Rating: 
Summary: READ THE BOOK, SKIP THE AUDIO VERSION!
Review: I am reviewing the audio version of the book. I would give this zero stars if I could, only because of the narration. As usualy, Dave Barry is very funny, but it doesn't come through in this version because it's impossible to get past the narrator's reading. In a word, he is AWFUL. He sounds like a combination between a bad Paul Harvey impersonator and the adult voice of Ralphie in "A Christmas Story." His timing and inflection are totally wrong for the material and he completely ruins the whole book. I couldn't get through one of the five CDs before I wanted to throw the thing out the window. It would have been great if they had used someone like Harry Anderson (who played a fictionalized version of Dave on TV a few years ago) to read this, and then perhaps Barry's humor would have come through. If you like Dave Barry, skip the audio book and read the paper version.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm so embarrassed
Review: I first read this book in a quiet bookstore coffee shop. I don't think that the people studying at the tables around me appreciated it too much. I kept making strange noises in an effort not to laugh. After a little while I just started crying because it was so funny. About every 5 minutes I had to put it down and rest because my stomach hurt so much from laughing. Anyway, it's one of Barry's best and definitely a book you'll want to read in the privacy of your own home.
Rating:
Summary: Still the best humorist in the world
Review: I have read everything by Barry and, after almost two decades, I am still amazed by his ability to put intelligent humor sentence by sentence in his essays. No matter how many humorist writers I try, no one match even half of Barry's wit.Here are some examples of the themes discussed by Barry in this book: * Public art (I'm the type of person who will stand in front of a certified modern masterpiece painting that looks, to the layperson, like a big black square, and quietly think: "Maybe the actual painting is on the other side") * Who wants to be a millionaire (For $100, which of the following is NOT really a letter? (A) "A"; (B) "B"; (C) "C"; or (D) The Grand Canyon) * Road rage (...researchers for the National Institute of Traffic Safety recently did a study in which they drove on the interstate highway system in a specially equipped observation van. By the third day, they were deliberately running other motorists off the road. "These people are MORONS!" was there official report) You will find also the solution to the mystery of the Blair Witch project, the history of diets, excerpts of the screenplay for "Titanic 2", the problems with new toilets, his adventures as team mascot, and many more. Expect the usual lack of correct facts, the participation of Alert Readers, mottos, Mr. Language Person and, of course, nice names for rock bands. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with Everett -- the audio version is terrible
Review: I wish I had followed Everett Logan's advice and skipped this cassette. You can tell that the material itself is great, but the narrator is terrible, terrible, terrible. He dumbs down the text. I bought this to give to someone recuperating from surgery, but decided to listen to it myself first. I'm glad I did -- I would have been embarrassed to give this to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Barry is still the funniest man in America
Review: I'm not the most unbiased reviewer because I have to confess that I have read every book that Barry has ever written including his not so stellar novel. Still, I can't imagine anyone I'd ever want to have coffee with not thinking this book is hysterical. I'm always amazed at his turn of phrase and wit in every single article on any topic imaginable. Whether he's talking about flushing "acts of congress" (#2) down a low gallon toilet or his coffee addiction, he makes me laugh out loud every 2 minutes. I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't realize I was near the end and sat around not believing that it had ended. Then, I entered a deep depression.... Okay, I'm lying, but I was disappointed that I didn't have another one of his books right there to keep me going. If you've never read Barry before, rush out and buy this. I guarantee that within minutes, you'll be dialing friends and relatives to read snippets out loud -- I try to, but I ususually collapse into gales of laughter while I'm trying.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed so hard I got an earache
Review: Our local newspaper has been on strike for several years now, and not wanting to be a scab I stopped my subscription and had to cut myself off from the Dave Barry columns. So, when I bought "Dave Barry is not Taking This Sitting Down" for my sister's Christmas present, I decided she wouldn't mind if I did a bit of catching up on my favorite humor columnist. That was a mistake. I took it to bed with me and laughed so long and hard, the cats refused to come into the bedroom. And THEN I got to the column he did on SUVs. That's when I laughed myself into an earache. How many of you out there drive one of those big honker Chevrolet Subdivisions (as Dave has rechristened them)? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, and you will be after you read this book---if you don't die laughing, first. I can't wait until Dave Barry comes out with the ultimate tome on Southern Florida voting customs. Now my husband wants to read "Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down" before I wrap it up for my sister. After all, he had to spend a sleepless night listening to me read it.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed so hard I got an earache
Review: Our local newspaper has been on strike for several years now, and not wanting to be a scab I stopped my subscription and had to cut myself off from the Dave Barry columns. So, when I bought "Dave Barry is not Taking This Sitting Down" for my sister's Christmas present, I decided she wouldn't mind if I did a bit of catching up on my favorite humor columnist. That was a mistake. I took it to bed with me and laughed so long and hard, the cats refused to come into the bedroom. And THEN I got to the column he did on SUVs. That's when I laughed myself into an earache. How many of you out there drive one of those big honker Chevrolet Subdivisions (as Dave has rechristened them)? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, and you will be after you read this book---if you don't die laughing, first. I can't wait until Dave Barry comes out with the ultimate tome on Southern Florida voting customs. Now my husband wants to read "Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down" before I wrap it up for my sister. After all, he had to spend a sleepless night listening to me read it.
Rating: 
Summary: If you've liked his other books, you'll like this one too.
Review: This is a collection of Dave Barry's humor columns from 1997-99. As you would expect, the quality of the columns varies. Nonetheless, when he's good, he's very good, and when he's not good, he's not bad either. By the way, I support his "movement" to "eliminate" these newly federally-mandated 1.6 gallon toilets. They work fine for tinkling but they cannot handle what Barry tactfully calls "acts of Congress." The stupid law mandating these anorexic toilets should be "voided."
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Book: Not Great, Not Bad
Review: This is good, solid Dave Barry. There are a few really good chapters (articles), but most of them are just standard Barry fare (which is good).
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Book: Not Great, Not Bad
Review: This is good, solid Dave Barry. There are a few really good chapters (articles), but most of them are just standard Barry fare (which is good).
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