Posted on 06/03/2006 5:50:26 PM PDT by strategofr
Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Though Leon compares his mission of going undercover to infiltrate the "Bush-loving extreme Right" to Black Like Me and the work of anthropologist Jane Goodall, a more apropos comparison would be to Beavis and Butthead or some of the stunts featured on Jackass. In these 31 essays, Leon sloppily paints abortion protestors, private security companies, white supremacists, the press, the FBI and anyone who isn't from "Northern California, the land of the peace-loving, true BLUE liberal," with a brush wider than the trailers he assumes most of his "subjects" have crawled out from under. The writing on display here is at turns abominable and clichéd, and nearly always unfunny-spastic, juvenile locker room banter disguised as daring commentary. His "infiltrations"-volunteering for the Schwarzenegger, Bush and Kerrey campaigns; joining abortion protestors; having dinner with a group of suburban white supremacists at an Applebees; working at a security guard at an Oakland Denny's; participating in an FBI-sponsored media luncheon-amount to little more than a disparate array of set-ups for Leon to act like a 12-year-old buzzed on too much caffeine: after working the phones as a San Francisco-based Bush volunteer, for instance, Leon writes, "For no apparent reason, in black Magic Marker I scrawl the words 'Bush Wears Panties!' in the middle of the phone list and leave." Leon's inspiration may have been noble, but the result is so asinine it's hard to imagine liberals will want to claim him as one of their own. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Yes Men "Read this book immediately. Then eat it. If they do take over, no evidence will remain linking you to it."
Dan Bova, Executive Editor of Stuff Magazine "Harmon is insane, hysterical,and after reading about all of the lunatics he's ripped apart in this book, I hope bullet-proof."
Boulder Weekly "...one of the funniest and most insightful books ever written...raises the bar for political humor..."
Creative Loafing Atlanta "In an age of absurdity...Leon is a welcome reflection of our ridiculous reality."
Northfield News, November 12, 2005 "[I]f you like edgy writing and your politics with a twist of humor, this book will keep you laughing..."
Book Description When the red states trumped the blue states in the 2004 presidential election, many Democrats were left wondering just what makes the conservative mindset tick. Wonder no more. Join self-described "infiltration journalist" Harmon Leon as he goes undercover to explore what being conservative really means. A flaming liberal in real life, Leon has been called "a cross between Michael Moore and South Park." He shares with readers his hilarious misadventures as he dons the persona of a "pissed-off convenience store clerk" at the Knob Creek Biannual Machine Gun Shoot in Bullit County, Kentucky. Next, he’s working security in southern California at an "Arnold for Governor" rally, where he has several memorable encounters with the Terminator himself—and finds himself constantly promoted! But this is only the beginning. Leon paints on temporary tattoos, wears a black T-shirt reading "Kill ‘em all. Let God sort ‘em out!" and then entertainingly describes the reactions he gets when he tries to purchase a condominium in an exclusive gated community. Uncertain about whether his inspiration is Jane Goodall or journalist John Howard Griffin, author of the 1950s’ classic Black Like Me, Leon nonetheless perseveres from one adventure to the next, hoping not to be found out and get his head broken. Leon’s daring anthropological romps into finding out how the other half lives are by turns outrageous, disturbing, and hilarious, yet always illuminating. Don’t be surprised to find yourself laughing out loud as you turn each page!
From the Publisher What they say about Harmon Leon:
"Funny as hell." --Howard Stern
"Harmon Leon makes David Sedaris read like George Will - he's that funny." --BookSense 76
"One funny motherf*cker!...A very, very funny guy." --Jimmy Kimmel
"Harmon Leon is a free radical, a random element that infiltrates a situation to introduce chaos, mayhem and hilarity. He's every employer's worst nightmare. Harmon Leon is a national, and possibly international, treasure." --Ted Rall, Syndicated Cartoonist
About the Author Harmon Leon (San Francisco, CA) is an award-winning journalist who has written for The San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Maxim, Details, E!, NPR’s This American Life, Spin, Wired, The Guardian, and more. He has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Penn and Teller’s Bullshit!, and The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. His first book, The Harmon Chronicles, won a 2003 Independent Publishers Award for humor. Leon is also a stand-up comedian.
What you copied and pasted, is in large part, basically incomprehensible. The concept had potential though.
Hey, if it worked for Michael Moore, it will work for this douchebag.
Praise by Ted Rall is the kiss of death. I'll bet this POS didn't sell more than a dozen copies - or however many family members the author has.
""For no apparent reason, in black Magic Marker I scrawl the words 'Bush Wears Panties!' in the middle..."
Kind of like the way DU trolls act here.
Whoop-ti-doo. Another groundbreaking muckraking infiltrating, decent, compassionate, caring, truth-to-power speaking
Liberal.
Who gives a rip? Go sit on some tofu, liberal. Hurt those who disagree with you. Go ahead.
If Rall likes him, it must be excremental (and other forms of 'mental').
Sounds like a coupon cutter.
Typical slice from the college-boy demographic, though certainly not ecumenical. Screams for attention, gets mixed reaction all around, then one day is humbled to learn that no one believes he is smart or funny. Not even the hippy chicks who like him.
He thinks he is only "acting" juvenile. I truly hold sympathy for him, being reasonably bright but needing to grow up. What a waste.
Black Like Me I thought was a good book. I would guess many African Americans would find this comparison insulting. Whiny wimpy white liberal rich kid writes "Bush wears Panties" on a phone list and thinks it is on par with the sacrifices and suffering experienced during the Civil Rights movement.
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