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481st out of 1,672 books
—
2,445 voters
Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States
by
Dave Barry
If you love to laugh, if you love your country, if you are unaware that "the Sixth Amendment states that if you are accused of a crime, you have the right to a trial before a jury of people too stupid to get out of jury duty," Dave Barry Slept Here is the book for you. Every single momentous event and crucial movement is covered, including:
The Birthing Contractions of a Na...more
The Birthing Contractions of a Na...more
Paperback, 239 pages
Published
October 29th 1997
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1989)
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Dude! This book BLEW MY MIND in sixth grade. I remember trying to eat dinner but not being able to put it down because I was cracking up so hard. There were jokes like:
"Something something about buffalo, or bison*, among the planes...
*Or, buffalo."
Fuckin amazing. I only bring this up because, in an effort to make american history easier, he consolidated every date to October 8th. Which is today!
(And also because I just read the Wordy Shipmates, which is another kind of funny US history book.)
"Something something about buffalo, or bison*, among the planes...
*Or, buffalo."
Fuckin amazing. I only bring this up because, in an effort to make american history easier, he consolidated every date to October 8th. Which is today!
(And also because I just read the Wordy Shipmates, which is another kind of funny US history book.)
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Um, I don't think that I have ever laughed so hard in my life. I read a lot of fiction, so this was out of the ordinary for me. If you aren't familiar with Dave Barry, he is a humor columnist (or whatever you call them) for newspapers around the country and he has written a lot of hilarious books. This one and his Book of Bad Songs are my favorites. You don't have to be into history to enjoy this book...in fact, it's probably better if you aren't. :) He doen't make a big point of being accurate....more
Aug 02, 2007
Baltimoregal
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
absurdists, ironic historians, slackers, researchers, dorks
This book STILL makes me laugh so hard I cry after all these years. I honestly get hysterical. It's just the right mix of almost-fact, partial fiction and outright silliness that just gets to me. Dave's take on American history is one I could have used in junior high- that's for sure!
With chapters like "The Civil War: A Nation Pokes Itself in the Eyeball" and "The Reagan-Bush Years: Napping Toward Glory", you can tell the tone of the book, I think. If not, here's a quote from Chapter 2, "Spain...more
With chapters like "The Civil War: A Nation Pokes Itself in the Eyeball" and "The Reagan-Bush Years: Napping Toward Glory", you can tell the tone of the book, I think. If not, here's a quote from Chapter 2, "Spain...more
May 24, 2012
S. J.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
History lovers, Humor lovers
Recommended to S. by:
Husband
*5+++ Stars*
*The Gush*
Let me say first off that I don't read Dave Barry. I think I've read a total of 15 from his Cyberspace book and this. I don't actually get into his humor that much. This, however, is brilliant. When I first read this, I was like, "where has this been all my life!?" As a History major and lover of American history particularly (also British, WWI, and WWII, but that's neither here nor there), I knew exactly what he was talking about nearly all the time. That is the key to thi...more
*The Gush*
Let me say first off that I don't read Dave Barry. I think I've read a total of 15 from his Cyberspace book and this. I don't actually get into his humor that much. This, however, is brilliant. When I first read this, I was like, "where has this been all my life!?" As a History major and lover of American history particularly (also British, WWI, and WWII, but that's neither here nor there), I knew exactly what he was talking about nearly all the time. That is the key to thi...more
Sep 12, 2012
Paul Beimers
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who: hated history class, enjoy laughing.
Shelves:
humor,
nonfiction
I really disliked the history classes that I was required to take throughout high school. I loved several of my teachers, but the subject itself was always dull and incredibly dry, no matter what method was used to approach it.
Barry, being the brilliant man that he is, realized that the best way to make such a frustrating subject fun is to avoid talking about anything that could be considered even remotely educational . I learned more from this quick read than I have from the last fourteen years...more
Barry, being the brilliant man that he is, realized that the best way to make such a frustrating subject fun is to avoid talking about anything that could be considered even remotely educational . I learned more from this quick read than I have from the last fourteen years...more
Dave Barry says in this book that it is intended as an alternative to "the boring method," i.e. the system used to teach history in schools today. He accomplishes this by only covering the interesting (and often fictional) parts of history, skipping over the long, boring facts that fill most history textbooks. His dates are all simplified to October 8 for easy memorization, in order to "not waste brain cells on trivial details such as when events actually occurred." This edition of the book was...more
I absolutely adore this book. In the summer before 11th grade, my AP US History teacher sent home a biiiiig packet full of summer reading that we were going to be tested on every day for the first week or two of school. It was daunting and horrifying...until I realized that a lot of it was made up of a print-out of this book. (We still had like 10 chapters to read from our book, so the assignment was still horrifying and daunting, but this made it a lot better.)
Dave Barry is a brilliant columni...more
Dave Barry is a brilliant columni...more
It's standard Barry - some of the jokes are actually quite spectacularly good, but most of them are eh.
Still a worthwhile read, and short enough to end before it starts getting really annoying.
For instance, here are some discussion questions from the end of Chapter 7 (and also some of the best one-liners in the book):
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How come history books never have sex scenes? You know, like "James Madison, unable to restrain his passion any longer, thrust his ink-engorged pen into the s...more
Still a worthwhile read, and short enough to end before it starts getting really annoying.
For instance, here are some discussion questions from the end of Chapter 7 (and also some of the best one-liners in the book):
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) How come history books never have sex scenes? You know, like "James Madison, unable to restrain his passion any longer, thrust his ink-engorged pen into the s...more
Laugh out loud funny! This book was given to me when my stiff history major boyfriend was in the hospital for a while. I would read this to him, he'd fall asleep, and I'd continue reading it for myself. I wish history in school was this easy to remember! All events occurred on October 8th. Each major event in US history is broken down into sections, like, "Deflowering a Virgin Continent", "The Civil War: The Nation Pokes Itself in the Eye", and "Groping Toward Empire". And each section has revie...more
This Dave Barry book, titled "Dave Barry Slept Here" was quite funny. I very much enjoyed the booger joke on page 37. Numerous parts, including the...uhh...part about George Washington... were especially funny! I laughed aloud! Haha!
At the end of the book I was left with the sense that, although I'd just been entertained for an hour and a half, that I'd basically been doing the literary equivalent of shoving peeps up my nose. Peeps the candy, not the slang word for acquaintances.
Dave Barry is al...more
At the end of the book I was left with the sense that, although I'd just been entertained for an hour and a half, that I'd basically been doing the literary equivalent of shoving peeps up my nose. Peeps the candy, not the slang word for acquaintances.
Dave Barry is al...more
1 like · like · see review
Leslie Nielsen needs to still be alive to read this book into audio format.
This book is funny, but here's the thing. You know how the Airplane! movies are hilarious? As are the Naked Gun and Hot Shots films? Have you ever tried to sit down and watch all of them straight through? It's the equivalent of snorting powdered glass while staring into the sun with a pair of binoculars. This book is the same way. Read 2-3 pages (or, rarely, even a full chapter) at a time, it's darned hilarious. But, if,...more
This book is funny, but here's the thing. You know how the Airplane! movies are hilarious? As are the Naked Gun and Hot Shots films? Have you ever tried to sit down and watch all of them straight through? It's the equivalent of snorting powdered glass while staring into the sun with a pair of binoculars. This book is the same way. Read 2-3 pages (or, rarely, even a full chapter) at a time, it's darned hilarious. But, if,...more
The third of my summer trilogy:
Included:
"Fortunately, one of the Founding Fathers was a shrewd financial thinker named Alexander Hamilton, who came up with an idea for repayment of the debt based on a concept so brilliant - and yet so simple - that it remains extremely popular with governments to this very day. "Let's print money with our pictures on it,' Hamilton suggested. And so they did. The hardest part was deciding which Founding Father would get to be on which denomination of bill, an iss...more
Included:
"Fortunately, one of the Founding Fathers was a shrewd financial thinker named Alexander Hamilton, who came up with an idea for repayment of the debt based on a concept so brilliant - and yet so simple - that it remains extremely popular with governments to this very day. "Let's print money with our pictures on it,' Hamilton suggested. And so they did. The hardest part was deciding which Founding Father would get to be on which denomination of bill, an iss...more
Mr. Barry writes an excellent history of the United States--if you don't mind your history given to you in mostly made-up facts. It's easy to tell Mr. Barry did some research (or at least did his best to remember his eleventh grade history class), as most of his made up facts have some basis in what actually happened. There are many moments (usually several a chapter) that are laugh-out-loud funny. If you give this one a read, you may not learn as much about American History as if you read an ac...more
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This is one of the craziest books I have ever read. Dave Barry is an American author and satirist. His humor and satire is really over the top. If he gets after somebody then God help that person or country. I have read some of his books earlier but “Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of The United States” is really unbelievable. In this book the author has written about his own take on the history of United States and made it so crazy that you end up laughin...more
This is one of the craziest books I have ever read. Dave Barry is an American author and satirist. His humor and satire is really over the top. If he gets after somebody then God help that person or country. I have read some of his books earlier but “Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of The United States” is really unbelievable. In this book the author has written about his own take on the history of United States and made it so crazy that you end up laughin...more
A scathing laughfest of American History from Pilgrims up through the first Bush Administration, unfortunately without the Clinton years and Bush II. History is funny as long as Dave Barry is your "historian", albeit one who seems unable to recall any dates except "October 8". SPOILERS; It is filled with remarks such as "The separation of powers creates a system of checks-and-balances, ensuring that any action taken by one part of the government is rendered utterly meaningless by an equal and op...more
Sometimes you just need a palate cleanser. Something to make you smile, that requires a minimum of thought for a maximum of entertainment. This is a dangerous thing to look for; it's all too easy to find oneself wading through a sea of dross, looking for funny but just finding silly, childish nonsense of a mediocre caliber.
The nice thing about Dave Barry is that he is silly childish nonsense of the highest caliber.
My family has been Barry fans for a long time running. When I was a kid, the new D...more
The nice thing about Dave Barry is that he is silly childish nonsense of the highest caliber.
My family has been Barry fans for a long time running. When I was a kid, the new D...more
Sep 30, 2009
Joe Alexander
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one
Shelves:
not-worth-finishing
This book was pretty funny!
... for about ten or fifteen pages, then it got a little old. It took me about 60 pages to give up on it altogether. There's a reason that SNL skits don't last the whole hour Dave.
I understand Barry is a columnist of some sort so in small chunks his material is probably golden but in book format this just didn't work at all.
BTW - if anyone wants to buy my copy, by all means, let me know!
... for about ten or fifteen pages, then it got a little old. It took me about 60 pages to give up on it altogether. There's a reason that SNL skits don't last the whole hour Dave.
I understand Barry is a columnist of some sort so in small chunks his material is probably golden but in book format this just didn't work at all.
BTW - if anyone wants to buy my copy, by all means, let me know!
Oct 16, 2009
Ivy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who loves to laugh
Recommended to Ivy by:
a friend
Shelves:
comedy
So funny!!
I'm serious, anyone who knows anything about Dave Barry knows he's funny, but this is still amazing!!
This is, of course, a history of the USA, but it's not like any textbook you will ever have. Dave Barry describes everything with brilliant wit and sarcasm.
I read this in an hour, and still quote it.
I'm serious, anyone who knows anything about Dave Barry knows he's funny, but this is still amazing!!
This is, of course, a history of the USA, but it's not like any textbook you will ever have. Dave Barry describes everything with brilliant wit and sarcasm.
I read this in an hour, and still quote it.
You know what you are going to get with this book. Dave Barry is a very funny and talented writer who tries to break into the dry, dusty history textbook genre. I didn't find this book a gut-buster (as some of his other writing is), he employed quite a few great jewels. His running "October 8th" gag was definitely "memorable."
The nice thing about this book is that although he plays fast and loose with the details, he obviously has some insight and respect for the subject. He doesn't try to make...more
The nice thing about this book is that although he plays fast and loose with the details, he obviously has some insight and respect for the subject. He doesn't try to make...more
This book is truely amazing. What makes it more funny is that most of it is true. Although the history is not very accurate (and it was never intended to be), the humour is derived by pointing out the hypocrisy of the people in power.
I wish I can write half as funny history of India. I will try.. surely.
I wish I can write half as funny history of India. I will try.. surely.
Jun 22, 2012
Charly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone. Especially American history fans
I was looking for a quick humorous piece, and this fit the bill. I don't follow his columns that much but I knew that Barry wrote some funny stuff. This book is an irreverent review of the history of the US , while also taking a shot at the fact that many Americans do not know our history. Worth the effort.
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My daughter asked me for a book containing historical fiction and I handed her this one. We both laughed till tears ran down our face. Of course this took place on October, 8th; the date all imporant things happen according to Dave's one date system.
This is perhaps my favorite humorous author, and this satire on American history did not let me down. It was funny because he notes stupid things that are public, but aren't too obvious because they are so public. For example, how can President Johnson's wife really be called "Lady Bird." All dates were converted to October 8 to make dates easier to recall.��Quick, fun reading.
Enjoyable enough book in the usual Dave Barry style. Very quick read--I finished it in a day. It's about as funny as most of Barry's other books (which invariably do have some laugh out loud moments) but I was hoping the book might be a little more hard-edged and subversive. Dave Barry Slept Here is good light entertainment, but not on the same plane as other "funny history" books like the Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. If you're a Barry fan, you will certainly enjoy this one.
This is a very fun and extremely funny book. With his signature snarky wit, Dave tells the story of the United States, how it was founded, and how our government works ... all without knocking himself out doing a lot of research.
I'm reading this as a favor to one of my students...kind of an off-the-wall kid that wants my feedback...not a big fan of his columns, but I do enjoy his books...I prefer Barry's fiction, especially his Big Trouble...the whole family chuckled through that one!!!
Don't miss this book. Dave Barry is as funny as usual. In order to simplify this in-dept history course, Barry noted only one date: October 8, and skipped the boring stuff, like actual historic facts. The result is pure fun.
I remember laughing hysterically when I first read this book. It maybe isn't quite as funny now that I am older, but I still found myself chuckling throughout. Barry does love his running gags...
Not his funniest, but after a couple decades I still find him funny while I often outgrow other comedians. Stayed with him through his midlife excessive writing about his new life, wife, and baby/son.
Finally! An unbiased and accurate representation of American history. You'll never look at the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, October 8th, or the many notable achievements of women and minority groups in the same way ever again.
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Dave Barry is a humor columnist. For 25 years he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were used as...more
More about Dave Barry...
Dave has also written a total of 30 books, although virtually none of them contain useful information. Two of his books were used as...more
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“The Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and again that they have the management skills of celery. They're the kind of people who'd stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy. The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn't bother to stop because they'd want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club”
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77 people liked it
“In the words of a very famous dead person, 'A nation that does not know its history is doomed to do poorly on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.”
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31 people liked it
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