A nihilistically hilarious commentary on the corporate world.
Jackson presents a satirical guidebook for prospective oligarchs on how to exploit politicians, capitalism, and the American public.
“Money is how we, as a species, determine our worth,” the author writes in the opening pages of this manual for the aspiring oligarch. “We are not measured by the strength of our character, our integrity, or our altruism.” The author blends humorous insights on 21st-century capitalism with a tongue-in-cheek history of economic exploitation from Crassus of Rome (who created his own private army) to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, whose interests in space exploration, the author asserts, stem from their desire to “escape the hellscape they created.” Another oligarch, Mali’s Mansa Musa, gave so much of his wealth away in the 14th century, Jackson writes, that it devalued the price of gold, teaching future oligarchs a key lesson “to never give away anything you own.” Readers learn how Henry J. Heinz used his influence with President Teddy Roosevelt to pass food regulations that eliminated competition, and how Sanford Dole convinced President Grover Cleveland to annex Hawaii by military force. While informative, the book’s strength lies in its humor and biting satirical commentary. In a particularly effective joke, a chapter ends abruptly with a pop-up ad (“Want to keep reading?”) that offers readers the rest of the book for a discounted price if they “SUBSCRIBE NOW.” Other hilarious gags include missing citations that have been sold off to corporate advertisers (endnote 2, for example, was sold to “Starkist Brand Tuna: Overfish’d ’til it’s delisch’”) and a who’s who–styled appendix of “The Great Exploiters of Earth.” The author’s engaging, wickedly smart writing style is accompanied by a wealth of visual aids, from photographs with humorous captions to original political cartoons, such as one drawing of the “Welcome” gate at a McMansion replete with barbed wire, cameras, guard dogs, and prison towers. This follow-up volume to Jackson’s previous publication, So You Want To Be a Dictator (2022), will leave readers longing for more guidebooks in the series.
A nihilistically hilarious commentary on the corporate world.Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9798218310257
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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