plame scandal. Eisenhower warned against the military industrial complex and that is what Bush is turning our country into. My only hope is that enough people wake up in time to do something to stop Bush. You don't have to be a fan of Moore to realize that Bush and his cronies are destroying our United States. An enlightening and humorous read.
Rating:
Summary: No truth here,
Review: This book is a liberals screaming cry for help. Founded on the communist manifesto, the author is highly skilled in spreading lies. The book is really a waste of time if you're looking for the truth. A better book would be," The Real Lincoln",or Webster's Dictionary.
|
