Friday, December 19, 2008

Book Review: "Mirth of a Nation"

Some of the essays in Mirth of a Nation, a collection of 140 short humor pieces edited by Michael J. Rosen (2000) have gotten a bit dated with the passage of almost a decade (ah for the days when Bill Clinton jokes were funny), but there are enough goodies in here to make the volume worth a leaf-through.

The contributions of Dave Barry, Roy Blount Jr., Christopher Buckley, Ian Frazier, and Jon Stewart are among the most amusing selections here, and the front and back matter (introduction, notes, &c. are also very funny).

Not recommended for reading straight through (the topics are pretty similar, it might get a little old), but good for the occasional dip.