America (The Book)

Last updated

America (The Book)
A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
AmericaTheBook.jpg
Author Jon Stewart
Ben Karlin
David Javerbaum
with
Samantha Bee
Rich Blomquist
Steve Bodow
Tim Carvell
Stephen Colbert
Rob Corddry
Eric Drysdale
Ed Helms
Chris Regan
Brendan Hay
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHumor
PublisherWarner Books
Publication date
September 2004
Pages227
ISBN 0-446-53268-1
OCLC 56479080
818/.5407 22
LC Class PN6231.P6 S84 2004
Followed byAmerica (the Book) Teacher's Edition: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction 
America (the Book) Teacher's Edition: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
AuthorJon Stewart
Ben Karlin
David Javerbaum
with
Samantha Bee
Rich Blomquist
Steve Bodow
Tim Carvell
Stephen Colbert
Rob Corddry
Eric Drysdale
Ed Helms
Chris Regan
Brendan Hay
Stanley K. Schultz
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHumor
PublisherWarner Books
Publication date
September 2006
Media type Trade paperback
Pages227
ISBN 0-446-69186-0
Preceded byAmerica (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction 
Followed by Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race  

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction is a 2004 humor book written by Jon Stewart and other writers of The Daily Show that parodies and satirizes American politics and worldview. [1] It has won several awards, and generated some controversy.

Contents

An updated trade paperback edition was published in 2006 as a "Teacher's Edition", with updated coverage of the Supreme Court Justices (including Samuel Alito and John Roberts, who were appointed after the 2004 book's publication), and fact checking by Stanley K. Schultz, professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, [2] with red marks and remarks appearing throughout, correcting the satirical "mistakes" (and a few honest errors) of the original edition.

Description

America (The Book) was written and edited by Jon Stewart, Ben Karlin, David Javerbaum, and other writers of The Daily Show . Karlin was the show's executive producer and Javerbaum its head writer. The book is written as a parody of a United States high school civics textbook, complete with study guides, questions, and class exercises. Also included are scholarly "Were You Aware?" boxes, one of which explains that "the term 'Did You Know' is copyrighted by a rival publisher". The book provides discussion questions to mock history study guide books, with ridiculous questions such as: "Would you rather be a king or slave? Why or why not?" It pokes fun at the American political system, and includes a chapter caricaturing stereotypical American views of the rest of the world.

People affiliated with The Daily Show during publication in 2004, such as Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, and Ed Helms, contributed small articles. Bee's articles related the "Canadian view point" on topics, such as "We have media in Canada, too!" Stephen Colbert gives heavily biased viewpoints on topics such as Warren G. Harding (who is often considered one of the worst American presidents).

One page contains mock campaign stickers for various candidates. These include "Lifelong Democrat Retired Palm Beach Jews for Buchanan" (referencing the butterfly ballot fracas that brought about the 2000 recount in Florida), "I cast my five slaves' three votes for James K. Polk" and "Undecided Voters for Candidate". Another has "Humphrey in '68" in large print, then in much smaller print "Because otherwise, in four years, Nixon's boys will be caught breaking into the Watergate office trying to sabotage their opponents, creating unprecedented scandal and ushering in an era of cynicism that will shape politics for decades to come. Call it a hunch. So, to repeat: Humphrey in '68".

Appearing shortly before the 2004 US presidential election, the book originally included several pages of an "Election Guide" making fun of both candidates. Printings of the book made after the election do not have this insert.

Publishers Weekly (PW) chose it as its "Book of the Year"; it noted 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 audiobook version won the Grammy Award in 2005 for "Best Comedy Album." The book, published in September 2004, remained a bestseller even after the election. In addition to America (The Audiobook), it has also spun off into America (The Calendar).

Controversy

The fifth chapter contains obviously doctored photographs with the heads of then-current U.S. Supreme Court justices superimposed on appropriately aged naked bodies. An adjacent page invites the reader to cover each justice with a cutout of his or her robe to "restore their dignity". Wal-Mart canceled its order for America (The Book) because it "felt a majority of our customers would not be comfortable with the image". [3] Some Mississippi public libraries removed the book from their shelves, but the ban was lifted the next day, after the library board had received numerous complaints. [4]

Cartoonist Bruce Tinsley objected to the book's parody of his comic strip Mallard Fillmore , which appears among six other cartoon parodies, captioned as dating from 1998. Tinsley referenced the parody in the July 5–8, 2005 editions of Fillmore, with the title character stating that Jon Stewart "tried to deceive people into thinking" that the book's phony Fillmore was real. The strip went on to imply that Stewart was a pedophile. [5] Stewart responded in the Teacher's Edition by having Schultz note that although it is not a real Mallard Fillmore strip, it shows about the same level of humor as Tinsley.

Table of contents

Cultural impact

Denise Dresser and Jorge Volpi co-wrote Mexico, lo que todo ciudadano quisiera (no) saber de su patria [6] ("Mexico, what every citizen would [not] like to know about his fatherland"). The book is heavily based on Stewart's book. Jon Stewart is thanked in the book "for giving the authors the idea".

The book appears in the background of a bookstore scene of the film Mr. Woodcock.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Daily Show</i> American late-night satirical news television program

The Daily Show (TDS) is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+ of extended episodes. The Daily Show draws its comedy and satire from recent news stories as well as political figures, media organizations, and often uses self-referential humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Stewart</span> American comedian and television host (born 1962)

Jon Stewart is an American comedian, political commentator, actor, director and television host. He hosted The Daily Show, a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts The Problem with Jon Stewart (2021–present) on Apple TV+. His numerous accolades include 22 Primetime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Colbert</span> American comedian and TV host (born 1964)

Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program The Colbert Report from 2005 to 2014 and the CBS talk program The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since September 2015.

<i>The Colbert Report</i> American television program

The Colbert Report is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show focused on a fictional anchorman character named Stephen Colbert, played by his real-life namesake. The character, described by Colbert as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot", is a caricature of televised political pundits. Furthermore, the show satirized conservative personality-driven political talk programs, particularly Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor. The Colbert Report is a spin-off of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, where Colbert was a correspondent from 1997 to 2005.

Ben Karlin is an American television producer and writer. He has won eight Emmy awards, and is best known for his work in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. He is one of three co-creators of The Colbert Report along with Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. Karlin left Comedy Central in December 2006. He has also been a writer for TV show Modern Family.

<i>Mallard Fillmore</i> Right-wing comic strip

Mallard Fillmore is a comic strip written and illustrated by Bruce Tinsley until 2019 and Loren Fishman since 2020. It has been syndicated by King Features Syndicate since June 6, 1994. The strip follows the exploits of its title character, an anthropomorphic green-plumaged duck who works as a politically conservative reporter at fictional television station WFDR in Washington, D.C. Mallard's name is a pun on the name of the 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore.

The Daily Show: Indecision 2004 is a DVD boxed set of several episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart relating to the 2004 presidential election. The episodes were all filmed during 2004, and feature interviews with political candidates and parodies of the events during the general election campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busboy Productions</span> Production company founded by Jon Stewart

Busboy Productions is a production company that was launched by Jon Stewart in the mid-1990s when he was known for hosting The Jon Stewart Show on MTV. In addition to Stewart, executive Chris McShane is in charge of development and production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Colbert (character)</span> Persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert

The Reverend Sir Dr. Stephen T. Mos Def Colbert D.F.A., Heavyweight Champion of the World, or Stephen Colbert, is the fictionalized persona of political satirist Stephen Colbert, as portrayed on the Comedy Central series The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and occasionally on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Described as a "well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot" and a "self-important right-wing commentator", the character incorporates aspects of the real Colbert's life and interests but is primarily a parody of cable news pundits, particularly former Fox News prime time host Bill O'Reilly.

Comedy Central's Indecision 2000 was a series of special episodes featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart spoofing the 2000 Presidential Election. This series covered the primaries leading up to the general election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The series featured "correspondents" at the Democratic National Convention as well as the Republican National Convention. At the conventions, the correspondents interviewed many politicians in the comedic style that has made The Daily Show famous. On the first episode after election night, Jon Stewart said that the name was a joke and he had not expected people to take it seriously, referring to the debacle in Florida.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's Indecision 2006 was Stewart's coverage of the 2006 general elections. It extended for most of the campaign period for that election, but grew especially intensive toward the actual date of the election on November 7. It marked the first appearance of John Oliver on the show.

Edward Bruce Tinsley IV is an American cartoonist best known for his conservative comic strip Mallard Fillmore.

<i>I Am America (And So Can You!)</i> Book by Stephen Colbert

I Am America is a 2007 satirical book by American comedian Stephen Colbert and the writers of The Colbert Report. It was released on October 9, 2007, with the audiobook edition released several days earlier. The book is loosely structured around the fictional life story of Stephen Colbert as he appears on The Colbert Report. As of April 6, 2008, the book had been on the New York Times Bestseller List in the Hardcover Nonfiction category for twenty-four weeks, ranking number one for fourteen of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Made Huckabee?</span> Television series

Who Made Huckabee?, also known as the Colbert/O'Brien/Stewart feud, refers to a mock rivalry that occurred among late night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien and Jon Stewart in early 2008, reportedly over who was responsible for then–presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's success in the presidential primaries.

<i>A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!</i> TV series or program

A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! is a Grammy Award-winning Christmas special that debuted on Comedy Central on November 23, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bassem Youssef</span> Egyptian doctor and satirist

Bassem Raafat Mohamed Youssef is an Egyptian comedian, writer, producer, surgeon, doctor, media critic, and television host, who hosted El-Bernameg, a satirical news program, from 2011 to 2014. The press has compared Youssef with American comedian Jon Stewart, whose satire program The Daily Show inspired Youssef to begin his career. In 2013, he was named as one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine. Youssef's current projects are Tickling Giants, The Democracy Handbook, and Revolution For Dummies.

<i>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert</i> American late-night talk show

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second iteration of CBS' Late Show franchise. The program is taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City and airs live to tape in most U.S. markets weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT, as with its competitors Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

References

  1. ↑ Carson, Tom (October 3, 2004). "'America (The Book)': Last Comic Standing". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
  2. ↑ "Stanley Schultz with America: The Book". University of Wisconsin–Madison. 2006. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ Bob Minzesheimer (October 19, 2004). "Behind the robes, Stewart finds controversy". USA Today . Retrieved August 20, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Mississippi Library Board Puts Stewart's Best Selling "America (The Book)" Back on Shelves". Associated Press. January 11, 2005. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  5. ↑ Bruce Tinley (July 5, 2005). "Mallard Fillmore". Jewish World Review . Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  6. ↑ Denise Dress and Jorge Volpi (2006). México: Nuevo Siglo Aguilar. ISBN   970-770-401-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.