Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstood
Review: Someone once said that he has never met a smart man as funny or a funny man as smart as Bill Maher. "Politically Incorrect" was on of the most brilliant programs on TV. It gave a forum for political discussion with a comic twist. It was disappointing that ABC and everyone else misunderstood what he said about the 9/11 terrorists. This book does an excellent job telling the American people exactly what the government should be telling us (as the title suggests it does). Bill Maher's views are liberal, but thats just what this country needs.
Rating:
Summary: Short, Sweet and to the Point
Review: Like the WWII posters he espouses, Bill Maher's latest book is short, sweet and to the point. I'm glad someone has finally brought to light the pure irony of the disgustingly naive and useless act of driving around in a Selfish-Utility-Vehicle plastered with old glory. Overall, It's pretty light fair. Unfortunatley, that's the only way to get the vast majority to take notice. I'm give copies to my lazy apolitical family for Christmas.Understanding the famously short attention span of most Americans, Bill Maher shoots from the hip but his aim is true.
Rating:
Summary: Maher has something to say: Listen!
Review: I have always thought Bill Maher was nothing short of brilliant. I have disagreed with him on past issues, (Most notably his comments regarding the September 11 attacks) the man still has his facts straight, knows what he's talking about, and has the quick wit to bring home his points. When You Ride Alone proves that Maher, while most-likely misunderstood, is still a brilliant humorist (I hate to use comedian just because it doesn't seem to give him the credibility he deserves) who has his finger on the American Political System much moreso than other political writers (this guy could run circles around Ann Coulter when it comes to breaking down the American Political Machine. This book is definitely a must purchase. Just be sure to write your name and address in it, because if you loan it out, you will want it back!
Rating: 
Summary: When you ride alone, you should ride with this audiobook
Review: I listened to the audiobook version of Bill Maher's book (three cassettes, unabridged) and found it to be both thoughtful and very entertaining. Maher reads aloud the essays from his book in an energetic and engaging manner that makes you forget he's reading a prepared text at all. The nature of the book- lots of short essays on a variety of topics- reminded me a bit of Dennis Miller's various "Rants" books, but here the emphasis is less on comedy and more on making interesting points about various aspects of the post-911 world. But don't worry, the heavy topics are definitely balanced with some laugh-out-loud humor; in fact, Maher usually uses that humor to punctuate and underline his most serious points. In any event, this is definitely a painless way to expose yourself to some of the difficult issues we need to think about these days.
Rating: 
Summary: More venom from a washed up, third-rate comedian
Review: I guess Bill had plenty of time on his hands after getting canned for calling the 911 hijackers "HEROS" on national TV. This book is more of the same. If you were a fan of "Bill Maher Interrupts People and Yells a Lot" (aka. politically incorrect), then you'd probably like this inaccurate, racist book. If not, then do everyone a favor and avoid giving [the author] any more money.
Rating:
Summary: What most of us don't want to hear
Review: This is an incredibly good book! Bill Maher says what many people are afraid to say and most of us don't want to hear. This is an honest and frank look at America and the world. Unfortunately, many who read this book will not change their actions which perpetuate misery in the world, from being gluttonous and insensitive to not speaking out against religions that give sanction to mistreating people. While I don't agree with everything he says, Bill Maher is the kind of honest, intelligent person that we need leading this country. Unfortunately, honesty and intelligence appear to be detriments to getting elected in the US.
Rating:
Summary: really funny
Review: It's starting to appear on best seller lists and may do some good in the world. It uses modern versions of the kind of posters the government issued during World Wars I and II to whip us up to do our patriotic duty. Maher uses them to express opinions like: profiling is a good idea when all the guys making trouble are all young, Muslim males. The best thing is that the colorful posters, brief text, and large print let it get through to Americans who don't read books with, like, a lot of words in them. Oh, did I mention that Maher is funny? This is a great gift book. Funny, a good converstation starter, and pointed enough to meke even couch potatoes think.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful, Intelligent, Entertaining, and Deeply Flawed
Review: Although this book has its share of problems, it is a must read because it is wildly entertaining and because it raises all the right questions about what Americans can really do to win the 'War on Terrorism'. Bill Maher uses language and imagery to contrast the current 'War on Terrorism' against the backdrop of the two world wars and the Cold War and to argue that unlike the present situation, Americans actually got involved back then and did something that is inconceivable today'they made sacrifices. Maher's book is divided into a series of brief, humorous essays (no more than three pages in length) each of which is illustrated with vintage style war posters that contain messages and slogans about the 'War on Terrorism'. Some of Maher's more trenchant arguments are: MAKE SACRIFICES
Wars are won by uniting and making sacrifices, so why not carpool as civilians did during WW II (hence the title of this book) instead of driving alone? Also, why not give up SUVs and other idiotic vanity vehicles in favor of fuel efficient ones that will reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, which is one of Al Quaeda's prime sources of revenue. PROTECT THE CITIZENS
If the president gets a secret service, why can't we? Put real security in our airports like Israel does. PERFORM INTELLIGENT SEARCHES
At the risk of being offensive, search likely suspects at airports, not random people including old women and children. THE 'WAR ON DRUGS' IS REALLY STUPID
Why are we investing billions of dollars and lots of resources making sure cancer victims can't smoke pot when we could be directing all of that money and resources toward protecting civilians at home? Besides, it doesn't work and it simply makes more people hate us. UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE HATED
People are attacking us for a reason. Try to understand what that reason is, don't just resort to comfort and clichés. Maher's book also contains its share of flaws. I completely agree with Maher's criticism of politically correct ideology and agree with him that replacing common sense with sensitivity does not solve any problems. In some cases however, Maher misses the boat not because his arguments are insensitive but simply because they are ignorant. Here are a few examples: THOSE ...MOSLEMS!
Maher argues that there is nothing wrong with criticizing Islam since among other things it is brutally repressive toward women. What he fails to consider is that there is no monolithic Islam that doles out the same repressive behavior the world over. The Taliban, the Saudi royal family, and Bin Laden are followers of Wahhabism, a virulent, fundamentalist sect in Islam. They have been frequently criticized by high ranking Suni and Shiite clerics who, among other things, condemned their treatment of women as unislamic. To equate all of Islam with the behavior of the Taliban (as Maher does) is to ignore this fact. IT'S A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
Maher, like Samuel Huntington, argues that we are experiencing a clash of civilizations and that the 'War on Terrorism' is a struggle between two conflicting cultures, the West and Islam. As Tariq Ali, Edward Said, and Howard Zinn aptly point out, religion does play an important ideological role in this conflict, but it is essentially a political one. Sure, the 9/11 terrorist were religiously motivated to sacrifice their lives, but their targets (the centers of finance, military planning and probably of government) were political ones. Similarly, while Bin Laden uses Islam as his rallying cry and justification, his goals are flagrantly political as evidenced by his statement that America would know security at home when the people of the Middle East knew security in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Palestine. TAKE SADDAM OUT
Maher indicates that since Saddam Hussein is developing nuclear weapons and must be stopped this is no time for sensitivity. He would probably do well to read the reports of the highly insensitive and highly informed Scott Ridder, which argue that Iraq was thoroughly disarmed and posses no threat. (Ridder is a marine veteran and former intelligence officer who played a leading role in disarming Iraq after the Gulf War. He is a Republican who voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and believes war with Iraq is unwarranted.) The strength of this book lies not so much in the fact that it provides all of the right answers but that it asks all of the right questions. Despite its flaws this book is intelligent, wildly funny and definitely worth reading. I strongly recommend however, that you read this book intelligently and skeptically, not with total acceptance. Maher would probably be the first to agree with this suggestion.
Rating:
Summary: HISTORICALLY INCORRECT!!!
Review:
The comments in this "picture book" on Islam being forced on the people, are historically misguided. Historians have, across the board, termed this "sword" claim as a "debunked hypothesis" (See Philip K. Hitti's, A Short History of the Arabs 1973:59). An analysis of the adoption of Islamic names reveals that over a century and a half after the "conquests", less than 10% of the population of those areas was Muslim. This suggests that the masses accepted Islam much later and not as a result of the conquest (see Albert Hourani's, A History of the Arab Peoples (1991), page 46-47). Prominent Western historians (like Edward Gibbon) have called this "sword" propaganda a myth. Why are you perpetuating a myth that has been debunked by experts who scientifically analyze the evidence?
The author's silence about "Holy Violence" in the Torah, and the explicit racism of the Old Testament that has been translated into the present day apartheid regime of modern Israel, shows dishonesty and insincerity. He claim that U.S Foreign Policy cannot be criticized by today's Muslims because Muslims who lived 1400 years back allegedly had a "conquering to convert" foreign policy is not only absurd, it reeks of the Israeli claim that since their ancestors allegedly inhabited Palestine 2000 years back, they are justified today in stealing the entire area from its indigenous Arab population.
It is a almost non-researched, agenda driven "picture" book.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh look at our current state of affairs
Review: First, I must take exception to reviewer: Peter Labriola from Oakland, Ca. His comment "Only in Hollywood could a liberal jew like Bill Maher -- the very epitome of politically correctness -- be passed off as "politically incorrect" not only shows him to be bigoted, but suggests ignorance as well. Mr. Maher's mother was Jewish, but he was raised Catholic. He now does not declare any stated religion. I do wonder if the reviewer read the book. While I did not agree with everything Mr. Maher said in this book, I found his arguments fresh and interesting, and his wit as good in book form as it is on his (sadly canceled) show. This is the type of book to read and discuss - don't expect to agree with everything, but expect to come away with a different mind set on some subjects.
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