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The United States of Air
The National Sewer Agency is spying on people's toilets, looking for food terrorists...
Food Enforcement Agent Jason Frolick believes in America. He believes in eating air. He struggles to get the food monkey off his back. As part of the Global War on Fat, his job is to put food terrorists in Fat Camp.
When a pizza dealer gets whacked in the park across the street from the Thin House, the Prophet Jones himself asks Frolick to investigate. For the first time ever, Frolick solves a murder—but what he finds out shakes his faith.
Will he ever be able to eat air again?
Food Enforcement Agent Jason Frolick believes in America. He believes in eating air. He struggles to get the food monkey off his back. As part of the Global War on Fat, his job is to put food terrorists in Fat Camp.
When a pizza dealer gets whacked in the park across the street from the Thin House, the Prophet Jones himself asks Frolick to investigate. For the first time ever, Frolick solves a murder—but what he finds out shakes his faith.
Will he ever be able to eat air again?
286 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2012
11 people are currently reading
1223 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
December 9, 2012
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways. First of all, I would very much like to point out that this is the very first book I've read that fascinated me with its chapter and a half, five eights and ninety-eight one-hundreths. Fun to see. So one point for originality.
"See the change you wish to be." Just the starting message of the book will make you want to root for the naive main character, The United States of Air's only hope, Agent Frolick. The thing about this story is it wants you to change for the better. Some situations are taken to great extents and some will just make you feel for the other characters especially with the main character's investigation partner, Agent Green.
Airitarians is what I would call avid fans of this book. You may as well know that the author has a way with his humor and quirks. There may be some criticisms with too much crude descriptions. But if you get past that, you'll truly enjoy this book. The author is also really good at convincing and giving instructions that will make you want to continue and read what he has to say - in which he has conveyed very well through the protagonist's narration. I can almost find myself doing the same thing while Agent Frolick is demonstrating the air-eating technique. Which is fun!
J.M. Porup may or may not be very well aware of the fact on what is going on with some government in today's generation. But of course, in the Thin House for sure, he does.
If imagined, this book might be a breath of fresh air with a little dust on the side - far more than usual of what was expected with a taste of reality and irony. The author's creativity and quirkiness will surprise you with its ingenuity and will make you burst with laughter with its hilarious wits and absurdity during unexpected times. Very well reckoned with the objects designation concordant to the story.
Cheers to the author for giving a wonderful acknowledgement. This is a book for people with a sense of humor and for people with excessive imagination. Satirical at its best.
"See the change you wish to be." Just the starting message of the book will make you want to root for the naive main character, The United States of Air's only hope, Agent Frolick. The thing about this story is it wants you to change for the better. Some situations are taken to great extents and some will just make you feel for the other characters especially with the main character's investigation partner, Agent Green.
Airitarians is what I would call avid fans of this book. You may as well know that the author has a way with his humor and quirks. There may be some criticisms with too much crude descriptions. But if you get past that, you'll truly enjoy this book. The author is also really good at convincing and giving instructions that will make you want to continue and read what he has to say - in which he has conveyed very well through the protagonist's narration. I can almost find myself doing the same thing while Agent Frolick is demonstrating the air-eating technique. Which is fun!
J.M. Porup may or may not be very well aware of the fact on what is going on with some government in today's generation. But of course, in the Thin House for sure, he does.
If imagined, this book might be a breath of fresh air with a little dust on the side - far more than usual of what was expected with a taste of reality and irony. The author's creativity and quirkiness will surprise you with its ingenuity and will make you burst with laughter with its hilarious wits and absurdity during unexpected times. Very well reckoned with the objects designation concordant to the story.
Cheers to the author for giving a wonderful acknowledgement. This is a book for people with a sense of humor and for people with excessive imagination. Satirical at its best.
January 26, 2013
Originally published on my blog:
http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/01/26...
I won this book thanks to Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it at all.
I wasn't even the slightest bit amused by the jokes in this book. It was way too exaggerated for my taste and as much as I hate not finishing books, I was so annoyed after 100 pages that I had to drop it. I honestly don't know how I managed to get that far. I thought it might get better, but instead it only got worse and worse.
I am grateful for receiving the book, don't get me wrong, but that can't make me suddenly ignore all the bad things about it, from the shit jokes (literally and figuratively) to the impossible plot. It is so much different from what the book description makes you believe it is...
http://vanillamoonblog.com/2013/01/26...
I won this book thanks to Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. Unfortunately, I couldn't enjoy it at all.
I wasn't even the slightest bit amused by the jokes in this book. It was way too exaggerated for my taste and as much as I hate not finishing books, I was so annoyed after 100 pages that I had to drop it. I honestly don't know how I managed to get that far. I thought it might get better, but instead it only got worse and worse.
I am grateful for receiving the book, don't get me wrong, but that can't make me suddenly ignore all the bad things about it, from the shit jokes (literally and figuratively) to the impossible plot. It is so much different from what the book description makes you believe it is...
October 26, 2012
After reading the first chapter of J.M. Porup’s new satire, The United States of Air, I thought, this is going to be wacky. A global war on fat? Waged by America? Destroy all food? Live by eating air alone? By the second chapter I was hooked.
The Prophet takes America by storm. Announces if elected he would begin a worldwide war on food, and that eating is the basic source of all America’s woes. It doesn’t take very many pages for the reader to understand how skilled Porup is, and how easily he constructs and maintains a fictional, parallel America that highlights the absurdity of our modern day United States.
The US of Air is tightly written. Slowly, but satisfyingly, the hypocrisy of the Global War on Fat is revealed. The double standard for the military, for the NSA, and for the Prophet’s own security forces. While the 99 percent (if you will) in America suffers, the elite forces carry on with their duplicity.
Despite the humor, the book is bleak. While Porup’s satire is funny and written almost lightheartedly, it is clear at once the author follows and has a profound understanding of America’s political system, their wars on drugs and terror, the country’s inflated military presence throughout the world, the illogical propaganda on television, and just how oblivious an entire country of people can be.
Porup seamlessly addresses indefinite detention. Internment camps. The overrun surveillance state. The fake War on Drugs. The never ending War on Terror. The bin Laden styled bogeyman responsible for all of America’s hardships and failures. The impoverished American masses. And a frightening and ubiquitous NSA surveillance state that “wiretaps” your toilet instead of your phones.
I like the absurdity of it all. The absolute silliness of not eating food, but learning to eat air, and living with faith that it is sustaining. The book’s protagonist, Special Agent Frolick, describes the Prophet’s endeavor, “And by eliminating the source of all these evils, and enforcing a zero-calorie air-only diet, we turn our country into a city on a hill, a light in the darkness, a beacon that other nations may follow on their own journeys down the Superhighway of Purity and Air” (8).
Of course, that is very much what we do in this country. Pick the most absurd belief systems, and pretend that the world hates us for them, and that we must persevere despite what all logic tells us, and then change the world (by force) to follow. As the book’s byline reads: “The War on Drugs. The War on Terror. The War on Fat. Wars only America can win.”
That’s always the point, isn’t it? The most intelligent thing a player can do is redesign the game and rewrite the rules in a way in which only he can thrive, and then enforce those rules until all the competition has dried up.
Meanwhile, the entire country and its population withers, while the fat cats on top live by a double standard and profit off the corruption and tyranny.
But don’t think Porup is all politics and absurdity—he greatly capitalizes on his lavish descriptions of various foods and feasts (contraband in the US of Air), which is fitting since most Americans, in this world, would literally kill to have a meal.
The Prophet takes America by storm. Announces if elected he would begin a worldwide war on food, and that eating is the basic source of all America’s woes. It doesn’t take very many pages for the reader to understand how skilled Porup is, and how easily he constructs and maintains a fictional, parallel America that highlights the absurdity of our modern day United States.
The US of Air is tightly written. Slowly, but satisfyingly, the hypocrisy of the Global War on Fat is revealed. The double standard for the military, for the NSA, and for the Prophet’s own security forces. While the 99 percent (if you will) in America suffers, the elite forces carry on with their duplicity.
Despite the humor, the book is bleak. While Porup’s satire is funny and written almost lightheartedly, it is clear at once the author follows and has a profound understanding of America’s political system, their wars on drugs and terror, the country’s inflated military presence throughout the world, the illogical propaganda on television, and just how oblivious an entire country of people can be.
Porup seamlessly addresses indefinite detention. Internment camps. The overrun surveillance state. The fake War on Drugs. The never ending War on Terror. The bin Laden styled bogeyman responsible for all of America’s hardships and failures. The impoverished American masses. And a frightening and ubiquitous NSA surveillance state that “wiretaps” your toilet instead of your phones.
I like the absurdity of it all. The absolute silliness of not eating food, but learning to eat air, and living with faith that it is sustaining. The book’s protagonist, Special Agent Frolick, describes the Prophet’s endeavor, “And by eliminating the source of all these evils, and enforcing a zero-calorie air-only diet, we turn our country into a city on a hill, a light in the darkness, a beacon that other nations may follow on their own journeys down the Superhighway of Purity and Air” (8).
Of course, that is very much what we do in this country. Pick the most absurd belief systems, and pretend that the world hates us for them, and that we must persevere despite what all logic tells us, and then change the world (by force) to follow. As the book’s byline reads: “The War on Drugs. The War on Terror. The War on Fat. Wars only America can win.”
That’s always the point, isn’t it? The most intelligent thing a player can do is redesign the game and rewrite the rules in a way in which only he can thrive, and then enforce those rules until all the competition has dried up.
Meanwhile, the entire country and its population withers, while the fat cats on top live by a double standard and profit off the corruption and tyranny.
But don’t think Porup is all politics and absurdity—he greatly capitalizes on his lavish descriptions of various foods and feasts (contraband in the US of Air), which is fitting since most Americans, in this world, would literally kill to have a meal.
May 8, 2013
I received this book as a LibraryThing give away in return for a review.
Don't believe the blub that the book is a satire on the so called War on Terror, it goes much further than that. I like my satire subtle and pointed whereas The United States Of Air is in your face, lampooning everything which smacks of zealous, centralised, control and the willingness of a populace to suck up fear and propoganda on the basis that it must be good for them and that dissenters must therefore be an enemy.
Where the book wins is that it makes one appreciate that so many aspects of what we may loosely refer to as 'Western' life are touched by the madness we perceive only to exist in alien cultures or dictatorial regimes. The author delivers his punches with outrageous exaggeration, which can be ridiculous but then you remember it is after all satire not intended to be realistic in detail only in principle.
So exaggerated in fact that it can be easy to miss the subtleties which abound and exist on almost every page, and one can only wonder at the author's tendency to labour a joke repeatedly, not least in an obsessive use of scatological humour bordering on the obscene at times which drowns out the more enjoyable and wry prose.
The climax of the book leaves the reader open mouthed at the almost casual revelation of the hideous, familiar, consequences of evangelical zeal and centralised power in a democratic society yielding division, hatred and dehumanising of your enemy, in the pursuit of some higher ideal, even as the evangelists themselves manipulate the populace while wildly abusing their own sacred principles.
The final sentiment is that the author uses absurdity to prove that the unimaginable is actually happening right here, right now, and that the ultimate consequences can be precisely what we believe we are fighting to protect.
The United States Of Air is an easy read with the subtle satire well buried beneath the absurd lampooning and overuse of the ridiculous yet whilst the characters fade quickly from the mind after after the reading is done, the messages stay vividly imprinted.
The book would benefit from being shorter, and from being less reliant on scatology; the author clearly has it in him to do better so it will be worth keeping an eye out for J.M. Porup.
Don't believe the blub that the book is a satire on the so called War on Terror, it goes much further than that. I like my satire subtle and pointed whereas The United States Of Air is in your face, lampooning everything which smacks of zealous, centralised, control and the willingness of a populace to suck up fear and propoganda on the basis that it must be good for them and that dissenters must therefore be an enemy.
Where the book wins is that it makes one appreciate that so many aspects of what we may loosely refer to as 'Western' life are touched by the madness we perceive only to exist in alien cultures or dictatorial regimes. The author delivers his punches with outrageous exaggeration, which can be ridiculous but then you remember it is after all satire not intended to be realistic in detail only in principle.
So exaggerated in fact that it can be easy to miss the subtleties which abound and exist on almost every page, and one can only wonder at the author's tendency to labour a joke repeatedly, not least in an obsessive use of scatological humour bordering on the obscene at times which drowns out the more enjoyable and wry prose.
The climax of the book leaves the reader open mouthed at the almost casual revelation of the hideous, familiar, consequences of evangelical zeal and centralised power in a democratic society yielding division, hatred and dehumanising of your enemy, in the pursuit of some higher ideal, even as the evangelists themselves manipulate the populace while wildly abusing their own sacred principles.
The final sentiment is that the author uses absurdity to prove that the unimaginable is actually happening right here, right now, and that the ultimate consequences can be precisely what we believe we are fighting to protect.
The United States Of Air is an easy read with the subtle satire well buried beneath the absurd lampooning and overuse of the ridiculous yet whilst the characters fade quickly from the mind after after the reading is done, the messages stay vividly imprinted.
The book would benefit from being shorter, and from being less reliant on scatology; the author clearly has it in him to do better so it will be worth keeping an eye out for J.M. Porup.
December 15, 2012
Do you have a copromania? Then this book is definitely for you! :))
The United States of Air is a satire about the way people look at food,(defecation) and the government. A combination that's not seldom used in literature but it works for me.
The message this book tells is definitely delivered in a farce. Some moments are just plain ridiculous but it serves its purpose to show the, contradicting, intuitive message it wants to convey: the right way to eat food and the dynamics in political matters.
WARNING: SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!
I want to talk about the protagonist, Agent Jason Frolick. At first, I've thought that his best friend Harry Green will make a more suitable protagonist. I mean, how funny will it be if Green, which in my opinion is the most normal in the whole story, is the one narrating. I can just imagine how he will always complain on how crazy and stupid are those people who think they can eat air. Funny. But then, as the story progresses, I've understood why someone so innocent and gullible - hmm, naive is the protagonist of this satire. It's because of his faith - and Green dies at the middle of the story.
Another thing I like to discuss is how definitive this book is. J.M. Porup can really spice up your imagination. The way he describes the food in the book will really make your mouth water. However, when you read about those paragraph about poop, then, I advise you to not use your imagination and to not read this while or after eating. (I nearly vomitted!)
And one last thing, the ending... I understand how most people who read this will not like how this ends. The progression of the story is very climactic and action-packed that one can't just help but feel a little - a very little disappointment when he gets to the end. The ending is just anti-climactic. But we have to understand that this is a satire. Many issues have been addressed. Now, it's for us to choose what side it will be. It's not suppose to have that concrete ending we, readers, are looking for when reading a novel. So, I believe that J.M. Purop is one bold writer to write something like this.
My rate in this book is 3.5 stars. I'll just round it off. :))
The United States of Air is a satire about the way people look at food,
The message this book tells is definitely delivered in a farce. Some moments are just plain ridiculous but it serves its purpose to show the, contradicting, intuitive message it wants to convey: the right way to eat food and the dynamics in political matters.
WARNING: SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!
I want to talk about the protagonist, Agent Jason Frolick. At first, I've thought that his best friend Harry Green will make a more suitable protagonist. I mean, how funny will it be if Green, which in my opinion is the most normal in the whole story, is the one narrating. I can just imagine how he will always complain on how crazy and stupid are those people who think they can eat air. Funny. But then, as the story progresses, I've understood why someone so innocent and gullible - hmm, naive is the protagonist of this satire. It's because of his faith - and Green dies at the middle of the story.
Another thing I like to discuss is how definitive this book is. J.M. Porup can really spice up your imagination. The way he describes the food in the book will really make your mouth water. However, when you read about those paragraph about poop, then, I advise you to not use your imagination and to not read this while or after eating. (I nearly vomitted!)
And one last thing, the ending... I understand how most people who read this will not like how this ends. The progression of the story is very climactic and action-packed that one can't just help but feel a little - a very little disappointment when he gets to the end. The ending is just anti-climactic. But we have to understand that this is a satire. Many issues have been addressed. Now, it's for us to choose what side it will be. It's not suppose to have that concrete ending we, readers, are looking for when reading a novel. So, I believe that J.M. Purop is one bold writer to write something like this.
My rate in this book is 3.5 stars. I'll just round it off. :))
December 2, 2012
I won this book through Goodreads giveaways. Many thanks to the author (or his publisher? ;) ) for putting many many more books up for grabs than other authors! :)
I actually really liked this book. It is told from the limited first person point of view of Jason Frolick, a government agent, whose picture you would find if you looked up "naive" in the dictionary.
I liked how this restricted source of information really drew you into the absurdity of the whole system, while also allowing you to read between the lines and see the "truth". Frolick is an utterly dedicated follower of the Prophet, but at the same time so utterly naive that you can't help feeling a bit sorry for him, instead of hating him for what he does. (Well, at least until his epiphany, he becomes quite a bit more dangerous after that...)
The setting, while utterly out there, is mercilessly carried out to the bitter end. If you've just eaten, you'll probably feel a bit sick while reading. Or you might feel hungry. Until you reach the poo section...
Some criticism: I thought there was a bit too much poo. The totally absurd setup was strong enough to carry the story, without having to revert to silly fecal humour. Also, the silly names of people, organisations and countries were a bit lame.
Recommended to people who like evil black satire, and don't mind a bit of grossness.
I actually really liked this book. It is told from the limited first person point of view of Jason Frolick, a government agent, whose picture you would find if you looked up "naive" in the dictionary.
I liked how this restricted source of information really drew you into the absurdity of the whole system, while also allowing you to read between the lines and see the "truth". Frolick is an utterly dedicated follower of the Prophet, but at the same time so utterly naive that you can't help feeling a bit sorry for him, instead of hating him for what he does. (Well, at least until his epiphany, he becomes quite a bit more dangerous after that...)
The setting, while utterly out there, is mercilessly carried out to the bitter end. If you've just eaten, you'll probably feel a bit sick while reading. Or you might feel hungry. Until you reach the poo section...
Some criticism: I thought there was a bit too much poo. The totally absurd setup was strong enough to carry the story, without having to revert to silly fecal humour. Also, the silly names of people, organisations and countries were a bit lame.
Recommended to people who like evil black satire, and don't mind a bit of grossness.
November 22, 2012
Pulling no punches Porup takes aim directly at the heart of America's "Policemen of the World" mentality, and in doing so, exposes some of what America doesn't understand about itself. He does it in a satirical, backhanded and often hilarious way. Watch for the little things that remind you of the other things. Yes it's over the top. Yes, you will groan sometimes. Yes, it takes a dirty nailed finger and pokes America's bruised ego. But in all great satire there is truth, and it's here.
November 27, 2025
Read this years ago, one to remember. Will never look at a twinkie in the same way again
August 7, 2016
Oh dear.
This book showed really great promise, a wacky idea where America has abandoned its pursuit of food and abolished eating calories.
The whole faux redneckisms like the misspelling of terrorist and foreign and foreigner. Funny at first, annoying as hell after seeing it more than 10 times.
The whole concept of Fat Camps that are at first places like Guantanamo but later more like Auschwitz.
The story has a decent enough plot, an agent investigating a murder that the secret service seem to be determined to cover-up. It's obvious who it leads to (this is given away very early in the book and you wonder how the author will sustain the remaining 3/4's of the piece) and it is set up well but the ending or rather non-ending just pisses away everything the author had established up to that point in the plot.
Almost as if he had an ending and was afraid to commit to it. Or changed his mind, and not just once but at least half a dozen times as the non-ending appears to drag itself in several directions that aren't what the plot had been setting itself up for.
It's not a bad read apart from the bloody terrible ending.
This book showed really great promise, a wacky idea where America has abandoned its pursuit of food and abolished eating calories.
The whole faux redneckisms like the misspelling of terrorist and foreign and foreigner. Funny at first, annoying as hell after seeing it more than 10 times.
The whole concept of Fat Camps that are at first places like Guantanamo but later more like Auschwitz.
The story has a decent enough plot, an agent investigating a murder that the secret service seem to be determined to cover-up. It's obvious who it leads to (this is given away very early in the book and you wonder how the author will sustain the remaining 3/4's of the piece) and it is set up well but the ending or rather non-ending just pisses away everything the author had established up to that point in the plot.
Almost as if he had an ending and was afraid to commit to it. Or changed his mind, and not just once but at least half a dozen times as the non-ending appears to drag itself in several directions that aren't what the plot had been setting itself up for.
It's not a bad read apart from the bloody terrible ending.
February 23, 2017
I received this book on Goodreads give-away and was totally astonished to read the kind of concept being introduced in this book. This is my first satire read and I must say it is really out of the box thinking. I really appreciate the way Mr. Porup has really gone broken all boundaries of experimentation with literature and created such an amazing concept. The United States of Air is based on a global war against FAT, surviving on air alone and being proud of it. Oh well, now one doesn't have to worry about being fat anymore!
I really appreciate that the author picked up such a sensitive-topic about the democratic representation of the country and the political influence on its people. He showed the courage to give voice to the problems faced by the people either citizens or the army. The blind faith on the rules made by the government and few influential people is what we are really facing all over the world. .
Other than that what disappointed me was that this books is really very abrupt at certain stages. I believe it would have been really great if the flow of the story was more in a concise way. At certain stages the story is really elaborate and descriptive whereas at parts there is no description at all. I would have really appreciated if there was a description about the scientific way of surviving on air, that is a part i believe the story really felt very vague.
I believe it is really important to even convince your reader that it is possible to survive on air alone and provide descriptive reasons for it i.e, why we should survive on air? how is it possible? how is it good for the country's development? etc. The story didn't really convince me- though Frolick would call me a food "terrist".
The character of Frolick was really very distressing. At one point he is a strong airitian whereas he himself faces those twinkie attacks and keeps stuffing his face with it but refuses to feed the most special people in his life, family and friend (Green), even if that resulted in loosing everything he had.
I was somehow really expecting that Frolick would manage to bring food-eating back into the lives of the American people. And that's where I went wrong, and so did all the other people who sacrificed their lives for him.
The book really needed to clarify the reason behind why exactly is the Prophet wanting to introduce the concept of eating air instead of food. With that major concept being missing from the story, it was not really very convincing for me to believe in the fact that "why we should really be living on air?"
Also, I felt that the book was really rushed towards the end. But then again these are all my thoughts about the book.
Then again, I would like to thank the author and goodreads for the give-away and I really enjoyed the concept. It was really amazing and very fresh idea- a country to believe in eating air and surviving on it. Never thought of anything like this before!! Very interesting!!
I really appreciate that the author picked up such a sensitive-topic about the democratic representation of the country and the political influence on its people. He showed the courage to give voice to the problems faced by the people either citizens or the army. The blind faith on the rules made by the government and few influential people is what we are really facing all over the world. .
Other than that what disappointed me was that this books is really very abrupt at certain stages. I believe it would have been really great if the flow of the story was more in a concise way. At certain stages the story is really elaborate and descriptive whereas at parts there is no description at all. I would have really appreciated if there was a description about the scientific way of surviving on air, that is a part i believe the story really felt very vague.
I believe it is really important to even convince your reader that it is possible to survive on air alone and provide descriptive reasons for it i.e, why we should survive on air? how is it possible? how is it good for the country's development? etc. The story didn't really convince me- though Frolick would call me a food "terrist".
The character of Frolick was really very distressing. At one point he is a strong airitian whereas he himself faces those twinkie attacks and keeps stuffing his face with it but refuses to feed the most special people in his life, family and friend (Green), even if that resulted in loosing everything he had.
I was somehow really expecting that Frolick would manage to bring food-eating back into the lives of the American people. And that's where I went wrong, and so did all the other people who sacrificed their lives for him.
The book really needed to clarify the reason behind why exactly is the Prophet wanting to introduce the concept of eating air instead of food. With that major concept being missing from the story, it was not really very convincing for me to believe in the fact that "why we should really be living on air?"
Also, I felt that the book was really rushed towards the end. But then again these are all my thoughts about the book.
Then again, I would like to thank the author and goodreads for the give-away and I really enjoyed the concept. It was really amazing and very fresh idea- a country to believe in eating air and surviving on it. Never thought of anything like this before!! Very interesting!!
May 7, 2013
The War on Drugs.
The War on Terror.
The War on Fat.
So we're talking satire, with as much subtlety as a politician on the election campaign. Which is not my favourite sort of satire I've got to admit. So THE UNITED STATES OF AIR and I struggled to come to an understanding from the beginning.
You can see the point it's trying to make - the willingness of people to believe any old garbage spouted at them from "on high" - whether the "on high" is religious, political, some combination of both or just some bat-shit crazy loony from down the street.
I can also remember Breatharians (or whatever they call themselves) actually going to the extreme of dying because they didn't believe they needed to eat (or something ... when we're talking that bat-shit crazy I tend to be looking for an exit rather than closely playing attention).
From that standpoint, the lack of subtlety probably makes some sense - there's no point in standing up to a battalion armed with an icepick and an attitude after all.... but at some point the exaggerations got so over the top and the humour attempting to choke me to death if I didn't agree got to me ... and not only did I find myself not agreeing, I couldn't for the life of me work out why I was bothering.
Which was a pity as the climax has some important points to make, but I'd worked so hard to get there, it took me a while to recognise the skewering that the consequences of blind adherence will get you.
It's decidedly possible that this was simply the wrong book for me. Maybe if you're a strong believer in the power of the icepick then you will get it in spades, but for me, THE UNITED STATES OF AIR laid the lampooning on so thick the poor little message at it's core drowned.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
The War on Terror.
The War on Fat.
So we're talking satire, with as much subtlety as a politician on the election campaign. Which is not my favourite sort of satire I've got to admit. So THE UNITED STATES OF AIR and I struggled to come to an understanding from the beginning.
You can see the point it's trying to make - the willingness of people to believe any old garbage spouted at them from "on high" - whether the "on high" is religious, political, some combination of both or just some bat-shit crazy loony from down the street.
I can also remember Breatharians (or whatever they call themselves) actually going to the extreme of dying because they didn't believe they needed to eat (or something ... when we're talking that bat-shit crazy I tend to be looking for an exit rather than closely playing attention).
From that standpoint, the lack of subtlety probably makes some sense - there's no point in standing up to a battalion armed with an icepick and an attitude after all.... but at some point the exaggerations got so over the top and the humour attempting to choke me to death if I didn't agree got to me ... and not only did I find myself not agreeing, I couldn't for the life of me work out why I was bothering.
Which was a pity as the climax has some important points to make, but I'd worked so hard to get there, it took me a while to recognise the skewering that the consequences of blind adherence will get you.
It's decidedly possible that this was simply the wrong book for me. Maybe if you're a strong believer in the power of the icepick then you will get it in spades, but for me, THE UNITED STATES OF AIR laid the lampooning on so thick the poor little message at it's core drowned.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
January 13, 2013
I won this book here at first reads.
This book was a really funny experience!
What would it be like if the president of the USA implemented his ideals of non-food air-only diet into the entire country? This country would have its name changed to "The United States of Air" and its president would be adressed as "The Prophet". What would his people be like? Fanatics who only eat air or food terrorists? How would the law succeed in prohibit food consumption? What would happen to diabetic patients who need blood sugar? What would happen to children? Do we really need food to live?
This story follows special agent Jason Frolick as he narrates the misadventures that happened to him during the investigation of a pizza dealer's murder. He's at a french tv show speaking to a french audience. He introduces himself as an embassador and he aims to convince french people to stop food consumption. "Those french people with their wine and their cheese"...
I've never read satire like this before. Critics on the War against Terror are obvious. Everything is so well constructed. The small details are my favorites, things that Frolick describes that you wouldn't think at first but make total sense in this alternative world of food-prohibition.
Sometimes I felt like punching Agent Frolick but I kind of felt sad for him most of the time. You'll see that he is so naïve, he believes in the Prophet so blindly to the point of stupidity. I don't know if he was always that stupid or it was the starvation and his sugar-free brain that made him like that.
If this description makes you curious about the book you should read it. You won't be disappointed.
This book was a really funny experience!
What would it be like if the president of the USA implemented his ideals of non-food air-only diet into the entire country? This country would have its name changed to "The United States of Air" and its president would be adressed as "The Prophet". What would his people be like? Fanatics who only eat air or food terrorists? How would the law succeed in prohibit food consumption? What would happen to diabetic patients who need blood sugar? What would happen to children? Do we really need food to live?
This story follows special agent Jason Frolick as he narrates the misadventures that happened to him during the investigation of a pizza dealer's murder. He's at a french tv show speaking to a french audience. He introduces himself as an embassador and he aims to convince french people to stop food consumption. "Those french people with their wine and their cheese"...
I've never read satire like this before. Critics on the War against Terror are obvious. Everything is so well constructed. The small details are my favorites, things that Frolick describes that you wouldn't think at first but make total sense in this alternative world of food-prohibition.
Sometimes I felt like punching Agent Frolick but I kind of felt sad for him most of the time. You'll see that he is so naïve, he believes in the Prophet so blindly to the point of stupidity. I don't know if he was always that stupid or it was the starvation and his sugar-free brain that made him like that.
If this description makes you curious about the book you should read it. You won't be disappointed.
January 6, 2013
The was a Goodreads giveaway book (Thank you very much)
The story is about (one assumes) the absurdity of the Bush government and pokes fun at ideology in general by creating a 'prophet'/president who believes that eating food is an addiction that should be forcibly cured.
The idea that people follow such absurdity and lie to themselves in order to survive is a fair observation and it is milked for all it is worth in this book.
The problem I have had with the concept and the execution of it all is that it is as condescending as the rhetoric it is satirizing. As such I found it unreadable. I really wanted to like it, I struggled to force myself to read, and I really wanted to finish it, but I couldn't.
The blame lies with the decision to present the story as a sermon to the people of France to get them to 'join the fight against fat' and stop eating. This really did not work for me. Sorry.
The story is about (one assumes) the absurdity of the Bush government and pokes fun at ideology in general by creating a 'prophet'/president who believes that eating food is an addiction that should be forcibly cured.
The idea that people follow such absurdity and lie to themselves in order to survive is a fair observation and it is milked for all it is worth in this book.
The problem I have had with the concept and the execution of it all is that it is as condescending as the rhetoric it is satirizing. As such I found it unreadable. I really wanted to like it, I struggled to force myself to read, and I really wanted to finish it, but I couldn't.
The blame lies with the decision to present the story as a sermon to the people of France to get them to 'join the fight against fat' and stop eating. This really did not work for me. Sorry.
August 12, 2013
I feel nervous of admitting how much I enjoyed this book. The humour is often puerile and the poo jokes get a bit wearing after a while, but I did laugh a lot. And much of the satire is sharp as well as funny. The scattergun approach focuses mainly on the War on Terror, although the War on Drugs gets a pasting too. Mad ayatollahs and the unthinking zealots who follow them are not immune either.
The book is well written and easy to read. Unlike a lot of satires, there is a plot and I found myself wanting to know what happened next. It usually involved bodily excretions of one sort or another but it does build to a climax that should make you stop and think.
Much of what governments do these days has passed so far from the realm of rational debate that throwing poo at authority figures is perhaps the only sensible response and JM Porup does this with enthusiasm. His approach is definitely Swiftian and, like the famous Jonathan, he's worth a read.
The book is well written and easy to read. Unlike a lot of satires, there is a plot and I found myself wanting to know what happened next. It usually involved bodily excretions of one sort or another but it does build to a climax that should make you stop and think.
Much of what governments do these days has passed so far from the realm of rational debate that throwing poo at authority figures is perhaps the only sensible response and JM Porup does this with enthusiasm. His approach is definitely Swiftian and, like the famous Jonathan, he's worth a read.
January 7, 2013
Careful! The NSA is watching ...
Normally, I begin these reviews by thanking Goodreads, but this time I’d like to thank the author, Mr. Porup, for making it possible for me to read and review this book. My copy was inexplicably lost in the mail, so when I reported this loss Mr. Porup and his associates became involved and sent me another. Thanks again!
I truly enjoyed this book. It made me snicker and chuckle, and was just an overall pleasure to read. I know some people were bothered by the toilet humour, but I found it totally appropriate considering the context. TOTAL POO AWARENESS!
I look forward to reading more by this author. His particular brand of humour and witty political commentary has most definitely won me over.
February 3, 2013
At first impression I thought I would like to read about the idea of a satire about the United States..but further on...I just couldn't enjoy this book...first of all...all the anti-food thing...made me very uncomfortable...yeah I know too much is bad but seriously...TERRORISM..the concept scared me...also I couldn't sympathize with the main character, who in exchange for loosing his loved ones does not realize his own and all of his "kinds" stupidity...and in the end of the book this fact just made even angrier...rare are those books who can make me feel this way...Well.This.Has.Done.IT.
Well, I know that a satire role is this...but with the many stereotypes..I just couldn't enjoy it...there are very fiew pages or scenes witch were able to catch me.
Well, I know that a satire role is this...but with the many stereotypes..I just couldn't enjoy it...there are very fiew pages or scenes witch were able to catch me.
August 19, 2013
I have never before READ a satire, so I had no idea of what to expect. I found the premise and subject promising, but unfortunately where the execution lacking.
Primarily I had two problems with this story. First of all there were too many poop jokes, that didn’t really work on paper but probably would be perfect for television. So I am left with the suspicion that the author has written this satire as a pitch for a movie rather than a story for me, as the reader.
Secondly I simply don’t buy that the main character is as clueless as he is portrayed in this story, and therefore I stop caring about him and his story, and when that happens then there isn’t much left that this story has to offer me.
Primarily I had two problems with this story. First of all there were too many poop jokes, that didn’t really work on paper but probably would be perfect for television. So I am left with the suspicion that the author has written this satire as a pitch for a movie rather than a story for me, as the reader.
Secondly I simply don’t buy that the main character is as clueless as he is portrayed in this story, and therefore I stop caring about him and his story, and when that happens then there isn’t much left that this story has to offer me.
December 13, 2018
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways, I'm waiting for the delivery, can't wait to read it! ^^
Update:
It has finally arrived! Let's see how it is...
I have never read a satire before, and it leaves me uncertain ... I dare say that for a person with food disases it feeds a certain distaste for the food itself, or so it was in my case. However it made me laugh at certain points and the book is well written, the narrative flows well, making it a fairly quick read.
So what can I say? ...It's not food and it is not air ... but 2.5 stars are deserved!
And thanks to J.M. Porup and GR for the first-reads-copy! :)
Update:
It has finally arrived! Let's see how it is...
I have never read a satire before, and it leaves me uncertain ... I dare say that for a person with food disases it feeds a certain distaste for the food itself, or so it was in my case. However it made me laugh at certain points and the book is well written, the narrative flows well, making it a fairly quick read.
So what can I say? ...It's not food and it is not air ... but 2.5 stars are deserved!
And thanks to J.M. Porup and GR for the first-reads-copy! :)
March 12, 2016
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway about a year ago. This was my first ever satire and it was not what I was expecting at all. I really did not enjoy this book. Maybe the fact that it was a satire made the concepts go right over my head. I just kept hoping for the main character to have a turn around and believe something new and it never happened. The synopsis makes it sound like the book has promise, but it really didn't fulfill that promise with me. Another thing is that they like to talk about poop a lot and it just got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. This just wasn't the book for me.
October 9, 2012
I received this book through a First Reads giveaway.
I have always loved satires and this one was particularly amusing with a whimsical touch. While it pokes fun, it also has truth to it. The Prophet claims that food is the root of all evil in America and decides to live on air. It's both absurd and intriguing at the same time. It is a brilliant story that could have been better written. At some parts I had to force myself to keep reading. It could do with some refining.
Overall, I did enjoy the story though.
I have always loved satires and this one was particularly amusing with a whimsical touch. While it pokes fun, it also has truth to it. The Prophet claims that food is the root of all evil in America and decides to live on air. It's both absurd and intriguing at the same time. It is a brilliant story that could have been better written. At some parts I had to force myself to keep reading. It could do with some refining.
Overall, I did enjoy the story though.
December 26, 2012
A very clever satire indeed.
This book can be read on two levels; the superficial one which is where it is just a tale and a deeper, cynical look at the way the world works.
It's cleverly written and involving. Not hard work to read and yet still compelling. It's very black in places and not the sort of book I read very often, however I was gripped after the first chapter.
I'd recommend this book as an exploratory foray into J M Porup's world of books.
This book can be read on two levels; the superficial one which is where it is just a tale and a deeper, cynical look at the way the world works.
It's cleverly written and involving. Not hard work to read and yet still compelling. It's very black in places and not the sort of book I read very often, however I was gripped after the first chapter.
I'd recommend this book as an exploratory foray into J M Porup's world of books.
December 18, 2012
I loathe this book and its dastardly author. This Porup, this Judas, is a traitor to The United States of Air, an illegal emigrant, and a food terrist. Because of his doubt, our ability to digest air is compromised. We could starve to death because of him!
So why, perhaps, you ask, am I rating his book five stars?
It's very strange. I don't quite understand it myself. It's almost as though... there was a hand... up my back... like I was a... sock puppet or something...
So why, perhaps, you ask, am I rating his book five stars?
It's very strange. I don't quite understand it myself. It's almost as though... there was a hand... up my back... like I was a... sock puppet or something...
March 10, 2013
When I started reading the book I felt it was very absurd imagining US of Air where air is the only thing to eat. But as you go on reading the book grows on you and then it starts bombarding you with a lot of poo-poo and wee-wee jokes. But below all this the author beautifully hides the sarcasm showing a flawed and corrupt government of today and it is because of this that criminals roam free in broad daylight mocking the world. You have to 'see the change you wish to be.'
November 19, 2012
This one was a hard one to get through. Towards the end I was really into what was going to happen, and see how it was wrapping up. However, the ending didn't really tie anything up. I guess that was the point, but still didn't sit right with me. I understand the point of the book, but I just didn't enjoy it.
January 8, 2013
I received this complimentary copy in exchange for review from www.LibraryThing.com
Quite a parody! I could not help but laugh out loud. Loved the whol ''food police" bit. And the ditsy ATFF agents Frolick and Green, what a pair they made, they are what made this such a comedy. I do look forward to reading more from this author!
Quite a parody! I could not help but laugh out loud. Loved the whol ''food police" bit. And the ditsy ATFF agents Frolick and Green, what a pair they made, they are what made this such a comedy. I do look forward to reading more from this author!
December 22, 2012
I'm not going to give a run down of the storyline, that's what the blurb is for. This book is humorous, if a little gross at times (a lot of talk about poo, all too descriptive) but despite this comes across with a subtle kick of "look how ridiculous the world is getting".
December 17, 2012
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I enjoyed reading this one. It's funny - very much so at times, especially for a French girl like myself - some scenes were hilarious but sometimes it was a bit too much and sometimes it lacked subtlety. Still a nice read.
I enjoyed reading this one. It's funny - very much so at times, especially for a French girl like myself - some scenes were hilarious but sometimes it was a bit too much and sometimes it lacked subtlety. Still a nice read.
February 11, 2013
Hilarious. And yet, a little sad, because although it's only a satire, it's not really that far from reality.
Although it may seem silly at the beginning, the plot really gets engaging (and maybe a little gross). I tottaly recommend.
Although it may seem silly at the beginning, the plot really gets engaging (and maybe a little gross). I tottaly recommend.
October 22, 2012
I kept thinking that at some point the pain of slogging thru this drivel would be rewarded. I was wrong.
August 7, 2013
I tried, heaven knows I tried. I normally enjoy satire but this just pounded away at one theme. Could not in any way relate to (stupid) central character or the actual stupidity of the premise.
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