Product Description
What The Daily Show is to evening news, The Colbert Report is to personality-driven pundit shows. Colbert brings his sarcastic charm to a half-hour report, tackling the important issues of the day and telling his guests why their opinions are just plain wrong. Stephen stands for truthiness and his American right to copyright that word and claim ownership of it.

I AM AMERICA the audiobook, features an all-American cast that includes Paul Dinello, Kevin Dorff, Greg Hollimon, Evie McGee, David Pasquesi, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman, Bryan Stack, and Jon Stewart. Stephen Colbert describes his audiobook as a simple audiobook from a simple mind--Stephen Colbert. It is one man's attempt to wedge his brain between hardback covers---in this case CD jackets. In plain conversational language, not to mention the occasional grunt and/or whistle, Stephen explains his take on the most pressing concerns of our culture: Faith, Family...Hygiene.

Why now? Stephen fears America has lost its balls and he hopes to re-ballify us. Even the ladies. Ladies can have balls--lady-balls too. Stephen likes to call those "Thatchers." Stephen will show how he got his mammoth swinging sack, with tales of courage and vital documents from his own life: the Mother's Day card he made at age six, disputed credit card bills, putt-putt score cards--all the major milestones.

Oh and don't buy this if you don't have any balls! But if you do buy it, you will get them, and then you can buy another copy with a clean conscience. (2008) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (468)

Loved it!
This wonderful book was delivered in a timely manner and in the condition described. Thank you!

nothing to gain from reading this insanity
Anyone who believes this to be considered a book is insane.It is toilet paper.

Very Funny
Glad I finally took the time to read this. A bit frenetic, but lots of laughs and insights hidden inside humor.

Funny take on everything
Colbert's medium is "live" performance, which doesn't come across as well in print, but when you "hear" the content in your head, the satire "sounds" great and just as wry, and makes the the same oblique points that make you chuckle while gritting your teeth.

Hilarious!
Great comedy by Stephen Colbert.Once you have heard it, you really don't need to listen again.I purchased this for my husband's 108 mile drive to work each day... should have just gotten it from the library.Not worth purchasing a comedy skit that will not change the next time you hear it.Funny stuff, but better things to spend money on. ... Read more

Product Description
Naked is a riotous compilation of stories performed by David and Amy Sedaris. Publishers Weekly praised this program's "smashing use of the audio as a unique entertainment medium" and called the performances "highly likeable and spirited throughout." They also named it one of "the best of the best" tapes of the year, and deemed it worthy of "multiple listens." ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: This American Life Personalities, David Rakoff, Dan Savage, David Sedaris, Tavis Smiley, John Hodgman, Sarah Vowell, Ira Glass, Jon Ronson, Julia Sweeney, Jonathan Goldstein, Jesse Thorn, Curtis Sittenfeld, Jake Warga, Ray Suarez, Davy Rothbart, John Hockenberry, Faith Salie, Mike Birbiglia, Karen Sosnoski, Sandra Tsing Loh, Adaora Udoji, David Brancaccio, Jon Langford, Kurt Andersen, Shalom Auslander, Jack Hitt, Scott Carrier, Tony Kahn, Michael Feldman, Alex Blumberg, Marco Werman, Mary Kay Magistad, Jeb Sharp, Femi Oke, Dishwasher Pete, Jay Allison, Warren Olney, Lisa Mullins, Steve Curwood, Clark Boyd, Heather O'neill, Nancy Updike, Starlee Kine, Robin Young, Annie Baxter, Adam Davidson. Excerpt:Adaora Elizabeth Udoji (born 1967) is a Nigerian American and was the co-host of The Takeaway with John Hockenberry until May 2009. . Previously, she was a host on Court TV . She is a former correspondent for CNN and a former foreign correspondent for ABC News based in London. Currently, she is based in New York.Early life Born to father Godfrey Udoji, former chief engineer for the city of Dearborn, Michigan , and mother Mary, former director of Washtenaw County Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan , Udoji holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor degree from UCLA . She also holds dual American and Irish citizenship.Reporting career She joined ABC News in 1995, as an off-air reporter working for Cynthia McFadden covering the OJ Simpson criminal trial and other legal stories. In 1996 she became an associate producer for ABC News covering the presidential election, the TWA 800 crash, as well as working on documentary about death row. The network named her a foreign correspondent in 2000 where she was based in London reporting international stories c... ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

a couple of excellent pieces
What a convenience to be able to find high-quality travel writing all condensed into one volume.This book covers the globe in its range of articles and essays, from Papa New Guinea to the Texas/Mexican border, from Greece to the Sahara, from Bolivia to Israel.

I found several inclusions to be truly excellent - especially Scott Anderson's piece on 9/11, Rod Davis's article on the US-Mexican border in Texas, Michael Finkel's article about the void in the Sahara, Elizabeth Nickson's piece on Salt Spring Island, Molly O'Neill following a Cambodian chef home, Kira Salak in Papa New Guinea, and Kate Wheeler in violent Bolivia.Some pieces though were a bit blah and the fact that they were alphabetically arranged meant the flow wasn't ideal.For example, the first 144 pages of the book were all by male writers, leaving me starved for a different perspective by the time I reached Kate Hennessey's piece.

There is a decidedly male tone to the book, which I found disappointing, with only 7 women represented among the 26 writers.This was reflected in a thematic focus of finding the most outlandish, isolated place on earth.I would have liked a little less reading about people setting out to do what no one had done before, and more human interactions with people of different places and cultures.

But overall, this book offers armchair travelers the opportunity to enter many different worlds from the comfort of their favorite reading place.

Uneven collection...
This was a frustratingly uneven collection - when I pick up a book like this I expect consistent quality because the editors have done the work for me. But like another reviewer, perhaps I should have considered the fact that Frances Mayes edited this collection, and I'm not a fan of her work.
That said, a number of these pieces are worth seeking out. The best include Michael Finkel's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Void," which will take you into the heart of the Sahara. Devin Friedman's "Forty Years in Acapulco," William Booth's "Throw Junior from the Car," and Lawrence Millman's "In the Land of the White Rajahs" are all very funny takes on the people and places that move us to travel. Kate Wheeler's "The Fist of God" is a stunning piece on the shocking fight festivals still held in some corners of Bolivia. Isabelle Tree's "Spetses, Greece" is a charming glipse of a corner of the world she has made into a home. And Tom Mueller's "Ancient Roads, Walled Cities" is a moving meditation on Roman roads and the power of stone to hold memory. David Sedaris' "The Man Upstairs" is funny but quite short.
On the downside, three pieces on 9/11 challenged my definition of travel writing. Only Scott Anderson's "Below Canal Street" had anything new to say on the topic, although to be fair all were writen much closer to that tragic day. Steven Bodio's "Sovereigns of the Sky" was much less about a place than a sport, and an archaic one that I didn't want to see up this close - hunting with birds. Rod Davis' "A Rio Runs Through It" told us a lot about the state and culture of life along the Rio Grande, but it is overlong and gets redundant. And I found Elizabeth Nickerson's "Where the Bee Sucks" to be a self-indulgent mess.
When this collection is good it's very good, but when it's bad it's awful.

Francis Mayes' style is evident
I have been a big fan of this series and really enjoyed last year's compilation edited by Theroux.I also must admit that I really enjoy Theroux's travel writing as well.This year's edition, edited by Mayes, has the same faults that her books do, namely, they are long on description and short on plot.I have not gotten all of the way through The Best American Travel Writing of 2002 yet but what I have read is very similar to Mayes' "Under the Tuscan Sun".If you really like tales of flowery, descriptive (and dull) walks though Italian streets, etc. you will probably enjoy this book but if you are looking for more "great adventures" travel stories, try the 2001 edition instead.

Worth it
Although I didn't like most of the stories in this anthology, there were a few that I really, really, really loved.And they made it worth the price of the book, over and over.
The introduction by Frances Mayes is a gem and really sets the tone.Especially if you were wondering why a report on 9-11 would qualify for "travel writing".(After you read that introduction, you'll -unbelievably - have to agree that it does).

The story "40 years in Acapulco" is worth the price of the book by itself.I came away feeling almost guilty like a voyeur, as if I had just gotten a sneak peek into somebody elses life.I was literally transported.

The 2000 version is much more upbeat than this one.But then, I suppose we were living in a much more upbeat "travel" world then.

Travel the world without leaving your living room
If you like short stories and travelogues you'll love this book. These are the best of the best. And like some reviewers have already mentioned, there are a wide variety of experiences and information in this collection of essays. I found myself laughing in Devin Friedman's "Forty Years in Acapulco" and Lawwrence Millman's "In the Land of the White Rajahs" and learning new information from Molly O'Neill's "Home For Dinner." I admit, however, that I did enjoy soem of the essays much better than others, but they are all very well-written and image provoking. It's as if I traveled the world without leaving my room. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Explorer of British & Egyptian antiquities
Mortimer Wheeler was a British archaeologist born in 1890.Majoring in the classics at University College in London, his early experiences in archaeology were interrupted when he volunteered for the British Army in the First World War.After returning from the western front, he and his wife Tessa began excavations in Wales when Wheeler obtained a position in Cardiff.He quickly moved on to another position with the London Museum, Tessa finishing up the the Welsh excavations.As a classicist, he had focused on Roman sites in Wales.
At the London Museum, his greatest excavation before the Second World War was at Maiden Castle, a hill fort first used by neolithic peoples and later a Celtic site.The excavations he supervised turned up those killed during the Roman assault.
During the 1930s he also succeeded in establishing the Institute for Archaeology, while keeping his position with the London Museum.In the late 1930s he supervised some excavations in France, in Brittany and Normandy, looking at hill fort site resembling Maiden Castle.During the Second World War he returned to the army, commanding anti-aircraft artillery units in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy.He became Director General of Archaeology in India during the later part of the Second World War.He became more generally known to the public after the war through his television appearances.
Wheeler was noted for advocating a now widely used grid system of excavations, in which square holes where dug, leaving walls of dirt between the holes to preserve the original stratigraphy.He was a stickler for accurately recording in three dimensions the locations artifacts. He had considerable organizational skills which allowed him to carry out numerous activities simultaneously.In his personal life, he tended to make intimate partners, wives or otherwise, unhappy through a lack of fidelty - and while nonchalant about his own behavior, was upset when they turned the tables occasionally. ... Read more