REVIEWS+

Earth (The Book)

A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race
by Jon Stewart
& others. Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race. Grand Central. 2010. 244p. ed. by David Javerbaum & others. illus. ISBN 9780446579223. $27.99. SCI
COPY ISBN
The premise of this follow-up to Stewart and crew's best-selling America (The Book) is that the human species has expired; the purpose of it is thus to explain the now-extinct human society and history to whatever alien life forms may someday occupy Earth. Its real purpose, of course, is to satirize society for the entertainment of today's humans, especially Americans. The volume's nine chapters are devoted to "Earth," "Life," "Man," "The Life Cycle," "Society," "Commerce," "Religion," "Science," and "Culture." At its best, the book is uproariously funny, particularly when it ridicules political shibboleths or daringly tackles major world religions. At its worst, it can be a bit repetitious and too obvious in its choice of targets.
VERDICT Overall, this is very entertaining. The intermittent use of obscene and scatological terms makes its target audience readers 18 and over. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/10; see the review of the audiobook, p. 50.—Ed.]
Reviewed by Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI , Jan 01, 2011
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?