Rating: 
Summary: Carlson is no Al Franken
Review: Thank God for that. He's no O'Reilly either. This is a humourous anecdotal personal account not a polemic. I found Carlson's stories highly entertaining and at times laugh out loud funny. A great read for cable news/political junkies who want to lighten up for a few hours.
Rating:
Summary: Should come with airline peanuts and a warm towel.
Review: This is a fun read, perfect for a four-hour airline flight. Don't worry too much about being offended (or even engaged) by the author's political views. There is no depth, mostly just a montage of reasonably good anecdotes. It reads about like this: This guy I knew was a real pistol. Speaking of pistols, I knew another guy who was against gun control. Speaking of control, there was this other guy with a bladder problem. You know the Latin word for bladder is...He lingers a bit on Sen. John McCain and what it's like to be a semi-famous TV personality. An interesting bit of promotional backspin: Carlson mentions a deranged fan by name and gives the URL for her Web site. I plugged the address into my browser (little expecting said deranged fan to still be there) and was taken to an Amazon ad for, of all things, Al Franken's latest book. Hmmmmm.
Rating:
Summary: Great first book by a great conservative thinker
Review: Tucker Carlson has always been one of my favorite conservative television personalities and this rookie effort does not disappoint. He is witty, thoughtful, and on the money every time. This book is less about his political views than it is a personal memoir of his experiences at CNN, and it makes for a fascinating behind the scenes read. Don't worry however, Tucker's views come through loud and clear, although not in the "Liberal-bashing" fashion that is so en vogue among his counterparts Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. One could only wish that this offering was longer, or that a second book is in the works!
Rating: 
Summary: No Worse Than a Bad Cold
Review: Tucker Carlson is the perennially smug right-wing conservative with the affected bow tie on CNN's soon-to-be-canceled afternoon political soap opera "Crossfire." If this anorexic volume is any indication of his writing ability, his career as a print journalist isn't much healthier. This is what they call in publishing a "McBook," the kind of thing that TV sitcom stars churn out in a week and serve to a credulous public to make a quick buck. "Journalism is really pretty easy," Carlson writes at one point. Which is arguably true, assuming of course that you're a complete hack. Not that this book is total garbage: it's not. But it's so thin and insubstantial, sounding at times like something Carlson cranked out at his desk during his lunch hour, that unless you're eager to waste your money buying a book that's sure to be remaindered faster than you can say, "Where Are The Weapons of Mass Destruction?" it's not worth your time. There are, however, some good things in it. I particularly liked Carlson's breathless encomium to British journalists: "I've run into a lot of them while covering stories, and generally they're impressive: witty, well-educated, and physically brave. They're also frequently drunk. As a rule, a British reporter will begin boozing at the first opportunity, and won't stop until he passes out or you run out of money." This is, as Gore Vidal would say, splendid stuff. And the story of how Carlson was falsely accused of rape by a self-proclaimed mentally ill fan, a false charge that ended up costing Carlson $14,000 in legal fees, is pretty amusing (although I'm sure it wasn't for Carlson, who does everything but print the woman's home phone number). Carlson takes some engagingly heterodox positions, including taking on Fox News self-absorbed blowhard Bill O'Reilly for being a self-absorbed blowhard who has started to believe his own publicity. His account of how O'Reilly boasted of his faux-credentials as a war correspondent at a discussion panel in Washington on "The Press in Wartime" in front of many of the real thing, which, as Carlson points out, is "a little like bragging about your National Guard experience to a room full of Navy SEALs," is surprisingly honest coming from an avowed conservative. It's nice to know that Carlson can occasionally espouse positions that are somewhat more intelligent than the ones he spews on cable television. But it's not enough for me to recommend "Politicians, Partisans and Parasites: My Adventures in Cable News," which is a puny little book that tries to capitalize in a cynical way on its author's rapidly shrinking fifteen minutes of fame. Unless you're the kind of person who buys every single book on politics that comes down the Beltway, give this one a pass.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun inside look at Cable News
Review: Tucker Carlson, the witty, politically conservative co-host of Crossfire, has been one of those few on the right who actually seem less dogmatic than practical. Like P.J. O'Rourke, Carlson has a sense of humor, and this book serves not as yet another diatribe against "the liberals" who seem to be running things (The "liberal media" myth is a popular one, nevermind that almost all news operations are beginning to lean rightwards to counter those charges, and the most popular cable news outlet is Fox, full of rabid disgusting neanderthals). The book is a nice trip through Carlson's career in a non-chronological way. You read about his many experiences as a journalist and public figure, his own brush with rape accusations, and his many tales of "only in Washington" shenanigans on both sides of the aisle. Carlson comes across as far more tolerant of his opposite number on the left, and even goes so far as to call James Carville one of his "favorite people". All in all, this is NOT a book for the Ann Coulter/Rush Limbaugh set. This is a fun read, and while I disagree with him politically, I don't feel like a hypocrite when I say he is a born storyteller. Liberals and jerks, erm, Conservatives alike, will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and Highly Entertaining Read
Review: Tucker Carlson, who co-hosts CNN's Crossfire has written an enlightening and amusing book on his three years at CNN. I have watched Crossfire only rarely, but I happened to hear Tucker speak about his experiences at a televised book conference in Miami, Florida not too long ago. He described, with dry wit and obvious fondness, the colorful characters he interviewed and worked with in the most powerful and weirdest medium there is. I was entranced by his insight and intelligence and immediately ordered his new book, Politicians, Partisans, and Parasites. This book was one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a long time. His intimate portraits of Al Sharpton, John McCain, James Carville, Ralph Nader, Jesse Jackson, and many others are not to be missed. Tucker has seen television from the inside and describes it without rancor and without pulling any punches. Both in his speech and in the book, he mentioned expecting to be fired at anytime because of his enthusiasm for airing his views. I hope it doesn't happen soon, because we need more TV personalities with his sense of humor. To get the flavor of Tucker's humor, see his interview by Kevin Holtsberry in August of this year. He has written a great book. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, witty, and laugh out loud funny...
Review: Tucker doesn't waste time into pulling his reader right into the heart of the tumultuous world of cable news, from the ill-fated Spin Room to his seat on the CNN flagship Crossfire. Anyone who watches Crossfire knows Tucker to be the most informed, and without a doubt most reasonable "conservative" voice on television, and his first book doesn't disappoint. That said, the book is no policy wonk manifesto, as it is concerned mainly with his experiences, anecdotes and cocktail party stories of his (brief) career to date. Each are well chosen, and he uses them to amplify the handful of maxims he has gleamed from his time in the business. If your looking for a fun and light read on the characters in our nation's capital, Tucker will be glad to serve as your personal guide!!!
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced, witty, and laugh out loud funny...
Review: Tucker doesn't waste time into pulling his reader right into the heart of the tumultuous world of cable news, from the ill-fated Spin Room to his seat on the CNN flagship Crossfire. Anyone who watches Crossfire knows Tucker to be the most informed, and without a doubt most reasonable "conservative" voice on television, and his first book doesn't disappoint. That said, the book is no policy wonk manifesto, as it is concerned mainly with his experiences, anecdotes and cocktail party stories of his (brief) career to date. Each are well chosen, and he uses them to amplify the handful of maxims he has gleamed from his time in the business. If your looking for a fun and light read on the characters in our nation's capital, Tucker will be glad to serve as your personal guide!!!
Rating:
Summary: It's Tucker Carlson
Review: Tucker reveals some shocking insider tidbits sure to blow you away. Among them, is an unnamed Souther Senator who candidly confided in Tucker at a Washington dinner of how he was sleeping with his hot new intern from Texas. Later it was revealed that the Senator had been impotent for years due to prostate surgery. Tucker's candor, wit, and bowtie make for quite a read. The part where he chronicles his dalliance with Margaret Carlson and an unnamed Crossfire co-host and their affinity for roleplaying with nothing but bowties on was somewhat appalling, but nonetheless, it makes for an entertaining read.
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