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Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth
Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of The Planet Earth, 73rd Edition features incorrect statistics on all of the Earth's 168, 182, or 196 independent nations.
It also features maps, including a fold-out world map at actual size. Readers will learn about every country from Afghanistan, "Allah's Cat Box," to the Ukraine, "The Bridebasket of Europe."
Today's news-parody consumer cannot possibly understand made-up current events without the context of fake world history and geography. That is why The Onion is publishing a world atlas: to help us.
Our Dumb World is an invaluable tool for any reader interested in overthrowing a weakened government in East Asia, exploiting a developing nation in Africa, or for directions to tonight's party at Erica's. It is a reference guide to 250,000 of the world's most important places, such as North Korea's Trench of Victory, the Great Human Pyramid of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia's superhighway, the Mohammedobahn.
It also features maps, including a fold-out world map at actual size. Readers will learn about every country from Afghanistan, "Allah's Cat Box," to the Ukraine, "The Bridebasket of Europe."
Today's news-parody consumer cannot possibly understand made-up current events without the context of fake world history and geography. That is why The Onion is publishing a world atlas: to help us.
Our Dumb World is an invaluable tool for any reader interested in overthrowing a weakened government in East Asia, exploiting a developing nation in Africa, or for directions to tonight's party at Erica's. It is a reference guide to 250,000 of the world's most important places, such as North Korea's Trench of Victory, the Great Human Pyramid of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia's superhighway, the Mohammedobahn.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
71 people are currently reading
3388 people want to read
About the author
The Onion
35 books117 followersThe satirical newspaper The Onion was founded in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Originally a weekly humor print publication targeting a local student population, The Onion is today a booming news organization known as America’s Finest News Source.
The launch of TheOnion.com in 1996 expanded its signature brand of satire to a national and international audience. Online expansion opened doors to growth in a multitude of areas. The company has become an omnipotent news empire, reaching millions of fans through print, broadcast, radio, mobile apps, books, and, in January 2011, two new television shows on the Independent Film Channel and Comedy Central. The website continues to be the nucleus of all The Onion does, described by TIME magazine as “the funniest site on the Internet.”
TheOnion.com now averages 40 million page views and roughly 7.5 million unique visitors per month. The Onion’s digital strategy has resulted in an enormous and dedicated fan base. The newspaper’s content is delivered constantly, Tweeted at optimum times and posted on Facebook during high-traffic periods. Subsequently, users can easily embed, share, or post articles and videos to their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. As a result, the Onion’s fans take an active role in the viral nature of the content. Within minutes of posting an article or video, the content materializes across a number of platforms.
The launch of TheOnion.com in 1996 expanded its signature brand of satire to a national and international audience. Online expansion opened doors to growth in a multitude of areas. The company has become an omnipotent news empire, reaching millions of fans through print, broadcast, radio, mobile apps, books, and, in January 2011, two new television shows on the Independent Film Channel and Comedy Central. The website continues to be the nucleus of all The Onion does, described by TIME magazine as “the funniest site on the Internet.”
TheOnion.com now averages 40 million page views and roughly 7.5 million unique visitors per month. The Onion’s digital strategy has resulted in an enormous and dedicated fan base. The newspaper’s content is delivered constantly, Tweeted at optimum times and posted on Facebook during high-traffic periods. Subsequently, users can easily embed, share, or post articles and videos to their personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. As a result, the Onion’s fans take an active role in the viral nature of the content. Within minutes of posting an article or video, the content materializes across a number of platforms.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
February 22, 2008
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 "lived" there - it's all within the pages contained herein. Was that correct grammar? Hmm.
A couple of favorite passages:
ICELAND: So "Cold" From All The "Ice." -- "In what must be the greatest geological hoax in history, millions of middle-school students are fed lies day after day by Iceland's highly coordinated campaign of misinformation, insinuation, and not changing the name of their country to something more descriptive."
SOUTH AFRICA: A Bad Neighborhood. -- "The citizens of South Africa fall victim to a serious crime every 17 seconds -- a statistic that is nearly impossible to verify, as everyone in the country has his or her watch stolen every 12 seconds."
JORDAN: Home Of The Lovely Queen Rania. -- "Not only is Queen Rania a stunningly beautiful woman, she's also the very definition of a 'classy lady.' Whenever Jordan is going through a hard time, all Queen Rania has to do is smile and everybody feels good again."
Wonderful time browsing this wonderful work. It can border on the offensive for people without a sense of humor, but hey -- it's the Onion, man!
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 "lived" there - it's all within the pages contained herein. Was that correct grammar? Hmm.
A couple of favorite passages:
ICELAND: So "Cold" From All The "Ice." -- "In what must be the greatest geological hoax in history, millions of middle-school students are fed lies day after day by Iceland's highly coordinated campaign of misinformation, insinuation, and not changing the name of their country to something more descriptive."
SOUTH AFRICA: A Bad Neighborhood. -- "The citizens of South Africa fall victim to a serious crime every 17 seconds -- a statistic that is nearly impossible to verify, as everyone in the country has his or her watch stolen every 12 seconds."
JORDAN: Home Of The Lovely Queen Rania. -- "Not only is Queen Rania a stunningly beautiful woman, she's also the very definition of a 'classy lady.' Whenever Jordan is going through a hard time, all Queen Rania has to do is smile and everybody feels good again."
Wonderful time browsing this wonderful work. It can border on the offensive for people without a sense of humor, but hey -- it's the Onion, man!
July 20, 2019
If you could rate a book by it's cover, Our Dumb World would earn 5-stars. Advertised features for this geography lampoon include 'Free GLOBE Inside' and 'Better-Veiled Xenophobia.' The book's presentation delivered enough belly laughs to fuel a small country and sent my expectations soaring before I'd cracked the first page.
Combine that with The Onion's sterling reputation for satire and how could this globe-trotting expedition go wrong? The premise seemed solid too, if a tad gauche; hop around the world and crack wise at the expense of each country in turn. Add some twisted atlas trappings; maps, infographics and so forth, and this full-color parody seemed packed with potential.
So a five-star cover from a five-star comedy troupe somehow housed a two-star package. The problem is the joke gets old quick; Our Dumb World relies heavily on stereotypes, most of them too obvious to even offend with much vigor. By the 4th page lampooning the AIDS epidemic in an African country I started wondering whether I was the 'dumb' one for coming along that far. I found myself wishing I was reading Wikipedia articles on each individual country as then at least I'd be learning something. The journey ended in Tanzania with half the continents untouched.
So the old saying holds true; you can't rate a book by it's cover. But sometimes that's where you get your money's worth.
Edited 7-20-19
Combine that with The Onion's sterling reputation for satire and how could this globe-trotting expedition go wrong? The premise seemed solid too, if a tad gauche; hop around the world and crack wise at the expense of each country in turn. Add some twisted atlas trappings; maps, infographics and so forth, and this full-color parody seemed packed with potential.
So a five-star cover from a five-star comedy troupe somehow housed a two-star package. The problem is the joke gets old quick; Our Dumb World relies heavily on stereotypes, most of them too obvious to even offend with much vigor. By the 4th page lampooning the AIDS epidemic in an African country I started wondering whether I was the 'dumb' one for coming along that far. I found myself wishing I was reading Wikipedia articles on each individual country as then at least I'd be learning something. The journey ended in Tanzania with half the continents untouched.
So the old saying holds true; you can't rate a book by it's cover. But sometimes that's where you get your money's worth.
Edited 7-20-19
June 6, 2013
I listened to the abridged audio book version of Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of The Planet Earth on my drive from Santa Clarita to Sacramento with my sometimes-awake, sometimes-asleep fiance. I don't know how you could sleep through this book, though - it was very funny. (Granted, I was driving, so I didn't really have the option.) Very clever social commentary from an, of course, American perspective.
The book started off very strong. My 4-star rating instead of 5 is because towards the end, there was less "information" about each country because they just picked one funny thing about the country and talked about it the whole time. While my good friend from Hungary would probably be very amused at the book's comments about the pornography industry there, I was sad to see that the book essentially defined entire countries such as this one from only one perspective.
Yes, I get that it's humor, but...still. It bothered me. That's why it only gets 4 stars from me instead of 5. DEFINITELY still worth the listen, though - the narration is excellent. And the paper version of the book may have enough other information to make up for the flaws I found in the abridged audio book. I plan to try to read it at some point as well to see.
The book started off very strong. My 4-star rating instead of 5 is because towards the end, there was less "information" about each country because they just picked one funny thing about the country and talked about it the whole time. While my good friend from Hungary would probably be very amused at the book's comments about the pornography industry there, I was sad to see that the book essentially defined entire countries such as this one from only one perspective.
Yes, I get that it's humor, but...still. It bothered me. That's why it only gets 4 stars from me instead of 5. DEFINITELY still worth the listen, though - the narration is excellent. And the paper version of the book may have enough other information to make up for the flaws I found in the abridged audio book. I plan to try to read it at some point as well to see.
August 25, 2015
OK... I bought this because I enjoy The Onion's brand of humor... but, I'm glad that I only paid $1 for it, because it's pretty lame. I mean, it's funny, sure. It's well-researched, I'm assuming, in order to make fun of these countries accurately, but it's just so damn repetitive. Every page is exactly the same. The only things that change are the oh-so-witty quips and such. But those just aren't enough to keep my interest.
So. I'm calling it quits. I have no desire to pick this up again, so I know it's lost its shine. It's been 10 days and I've only made it 50 image-heavy pages. Meh.
I much preferred "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race." Skip this and check out that instead.
So. I'm calling it quits. I have no desire to pick this up again, so I know it's lost its shine. It's been 10 days and I've only made it 50 image-heavy pages. Meh.
I much preferred "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth: A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race." Skip this and check out that instead.
August 9, 2011
I have an alternate answer to the question the Ms. Teen USA Pagent judges asked to Ms. South Carolina. Americans aren' t familiar with geography because,unlike this book ,it's usually boring to learn.
Very funny, and with entries on nearly every country you will actually learn something. But it is not for kids. It has some profanity and has the darkest, most gallows humor of anything The Onion has put out. The book frequently refers to topics like starvation, AIDS, or genocide and wants to point out the ironies and truth of the situations people have to live in without glossing them over or making you feel better. Of course a lot of humor is directed at the inability of governments or other organizations to solve problems.
A lot of it is brilliant: the page on Jordan is entirely on Queen Rania - apparently by someone who is smitten with her. (But it points out: what else does the average person know about Jordan?) And the entry for Nigeria includes a Nigerian Scam letter like the ones sent through mass emails.
I also recommend "Don't Know Much About Geography," though it's not a parody book like this one.
Very funny, and with entries on nearly every country you will actually learn something. But it is not for kids. It has some profanity and has the darkest, most gallows humor of anything The Onion has put out. The book frequently refers to topics like starvation, AIDS, or genocide and wants to point out the ironies and truth of the situations people have to live in without glossing them over or making you feel better. Of course a lot of humor is directed at the inability of governments or other organizations to solve problems.
A lot of it is brilliant: the page on Jordan is entirely on Queen Rania - apparently by someone who is smitten with her. (But it points out: what else does the average person know about Jordan?) And the entry for Nigeria includes a Nigerian Scam letter like the ones sent through mass emails.
I also recommend "Don't Know Much About Geography," though it's not a parody book like this one.
August 27, 2017
The format of this book is clearly designed to allow as much information to be crammed into as little space as possible. If that sounds like a bad thing, it's definitely not - the jokes come so thick and fast here that it's like you're being attacked. There's barely a square inch of any page that doesn't have something at least a little bit funny in it, whether it's in the points of interest that are labelled up on the map, or the brief historical timelines, or the main tagline, or the full description, or any of the pictures (such as the brutally dark picture of an Etheopian wearing a T-shirt saying 'no fat chicks').
That's one of the things about Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition that's so impressive. The other is how diverse the humour is. Anybody who reads the site will know that they're as capable of bitterness as sillyness and as happy to employ highbrow irony as they are to indulge themselves in gutter humour, but that range of approaches is taken to new heights here. Observe how viciously certain US states are attacked, and then compare it with how Jordan's page is basically a love letter to Queen Rania, before turning back to the subtle(-ish) contempt with which France are described, and then fast-forwarding to the way most of the descriptions of countries in the Middle East mock America's foreign policy and myopic, often offensive worldwide media coverage (Afghanistan are described as being 'bombed forward into the Stone Age' while Iraq's tagline is simply 'they had it coming').
It's an absolute tour de force throughout, irreverent and caustic withou ever being truly offensive, and silly without being dumb. It took me four days to read all of it, and at least half of that time was taken up by laughing - even people I know that can't get into The Onion's website love this book. Brilliant.
That's one of the things about Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition that's so impressive. The other is how diverse the humour is. Anybody who reads the site will know that they're as capable of bitterness as sillyness and as happy to employ highbrow irony as they are to indulge themselves in gutter humour, but that range of approaches is taken to new heights here. Observe how viciously certain US states are attacked, and then compare it with how Jordan's page is basically a love letter to Queen Rania, before turning back to the subtle(-ish) contempt with which France are described, and then fast-forwarding to the way most of the descriptions of countries in the Middle East mock America's foreign policy and myopic, often offensive worldwide media coverage (Afghanistan are described as being 'bombed forward into the Stone Age' while Iraq's tagline is simply 'they had it coming').
It's an absolute tour de force throughout, irreverent and caustic withou ever being truly offensive, and silly without being dumb. It took me four days to read all of it, and at least half of that time was taken up by laughing - even people I know that can't get into The Onion's website love this book. Brilliant.
June 12, 2015
Probably the best book I have ever read for learning basic geography, random country facts, and what flags look like. While naturally this is not a serious atlas, it is pretty informative and totally hilarious.
November 29, 2015
First of all, a warning to the wise: if you don't believe that no-holds-barred, anything-goes humor is possible, don't read the book. I mean it...just don't even try. That said, if you're like me and you like to laugh even when you want to cry simultaneously, you'll love this book! The Onion is the "world's leading humor publication," and it upholds its reputation with this book, which is a mock atlas of every country of the world. The Onion's smart-ass assessment of each nation is brutal, crude, and merciless, while at the same time being hilarious, clever, and even (really?) poignant. My favorites? France, "One Nation Above God"; Saudi Arabia, "All Is Forbidden"; and Vatican City, "The Catholic Disneyland."
Read
January 24, 2008If 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 news, per se, it's an atlas, and if you weren't sure about this, the cover helpfully steers you towards the Onion's skew by proclaiming "Now With 30% More Asia" and such highlights as "Fewer Clouds on Maps" and "Long-Standing Border Disputes Resolved." A sampling from the page on the South, "Where the Mistakes of the Past Come Alive" include this gem on my home, Florida: "The Silent Holocaust: Though on the surface Florida appears to be a tropical paradise, inside this state lurks a dark, gruesome secret: Each year, thousands of Jews are sent here to die." The Onion doesn't leave a stereotype unturned, from Malaysia, "An Allah-Inclusive Terrorist Resort" to India, "Please Hold While We Die of Malaria" to French Guiana, "The Colony That France Totally Forgot It Still Had" to Germany, "Genocide-Free Since April 11, 1946." All the map lovers in your life, and even those who can't fold a map, will find something to laugh at here.
January 3, 2011
Like the Onion newspaper, this is funny, in a sarcastic, wry, twisted sort of way. The maps are hilarious, such as the map of France that shows the location of the Memorial to Poupon-Plochman War of 1994 can be found (for mustard lovers of the world). You can also tour the shirtless and shoeless regions of the American Southeast. The timeline of American history is great. Sensitivity Alert: Coarse language is spread throughout the book and some areas of the country and its inhabitants are ridiculed mercilessly. If you don't find the Onion newspaper funny, this book isn't for you. If you like the paper, you'll love the book.
December 31, 2007
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 help!
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 help!
Want to read
May 28, 2008I leafed through this in the bookstore and desperately wished I had someone to poke and share it with. I was literally in stitches. Wickedly offensive yet hilarious stuff such as the starving Somalian woman clad in a T-shirt bearing the words "No Fat Chicks," the map of France pointing out the location of an International House of Crepes, and the alarmingly true accusation that 93% of Washington residents do not realize Olympia is their state's capital.
January 5, 2008
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.
May 14, 2009
It's The Onion, so adjust your expectations accordingly. The book is clever from start to finish, and executed very well. You find funny, outrageous, profane, over the line, and all points in between.
This is not a book to read cover to cover. I like to pick it up and just browse, wondering just what the hell these guys will do on the next page.
This is not a book to read cover to cover. I like to pick it up and just browse, wondering just what the hell these guys will do on the next page.
January 3, 2014
So dang funny that I had to read every word - which takes some doing with this kind of book. It's incredibly comprehensive; I can't imagine how many people it must have taken to put this together. Stay away from it if you're easily offended or need things to be properly politically correct.
June 13, 2008
The funnniest book I've ever read. Period.
September 5, 2008
Wickedly funny - brutally honest
No one writes political humor better than the Onion!
No one writes political humor better than the Onion!
August 3, 2013
I will forever be dumbfounded as to how the Onion managed to make individualized caricatures of every single state/nation. Incredible.
September 5, 2017
Funniest book of all time. Literally every single sentence is funny. This must have taken tens of thousands of man hours to write. An impressive accomplishment.
December 20, 2023
While reading this, I was asked how it was, so I said that it was quite amusing but there were too many rape jokes. When you say it out loud you realise how strange that sentence should sound and how normalised this book makes you to jokes about things which should be considered appalling. Sometimes the jokes are there to emphasise how appalling the situation is but there is also a lot of flippancy.
Mostly, the authors take one joke per country and run with it for the whole entry, so Guam jokes are about it being a US army base, Singapore's about intolerance for littering. So, as with The Onion proper, there are times when this can be flogging a joke to death that was funny in the headline.
Don't do what I did and read from start to end. Browse.
Guam and Tibet have their own entries but Tuvalu is forgotten. Poor Tuvalu!
Mostly, the authors take one joke per country and run with it for the whole entry, so Guam jokes are about it being a US army base, Singapore's about intolerance for littering. So, as with The Onion proper, there are times when this can be flogging a joke to death that was funny in the headline.
Don't do what I did and read from start to end. Browse.
Guam and Tibet have their own entries but Tuvalu is forgotten. Poor Tuvalu!
January 18, 2019
hahahaaaaaaaa
June 27, 2024
Often hilarious, but not always. Surely each of us will find tasteless jokes ... but we might laugh anyway.
January 13, 2009
When I laughed, I laughed so hard I could barely hold the book in my hands. Among my favorite are the comments on the Turkish flag, the Welsh language, and the evolution of the continents from Pangaea into the future. There is so much detail and attention given to so many countries, states, and territories, the insane research such detail signifies deserves utmost respect. No place on earth is immune to attack and most of the political humor has a very progressive bent.
Some nations were stuck with just one running gag (Belarus, Finland, etc.), which is understandable given the length of the book, but unfortunate for readers who happen to know more than just the superficial about any of these nations. My German partner loved the atlas, but was unable to enjoy the feature on Germany since it relied SOLELY on the 60 year-old Nazi stereotype. We agree everyone should be able to laugh about their country, but I had to admit that mine was portrayed as 100 times more diverse than his.
Some nations were stuck with just one running gag (Belarus, Finland, etc.), which is understandable given the length of the book, but unfortunate for readers who happen to know more than just the superficial about any of these nations. My German partner loved the atlas, but was unable to enjoy the feature on Germany since it relied SOLELY on the 60 year-old Nazi stereotype. We agree everyone should be able to laugh about their country, but I had to admit that mine was portrayed as 100 times more diverse than his.
April 20, 2012
There are a lot of stupid and cheap jokes here, but there is also a fair amount of truth, packaged in easy-to-swallow one-liners. e.g.:
"The United States was founded in 1776 on the principles of life, libert, and the reckless pursuit of happiness at any cost -- even life and liberty."
"All Iraqis have a a yearning for freedom, a desire so strong that every single one of them is willing to die if that's what it takes to achieve it."
"2004: In an impassioned speech, President Stjepan Mesic vows to put a man safely on the surface of Croatia by 2012."
I wonder how that worked out.
Each of the 50 states gets its own writeup. Wisconsin ("Clogged Artery of the Heartland") is reviewed under "The Midwest: America's Pit Stop" (pp. 17-18); Georgia ("No, not that Georgia") and South Carolina ("The One with the Racist Flag") under "The South: Where the Mistakes of the Past Come Alive"; and my home state is listed with Alaska ("Needlessly Unspoiled") and Hawaii ("Spectacular Balcony View") under "The Bullshit States: Filling out the Union." You lose a star for that, Onion.
"The United States was founded in 1776 on the principles of life, libert, and the reckless pursuit of happiness at any cost -- even life and liberty."
"All Iraqis have a a yearning for freedom, a desire so strong that every single one of them is willing to die if that's what it takes to achieve it."
"2004: In an impassioned speech, President Stjepan Mesic vows to put a man safely on the surface of Croatia by 2012."
I wonder how that worked out.
Each of the 50 states gets its own writeup. Wisconsin ("Clogged Artery of the Heartland") is reviewed under "The Midwest: America's Pit Stop" (pp. 17-18); Georgia ("No, not that Georgia") and South Carolina ("The One with the Racist Flag") under "The South: Where the Mistakes of the Past Come Alive"; and my home state is listed with Alaska ("Needlessly Unspoiled") and Hawaii ("Spectacular Balcony View") under "The Bullshit States: Filling out the Union." You lose a star for that, Onion.
September 24, 2012
What's best about any Onion publication is that sometimes it appears way too convincngly it may confuse readers for being the truth. This atlas is built on political jokes, satire, and stereotypes, some are hillarious, some are understandably insulting -- but still fun to read. Especially the section about the United States and how Bono is depicted using certain measurement index. I also read the part about my country, and it fulfills the its promise of being a political joke.
When reading publications of Onion, including this political joke, readers are advised not to feel deeply insulted, for jokes are jokes anyway. I've seen people that are upset for Onion's publications, and yes, as I said before, sometimes Onion appears just way too realistic.
At the end, this is a good political jokes book, and completely fun to read. An international relations major student myself, the world may be easier to study if those things mentioned in this book had been real!
When reading publications of Onion, including this political joke, readers are advised not to feel deeply insulted, for jokes are jokes anyway. I've seen people that are upset for Onion's publications, and yes, as I said before, sometimes Onion appears just way too realistic.
At the end, this is a good political jokes book, and completely fun to read. An international relations major student myself, the world may be easier to study if those things mentioned in this book had been real!
November 19, 2008
WARNING: not for the easily offended. I haven't actually finished this book, but it is an atlas, so you really don't read it straight through. I don't think I have ever read anything as offensive in my life... which is why it is so funny. From the Bono Awareness map to the description of Sudan as "All Better Now Thanks to You" (all because "a woman in Iowa was wearing a 'Save Darfur' T-shirt") to the entry on France ("One Nation Above God") to Rwanda: "The Land That Time, Newsweek, And USA Today Forgot" to "Land of Consonant Sorrow"- Wales- nothing is too sacrosanct for this book to mock. Some of the entries go too far and some are just bizarre (The entry on Madagascar deals with its rule by lemurs), but it is all in all pretty freakin' hilarious.
September 5, 2019
Used to keep a copy of this on my bookshelf at the embassy in Singapore, and now that I'm back working as a part-time (i.e., semi-retired) government contractor, have brought this in to my office again where it is the first-stop resource for anyone planning a trip overseas.
As others have noted, this is not something to read cover-to-cover. But as an occasional reference it is still unquestionably the funniest - if also unquestionably the most politically incorrect - travel guide out there.
Originally found this on the discount shelf at B&N, and ended up buying out their whole supply to use as gifts. Unfortunately, I doubt this sold well enough to merit an update - which would be welcome at this point, since the world has changed a considerable amount since 2007.
As others have noted, this is not something to read cover-to-cover. But as an occasional reference it is still unquestionably the funniest - if also unquestionably the most politically incorrect - travel guide out there.
Originally found this on the discount shelf at B&N, and ended up buying out their whole supply to use as gifts. Unfortunately, I doubt this sold well enough to merit an update - which would be welcome at this point, since the world has changed a considerable amount since 2007.
January 11, 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 read especially if you have a great sense of humour. I'm moving into the read section just because I'm crazy about organization but I'll be flipping through and appreciating it for a long time.
March 9, 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 much for geography.) My favorite entry? Suriname.
May 20, 2008
This book is my new favorite....it is hilarious although rather harsh (you have to have the right sense of humor). It's a satirical atlas put out by the Onion with entries on every country. Somewhat disturbingly, it was actually #1 on the Amazon atlas list for a while. I admit some parts are rather mean but it will make you laugh out loud...however you may annoy everyone you know by constantly reading little quotes but you can't help it. Also good because each country is only a page or 2 so you can read a little at a time. GO GET IT RIGHT NOW!
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