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I Drink for a Reason

David Cross

Why we're reading this: Recommended by Jackie
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Jan 10, 2010 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it

Shelves: humor, non-fiction, controversial

Ostensibly, this a book of "American wit and humor" according to the Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (hey, I'm a librarian, I look at that stuff), and it is. But, it's humor colored by one man's edgy, even controverisal opinions about atheism, gay rights, and American politics. He is NOT a Bill O'Reilly fan. If you are, you will not like this book.

I'll give David Crosby this, he has a definite opinion about religion and gay rights, and he's not afraid to talk about it. While I Ostensibly, this a book of "American wit and humor" according to the Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (hey, I'm a librarian, I look at that stuff), and it is. But, it's humor colored by one man's edgy, even controverisal opinions about atheism, gay rights, and American politics. He is NOT a Bill O'Reilly fan. If you are, you will not like this book.

I'll give David Crosby this, he has a definite opinion about religion and gay rights, and he's not afraid to talk about it. While I'm not an atheist, I agree with him, to a large extent, so I enjoyed this book, even when it got a little over the top for me. At times, it was cruder than I can appreciate, with my delicate sensibilities. And at other times, I felt like instead of trying to make a joke, David was just honestly saying what he thinks about religion, and what it's like to be a liberal comedian in a conservative-leaning country. What I'm trying to say is, this book is NOT for everyone.

If you are conservative, religious, or are squeamish about gay sexual jokes, you are not going to appreciate this book. He is an equal opportunity offender, going after Jews (in the Ask a Rabbi! chapter) AND Mormons, in a few places. And he really hates Jim Belushi, and now, so do I. He seems a bit defensive, and you can tell he's taken a lot of flack about his views, and is using the book to defend his positions. Hey, it's HIS book, he can do that!

Okay, this is also full of silliness and humor. This is a collection of short pieces, about half of which are simply absurd imaginings things about being in a pole-sitting contest to win a truck, or what it would be like to go to a literary party, or how to play the "Mafia" game at a party. Some pieces felt a bit like filler, like the chapter on The Five People You Meet in Limbo, which was an excuse for silly lists, like The Eleven Vitamins You Will Have in Limbo (Zinc (surprise!)). Okay, they were funny lists, and I did not know that Tom's of Maine All Natural Cinnamint Toothpaste is actually a snack for some people, a snack that you will have while in Limbo, apparently.

I did NOT keep track of the number of times I laughed while reading this book. For that information, please refer to RandomAnthony's review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I did enjoy the book, and I recommend it with the above reservations, as a good one to check out from the library. ...more

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