Oh, the Things I Know! by Al Franken
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Book Reviews of Oh, the Things I Know!
Book Review: it's different
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a satire of advice books, and each chapter has a funny title. It has his usual dark humor. It has been a while since I read this book, but I remember that it seemed to cheer me up. Specifically the chapter titled Oh, Are You Going to Hate Your First Job!Book Review: "WE ARE BORN ALONE AND WE DIE ALONE"
Summary: 3 Stars
I like Al Franken, the comedian, and, based on some of his other books, I generally like Al Franken, the writer. This book has just enough of each for me to give it, what certain TV movie critics call a "reluctant, or borderline, thumbs up." Franken has certainly done better in other books.Sometimes I just can't figure out if he really means for us to take the advice he gives seriously, or if it is the bad advice he has promised to occasionally slip in, or if it is, purely and simply, an attempt at comedy. Hence my ambivalence.
For the moment, I am going to concentrate on some of the more meaningful of his comments: In a chapter titled "Oh The Loneliness, The Loneliness," he comments that we are born alone and that we die alone, even though we may be surrounded, in both cases, by family and friends. Unfortunately, this truly describes the human condition, and the happy man or woman is one who has learned to accommodate this existential (my description, not his) loneliness.
Another bit of good advice is that we should prepare for our declining years by anticipating the possibility for the future need of a nursing home or "assisted living facility," and check them out and pick one that we might like if we ever need one. This should be done while we are still young enough to make a valid assessment.
These are just two exmples of the better advice he gives.
Of lesser value are things like his discussion of the "inevitable" really horrible experiences during the middle years of a marriage. He apologizes to his wife in the afterword, but I think that, even if these chapters were meant to be humorous, they missed the boat.
I also found his advice that one must pick a religion in order to get through the tougher parts of life to be less than valid. He never seems to have considered such secular answers to life's so-called mysteries as Humanism. One can get through life's downs without resorting to answers from the god of his or her choice. Thus, it is my opinion that there are other ways to get survive these tough times than by resorting to an organized religion. He also has listed modern religions in order of usefulness. These rankings might be subject to questioning.
In summary then, the better and poorer suggestions tend to counterbalance one another, and the discerning reader will probably find some ideas that are of use to him or her.
Book Review: Oh, how annoying this gimmick gets!
Summary: 3 Stars
This is supposed to be a sharp and witty satire of inspirational books. Franken followed the self-help format well, but I never really laughed at his self-deprecating witticisms. His other books are much better. Throughout this, I couldn't help but think that Dave Barry could have done this topic much better.
Franken fans may well enjoy this, but I don't think it has wide appeal.
One funny passage was on [p. 73]: "My son...plays...Grand Theft Auto III, in which the object is to pick up a prostitute in a stolen car and murder her. It's not my kind of thing. But when I was young, I listened to the Beatles, which my parents viewed with equal horror. Today, the Beatles are cultural icons, revered around the world. By the time my son is my age, the same will probably be said of the wizards behind Grand Theft Auto III."
Book Review: Provocative
Summary: 3 Stars
Al Franken is known to possess an extremely dry sense of humor. Therefore it is not surprising that his book is as parched as the man himself. Each chapter is utterly short and sweet. Every time a reader thinks the writer is supplying a real good advice the next sentence jolts the reader back to reality i.e. Al Franken is a comedian. Namedropping is abundance. Name-calling seems to be a norm. This man really knows how to make full use of the freedom of speech in the USA - nothing's wrong with that. But, chapter after chapter of similar ranting kind of tires one out after a while albeit the laugh-out-loud jokes that can be found in certain parts of the book.Book Review: Pretty Good
Summary: 3 Stars
Some of his insights are very good, but I still cannot believe this guy has his own liberal radio show, that is supposed to be serious opposition to Rush or Sean Hannity. He is in some ways a disgrace to liberals, because he makes fun of everything. Any serious attempt to have a liberal side to talk radio should include a more serious approach. Franken is a clown, and he is very funny..but he doesn't belong in politics.Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"