Satirist Jon Stewart’s Book Named Year’s Best
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Political satirist Jon Stewart’s mock look at a political science college textbook “America (the Book), a Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction,” was named on Sunday the book of the year by Publishers Weekly, the trade publication of the book industry.
The magazine said, in its issue to be published on Monday, that, “in a year defined by political polemics, it seems fitting that PW’s Book of the Year be one in which the authors survey the entire political system and laugh.”
The book is written by Stewart, the host of the “The Daily Show” on comedy Central with colleagues Ben Karlin and David Javerbaum. It is currently number one on the New York Times best-seller list.
Publishers Weekly said, “‘America (The Book)’ offers more than just humor, however. Beneath the eye-catching and at times goofy graphics, the dirty jokes and the playful ingenuousness shines a serious critique of the two-party system, the corporations that finance it and the ‘spineless cowards in the press’ who ‘aggressively print allegation and rumor independent of accuracy or fairness.”‘
The book is filled with satirical jabs, including tips for TV news reporters including mastering the “reporter reaction shot cutaway. You’ve got half a second tops to overshadow your subject. Make it count.
In its annual review of the year, Publishers Weekly listed notable books in other categories ranging from sex to politics to religion but did not give them in order of preference.
Categories