What do you think?
Rate this book
Rationalizations to Live by
A book for everyone who's ever cheated just a little bit at golf (I'm only moving the ball to where it should have landed) or gone to a party instead of visiting a sick friend (If I were in the hospital, I wouldn't want a bunch of people bothering me), "Rationalizations to Live By" offers dozens of perfect rationalizations for behavior that ranges from the selfish, thoughtless, and irresponsible to the boorish, self-destructive, and un-p.c. A group effort by four of the funniest people writing books today, it evokes both nervous laughter (for what we recognize in ourselves) and happy superiority (because we can't believe anyone could do that). For example:
Look how long the French live.
All of this shopping is good for the economy.
This doesn't really count as sex.
I'm earning frequent-flyer miles.
Video games are good for my kid's motor skills.
Picasso didn't do his best work until he was 70.
He'll just spend it on liquor.
I only smoke at parties.
And, of course, the universal: Everybody does it.
Look how long the French live.
All of this shopping is good for the economy.
This doesn't really count as sex.
I'm earning frequent-flyer miles.
Video games are good for my kid's motor skills.
Picasso didn't do his best work until he was 70.
He'll just spend it on liquor.
I only smoke at parties.
And, of course, the universal: Everybody does it.
- GenresHumor
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
35 people want to read
About the author
Henry N. Beard
61 books39 followersHenry N. Beard (born ca. 1945) is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 7, 2012
I'll be able to write a better review of this book sometime in the future.
August 23, 2012
You will laugh really hard, and then feel kinda badly and then laugh again.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews