"Speaking of Inalienable Rights, Amy…"

Doonesbury Annuals #9

by G.B. Trudeau

Zonker, Uncle Duke, and assorted American, Samoan, and Vietnamese nationals sort out priorities, pretenses, and probabilities in a spree of bicentennialy slanted cartoon strips

Genres: Comics, Humor, Comic Strips, Cartoon, Politics, History

100 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1976

About the author

Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip. In 1970, Trudeau's creation of Doonesbury was syndicated by the newly formed Universal Press Syndicate. Today Doonesbury is syndicated to almost 1,400 newspapers worldwide and is accessible online in association with Slate Magazine at doonesbury.com. In 1975, he became the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer, traditionally awarded to editorial-page cartoonists. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 1990. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 in the category of Animated Short Film, for A Doonesbury Special, in collaboration with John Hubley and Faith Hubley. A Doonesbury Special eventually won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Special Prize in 1978. Other awards include the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1994, and the Reuben Award in 1995. He was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993. Wiley Miller, fellow comic-strip artist responsible for Non Sequitur, called Trudeau "far and away the most influential editorial cartoonist in the last 25 years." In addition to his work on Doonesbury, Trudeau has teamed with Elizabeth Swados and written plays, such as Rap Master Ronnie and Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy. In 1988, Trudeau joined forces with director Robert Altman for the HBO miniseries Tanner '88 and the Sundance Channel miniseries sequel Tanner on Tanner in 2004. In 1996, Newsweek and The Washington Post speculated that Trudeau wrote the novel Primary Colors, which was later revealed to have been written by Joe Klein. Trudeau wrote the political sitcom Alpha House, starring John Goodman and Bill Murray. The pilot was produced by Amazon Studios and aired in early 2013. Due to positive response Amazon has picked up Alpha House to develop into a full series.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The difference between what we say and what we do as a society is really put in the spotlight in this book. Democracy has so many definitions; what one person thinks is an 'inalienable right' may differ from person to person. How do we agree to disagree and yet stay cohesive in our 'core' beliefs: the very beliefs that must be extended to everyone? Really have become a big fan of G.B. Trudeau.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming out in 1976, strips from late 74 through mid 75. A good period, lots of laughs here. Plot developments include Duke becoming the governor of American Samoa and the introduction of Kim as a Vietnamese orphan adopted by the Rosenthals.

[David]

Fifth run through the whole series. Always works for me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to see some of these. These satire President Ford and things in Vietnam at the time but, sadly, some of those commentaries could be true today. There was still much to laugh at in this slim book. His sumor is sorely missed into today's political climate. (2018/2019).

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more on busing, coverage of the end of the Vietnam War, a story of Zonker's Revolutionary War ancestor, perhaps because of 1976?

[Tribefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading and even chucked a few times!

[Craig Werner · Rating 2 out of 5]

America was slogging into the post-Nixon, pre-Carter years and to a surprising extent, Trudeau was slogging along with it. I like the opening sequence in which Uncle Duke, having missed a couple dozen deadlines in his inebriated haze, hunkers down in Colorado, taking a shot or two at John Denver (literal, hee hee). After that there are a few good strips, but nothing really catches fire. The post-Vietnam sequences--Phred running reeducation camps, refugees arriving in the U.S.--understandably struggle to find the funny part, but also don't have the political bite of Trudeau's best. The Boston busing sequence is more earnest than anything and I've never been a huge fan of either Duke in Samoa or Zonker's revolutionary war ancestor, Nate. I'll certainly keep on keeping on with my revisiting of the Doonesbury chronicles, but this one will stay near the bottom of the list.

[Millerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garry Trudeau is largely responsible (along with my father) for my understanding of politics and society in the 60's and 70's. His pointed, hilarious satire lives with me to this day. I just got a bunch of Doonesbury paperbacks off of Ebay and am reliving the whole experience. It's great.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Doonesbury and I find Trudeau's liberal humor to be really funny.