Barry has run amuck again, and until someone tosses a big net over him he will easily remain one of the funniest fellows writing today. This book is a true original, not a collection of columns. You can call it satire, or you can call it pure extravaganza, but it is always boisterously funny. Barry's bull's-eye spoofs keep you chuckling except when the chuckle becomes a loud guffaw. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were never meant to tickle the funny bone, but when rewritten by Barry they do just that. With his keen sense of the ridiculous he has great fun frolicking with people such as Al Gore, George W. Bush, and Pat Robertson; in places such as D.C., South Florida, and Austin; and with subjects such as the Palm Beach ballot, political campaigns, and social security. Barry even succeeds in the improbable task of writing amusing footnotes. This is Barry at his best. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/01.] A.J. Anderson, GSLIS, Simmons Coll., Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Barry is in fine form in this humorous send-up of American government and politics. He starts at the very beginning, tracing the roots of government from primitive people to the pilgrims, noting that all are plagued by a giant, carnivorous zucchini. After briefly discussing the origins of the U.S. government, Barry really hits his stride when he gets to the Constitution and its articles, positing, for instance, that "the Legislative Branch shall consist of a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, which shall cancel each other out." Next comes a section poking fun at government's seemingly unlimited capacity for growth. Barry notes that even as the number of farmers has decreased, the Department of Agriculture has only continued to grow. And what political humor book today would be complete without a jibe at the 2000 election? It's here, but Barry spends more time arguing for booting south Florida from the union than poking fun at the candidates and their plights (though he does ridicule the news media and the lawyers). Some chapters work better than others, but Barry's latest is definitely good for more than a few laughs. --Kristine Huntley

Sporting red trunks, white and blue boxing gloves and an American flag towel on the cover, pugilistic Pulitzer-winner Barry (Dave Barry Turns 50, etc.) appears ready for all contenders in this satirical, hard-hitting political commentary ("Whatever the needs of the public are, the government responds to those needs by getting larger"). Beginning with a study of "Early Human Governments" when homo sapiens "were short, hairy, tree-dwelling creatures that strongly resembled Danny DeVito," the sardonic Miami Herald columnist breezes through the centuries to the U.S.'s birth and then to the present, amending the Constitution en route: "If a citizen is arrested, and that citizen hides his or her face from the news media, then as far as the Constitution is concerned, that citizen is guilty." He tours D.C. sites like the Mall, the Smithsonian (which "will pay you top dollar for your Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch dolls, Pokemon cards, refrigerator magnets, ceramic cats") and the White House ("To take a tour, simply climb over the fence and hold very still until men come sprinting to assist you"). He aims jaundiced japery at presidential "language problems" and elections ("One of these years we're going to elect a president whose first official act will be to launch nuclear strikes against Iowa and New Hampshire"). Once again, the winner is... Dave Barry. 22 illus. and charts not seen by PW. Agent, Fox Chase Agency. (On sale Oct. 2) Forecast: Syndicated in hundreds of newspapers, Barry continues to widen his readership. A nine-city author tour will help launch this onto bestseller lists. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Tired of hearing about the 2000 presidential campaign? Barry's take should still entertain you. The material is all new. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.