Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition
by The Onion
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Read in December, 2007
My ... God. Quite simply one of the funniest, smartest, and most irreverent books I have read in some time! Though, the term "read" would be a misnomer. You don't "read" Our Dumb World. Rather, you browse it in small doses and enjoy just how much work and care went into the creation of this masterpiece of mirth.
From the helpful Bono Awareness Guide to a nifty little map of the North Pole explaining to children how many ways Santa Claus would die if he indeed "liv...more
From the helpful Bono Awareness Guide to a nifty little map of the North Pole explaining to children how many ways Santa Claus would die if he indeed "liv...more
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Read in November, 2007
Just like the weekly "newspaper," there are two ways to enjoy this book. The first is to simply read the headlines, laugh at the idea, and move on to the next headline. The second is to go in-depth into the meat of the content and appreciate the humor in how the writers put together the finer text.
Both approaches work here; most of the book contains multiple brief joke entries for each country, but some of the countries, like Suriname and Jordan, are just one big joke taken to a ...more
Both approaches work here; most of the book contains multiple brief joke entries for each country, but some of the countries, like Suriname and Jordan, are just one big joke taken to a ...more
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If you are not familiar with the Onion, "America's Finest News Source" and the originator (I think) of pseudo news, get thee over there immediately. Today's headlines, as I write this: "Mel Brooks Starts Nonprofit Foundation To Save Word 'Schmuck'", "Christian Charity Raising Money To Feed Non-Gay Famine Victims" and most appropriately for this site, "Third-Person Limited Omniscient Narrator Blown Away By Surprise Ending." But Our Dumb World isn't about...more
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The funniest book I've ever read. The riding is rough halfway through Africa--who knew there were so many ways to joke about starvation and genocide?--but it's worth the trip.
How funny is Our Dumb World? The entire entry for Nicaragua is a description of the Sega Genesis game Contra. The caption for a picture of a bald eagle reads, "The symbol of American Freedom, the bald eagle is not surprisingly nearly extinct." In the United States, the South is described as the place "wh...more
How funny is Our Dumb World? The entire entry for Nicaragua is a description of the Sega Genesis game Contra. The caption for a picture of a bald eagle reads, "The symbol of American Freedom, the bald eagle is not surprisingly nearly extinct." In the United States, the South is described as the place "wh...more
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This was a big disappointment, especially coming from The Onion. Especially in comparison to the smaller atlas section in the Daily Show's America : the book, a lot of the humor in here is labored and unoriginal and relies more on tired stereotypes than incisive commentary. There were places that made me giggle, but for the most part, the book was more tedious than funny.
One thing I really had a problem with was the section on Africa - the endless jokes about famine and civil war real...more
One thing I really had a problem with was the section on Africa - the endless jokes about famine and civil war real...more
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Read in January, 2008
I don't think it is possible to actually read this entire book. As always The Onion goes over the top in presentation with every little nook and cranny being filled up with hilarious stuff. This book is great as a coffee table book. I think I'd get overwhelmed if I sat down and tried to read it straight through. From wonderful comments about countries (Canada - See U.S. on pages 9-12, Ethiopia: Africa's Extended Belly) to spoofing on world politics (Now Bono Awareness Rated!) it is just a fun re...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
cold hearted, soulless, sons of bitches
I was at powells the other day feeling too old in the graphic novel section and too young in the poetry section, so I ended up....once again, in the humor section. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this new Onion collection.
Imagine my horror as I read headline after headline. I mean come on! It is not easy to offend my sensibilities (sometimes I wonder if I still have sensibilities) but OY! this was really, really bad.
I'm fully willing to laugh at anything and everything American but ...more
Imagine my horror as I read headline after headline. I mean come on! It is not easy to offend my sensibilities (sometimes I wonder if I still have sensibilities) but OY! this was really, really bad.
I'm fully willing to laugh at anything and everything American but ...more
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Read in February, 2008
I don't know if it's considered blasphemous to award five stars to a humor book, but in the world of humor books, the Onion people have put together a masterpiece. I read this book casually over a period of four months, and there was plenty of material to keep me occupied. Each country has enough sly comic whimsy to cover seven or eight issues of The Onion, and in many cases (like the U.S. entry) much, much more. And there are a lot of countries, it turns out. (I was never ...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
satire lovers
I gave this to my husband for Christmas, but before he could get to it my mom started reading it, and was laughing her head off! I guess I should quit worrying about protecting HER delicate sensibilities anymore.
A little cruder than I like in places - I'm much more easily shocked than my mom, apparently - and basically one joke per country (hey, how much do YOU know about, say, Cameroon?) but still very funny. If you are suffering from withdrawal from The Daily Show (writer's strike), this can...more
A little cruder than I like in places - I'm much more easily shocked than my mom, apparently - and basically one joke per country (hey, how much do YOU know about, say, Cameroon?) but still very funny. If you are suffering from withdrawal from The Daily Show (writer's strike), this can...more
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Again, I'm all about goofy humor. My friend Randy gave me the Onion's Our Dumb Century for Christmas, which I have loved reading. Now there is one in the series about maps and geography.
I'm a map/geography geek from way back. You can see some excerpts from the maps on the Onion's website, http://www.theonion.com. Dare I use the hackneyed phrase "side-splitting" to describe this? Well, it's a hoot, nevertheless.
Must invest in a
I'm a map/geography geek from way back. You can see some excerpts from the maps on the Onion's website, http://www.theonion.com. Dare I use the hackneyed phrase "side-splitting" to describe this? Well, it's a hoot, nevertheless.
Must invest in a
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Smart, wry, nasty, hilarious.
Pretty much an equal-opportunity offender, just like The Onion itself. It turns out that every nation and culture is a rich vein for mockery, both high- and lowbrow.
You'll aggravate your friends and neighbors when you stop every couple of minutes to read something out loud with accompanying snorts and guffaws, and then you'll generally try to cover it with some lame statement like, "I can't believe they SAID that!"
Pretty much an equal-opportunity offender, just like The Onion itself. It turns out that every nation and culture is a rich vein for mockery, both high- and lowbrow.
You'll aggravate your friends and neighbors when you stop every couple of minutes to read something out loud with accompanying snorts and guffaws, and then you'll generally try to cover it with some lame statement like, "I can't believe they SAID that!"
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Lesley by:
santa, I guessrecommends it for: easily amused owners of coffee tables or coffee table equivalents
Don't fall for the cover claim that this book comes with a free globe inside. It totally doesn't.
I haven't actually read this book cover-to-cover but neither did I ever read any of my school textbooks in their entirety. The Onion staff, well aware of this tendency, gives several helpful tips for how to skim this atlas most efficiently. Most of this book made me laugh and parts made me laugh a lot.
I haven't actually read this book cover-to-cover but neither did I ever read any of my school textbooks in their entirety. The Onion staff, well aware of this tendency, gives several helpful tips for how to skim this atlas most efficiently. Most of this book made me laugh and parts made me laugh a lot.
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Read in December, 2005
This is possibly the funniest book I have read (you don't really read it, just skim it pick up and open to random pages - countries).
There are gems throughout this book -- great for hours of entertainment for the cynical, realists, people who are not afraid to laugh at the mess we (humans) have made of the planet on a country-by-country basis.
There are gems throughout this book -- great for hours of entertainment for the cynical, realists, people who are not afraid to laugh at the mess we (humans) have made of the planet on a country-by-country basis.
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Hilarious book but mostly gets its kicks by making fun of American ignorance of the rest of the world rather than the rest of the world. Basically, this means that the entire Africa section is a montage of vicious famine jokes, which gets old. Trust me, as a UN reporter, they could have been much wittier.
That said, still a laugh riot.
That said, still a laugh riot.
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Read in December, 2007
recommended to Hamad by:
Alenarecommends it for: Humorists, geography-buffs
This is a fun way to get to know about the world. Although The Onion's humor is quite original, it is also a reminder of America (The Book) by John Stewart. Apart from geography, it is also a fun way to learn about history, as every country has its own summary of important facts on culture and history. A must-have reference for all!
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recommended to Samantha by:
NPR
recommends it for: sarcastic folks
recommends it for: sarcastic folks
I've never laughed so hard and been so very offended at the same time!
I guess this is satire:
1.the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
I guess this is satire:
1.the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
2. a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.
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Was ALL excited about this pseudo-atlas...snippets are OH SO funny. Curiously, really smart people (the authors) chose to use itty-bitty vocabularies and somehow used a voice that ended up sounding more hostile than humorous...(think Buster-esque (Arrested Development) crossing the line). Too bad. The potential was enormous!
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I bought this book to give as a gift, but once Jeff & I took a look through it, we realized that we had to keep it. Completely poignant & hilarious at the same time. You've just got to love the Onion, one of the last true vestiges of satire. This is a must have for anyone who cares about the world and has a sense of humor.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
the Onion or Mad Magazine Fans
I was very impressed that they did all the research to find something offensive to say about every country in the world.
The only bad thing to say about it is that it's too much of a good idea, I doubt anyone could actually read it cover to cover. Maybe a country a day for 288 days?
The only bad thing to say about it is that it's too much of a good idea, I doubt anyone could actually read it cover to cover. Maybe a country a day for 288 days?
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I got this for my husband for Christmas and I recently read it too...very funny. The Onion produces some great books. It's hard to read it cover to cover...gets old after awhile but it's great for your coffee table and for reading a bit of it now and then for a chuckle.
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