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Published: Jan. 02, 2011
Words: 21,997 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458147295
Description
The "fool" of the title is the inept narrator, who takes us on a warm but clueless tour of US history. He stops briefly to visit American culture, the American mind and various problems he claims to solve but fails even to illuminate. Presidents get harpooned along with both parties. Yet the view is ever rosy, including a glimpse of endless prosperity that "only Yankee Doodle dares dream of."Tags
comedy, humor, satire, laughter, parody, usa, burlesque, funhouse usa, historical hijinks, homage to 1066 and all that, irreverence, presidential roasting, wicked witAvailable ebook reading formats
Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book | Sample First 20% |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Buy | No sample available |
| RTF (readable on most word processors) | Buy | No sample available |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
| Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) | Buy | No sample available |
| Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) | Buy | No sample available |
Reviews
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Review by:
Rip Adamson
on Dec. 21, 2011 :
Ben Franklin would have loved this little book, as would Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, James Thurber, H. L. Mencken, George Carlin and the Moron Tabernacle Choir.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
maestrocc2
on Aug. 22, 2011 :
a masterpiece!!!
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
chris Panagos
on Aug. 08, 2011 :
(no rating)
Congradulations on a job well done. Hilarious depiction of historical events. Very fun reading.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
chris Panagos
on Aug. 08, 2011 :
(no rating)
A 5 Star rating..passed it around the office..Very entertaining! A must read for history buffs and the novice alike. The entire office highly recommends it.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
chris Panagos
on Aug. 08, 2011 :
(no rating)
Great book! Entertaining and full of information! Couldn't put it down.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
sirena
on April 04, 2011 :
This gem definitely needs to be available in hard cover so that it can be picked up and read at any time. There is always a new, masterfully crafted pun or malaprop to be discovered, like the Moron Trail, the Boston Mandolins and kissing under the middletoe at Christmastide!
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Inkiddu
on April 04, 2011 :
A hilarious romp through USA history, starting with Columbus' non-discovery and Punchy de Leon, stopping by to view Chief Powerhat, the marriage of Pocahontas and Hiawatha, the Frequent Fliers, the Bundling Criminals, John and Albatross Adams, the sexual dysfunctionals known as "Minutemen," the Enemas of America, "Remember the Lithuania!," The Greasy Moll, Baroque Alabama and much, much more! Great for US history buffs, aficionados of "1066 and All That," lovers of puns and malaprops and anyone who needs a good belly-laugh. You actually get 499 laughs and pay only a penny per laugh. Only $4.99!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Amy Thomas
on March 30, 2011 :
Witty, funny, zany and delightful - congrats on a great read!!
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
sirena
on March 30, 2011 :
(no rating)
Tremendous. The wordplay matches anything I've read anywhere, including "1066 and All That."Some examples: "A coproful" means "apocryphal, false", with the added dollop of "copro-," which means "shit." So,one non-existent word translates into "false" and "full of shit." Then there's "the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Lucia," "the Virginia House of Buggers," "the Gism Trail," "the Publicans and the Demagogues," "the Moron Trail," "the Kook Klutz Klan," "Osama Ben Larsen," "enormous Corleones," "the Texas Book Suppository" and "Baroque Alabama." And it just goes on and on. There isn't a soft or tedious spot in the entire book, and even if there were, the amiable buffoonery of the narrator would hold it all together.
Meanwhile, not to mention the gems on the video,
(click on "Richard Minadeo" above)
the bits on the "Prairie Schooner," "the American Dummy," "the Berlin Airlift," "Nixon and Hairy Harry Messinger," "Ronnie and Ms Thatcher," "Clinton and the Oral Orifice," "Al Bore" and "Arbusto at Yale," to name but one in ten, are priceless.
Let's be bold: this ingenious little book is destined to become a piece of Americana.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Lubomyra Bakopoulos
on March 14, 2011 :
Hysterical yelps in the middle of the night sprang from my mouth as I finished reading "1492..." The misappropriations (a la Busch), the "0 Child Left Behind) discussion, the history of American educationism (as it is an "ism" considering the changing of theories at endless teacher conferences about what works), the Tricky Ducky years (as he was reported to be a Quacker), the Publican description of Alabama in the refugee baracks of D.C., all this and so much more makes for a brilliant satire, one to be read many times so as not to miss the full brilliance of this history. And I love the repetition of "And that was a very good thing". Congrajubilations and thank you, Dr. Minadeo, on such a "good thing". from Lubama (once harassed by kindergartners in 1950 for being a "Commie", and now a disrespectablel member of our great society).
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Philip Anglewicz
on March 07, 2011 :
(no rating)
Highly enjoyable reading- witty, ironic, and cleverly-written. I highly recommend to all. Congrats to Dr. Minadeo on an excellent satire.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
J.K. Freeman
on Feb. 17, 2011 :
(no rating)
Professor Minadeo has not only captured the essence of American humor, his wit has captured my heart. I look forward to the hard copy for my collection, autographed, I hope. In fact I shall campaign heartily to have this history replace present day (boring) text books!
Warm regards, JKF
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
sweetsister
on Feb. 11, 2011 :
This isn't just funny. It's a work of art. Bravo!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
nipoteadorato
on Feb. 11, 2011 :
I have never read anything funnier!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
manteaux
on Feb. 06, 2011 :
(no rating)
Reader Adversary: the malapoops in this book are so silky smoov that the brains may not catsup them. Sank etoiles.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
manteaux
on Feb. 05, 2011 :
(no rating)
Hats off Dr. Minadeo! I'm gonna read your book instead of doing my taxes.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Rip Adamson
on Jan. 31, 2011 :
Filled with clever malapropisms and hilarious neologisms, this well-written little book is destined to become a modern classic. Top-notch stuff!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Bobby Rudy
on Jan. 31, 2011 :
This masterful little book is the cat's pajamas.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
ronald aldrich
on Jan. 25, 2011 :
At last, an American companion to "1066 and All That," and just as hilarious!
If you're a curious person, you must read this book...!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Dan Passante
on Jan. 23, 2011 :
(no rating)
An entertaining, humorous view of American history. This book is amusing in a unique way and the writing is very clever. A must read for someone interested in history who has a sense of humor to appreciate its content
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
bookworm819
on Jan. 23, 2011 :
This delightful read is a laugh-out-loud journey through U.S. history. Full of clever word-plays, double entendres and witty twists and turns, it shines an entirely new light on our nation's colorful past. If it were a high school textbook, we'd be assured of a new generation of history buffs. Masterful writing and humor.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
farfalle
on Jan. 22, 2011 :
Wonderfully incisive and very clever. Treat yourself to laugh-out-loud moments of mordant wit even as you appreciate the author's fine writing.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Irene Faris
on Jan. 21, 2011 :
I cannot tell a lie - the book is indeed a "Very Good Thing"!
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
cucciolotta
on Jan. 16, 2011 :
A little gem. Magnificient!!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Ann Hiltner
on Jan. 14, 2011 :
Finished it last night and still thinking about it and laughing! A must read!
Rose Diorio
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Ann Hiltner
on Jan. 14, 2011 :
Very Whitty and a fun quick read. I could not put this book down until I finished. This book would be a best seller if you could buy it in Barnes N' Noble. I still love the smell of a book, something that you cannot do online.
I hope if it gets the online support it deserves it will make it to the bookstores. Every American History buff would enjoy!
Ann Hiltner
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Charles Harris
on Jan. 13, 2011 :
(no rating)
As an avid fan of 1066 and All That: A memorable history of England by WC Sellar, this is the logical American sequel. Minadeo has balanced his thurst for humor with a tennis player's determination to strike the ball - in this case, a altogether biased view of American history. Bravo for the determination to provide today's reader with a proper follow up to this British classic.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Soup Bone
on Jan. 11, 2011 :
Dr. Minadeo's combination of American History and comedy is absolutely masterful....
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Michael Passante
on Jan. 10, 2011 :
A delightfully humorous recap of US History. A True Classic!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Linguini
on Jan. 07, 2011 :
Ingenious. This book made me laugh a lot. I am looking forward to reading it again.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
cucciolotta
on Jan. 07, 2011 :
Great, really really funny!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)
Review by:
Beryl Ament
on Jan. 06, 2011 :
(no rating)
Congratulations, Dick—a dream come true. I am going to curl up by the fire and enjoy reading the entire book. Make way for giggles.
(reviewed the day of purchase)