Axis of Weasels [Unknown]

We're mostly on opposite sides of the politcal fence, nonetheless I love Scott Ott. Take it from the resident leftie at the Detroit News weblog, even when he's mocking us, his humor is at worst wry and his more non-partisan pieces are universally on target and painfully funny. Put this book on your gift list for anyone, progressive or conservative, who's hooked on politics. But caveat emptor, do not read Scott Ott while consuming beverages. I've already ruined a keyboard and my favorite dress just reading his work at Scrappleface.

There is just no way to read this without laughing out loud, so it's a terrible choice to sneak into work & read on the clock. If you think (like I do) that the onion has become too 'preachy' lately, try Scott Ott. Plus his name is just fun to say.

Pablo Picasso told us that "art is the lie which helps us to see the truth." Good parodies are art for the same reason. Not only does Ott show the irony of reversals in the realm of politics and culture, but he shows how extremely prejudiced content can be delivered in the seemingly unbiased, objective, journalistic language of a news release. The humor is very dry, read best with a good merlot. I like this stuff for the same reason I like Jack Handy's "Deep Thoughts" jokes and "The Onion" which are ironic in much the same way. Of course, you have to be up on current events and news headlines to appreciate "Axis of Weasels" and if you are a die-hard liberal and/or you still don't believe in press bias, don't waste your hard-earned money.

Scott Ott's ability to satirize the news and current events in an expeditious, gut-wrenchingly hilarious manner is unsurpassed. I've been enjoying his satirical perspective on the news via his website (www.scrappleface.com)for quite awhile and this book is sent from heaven. I'll periodically re-read Scott's satire from days past and laugh harder than I did the time I fell out of my chair when he first wrote it. Scott is a master at mining the irony and humor buried deep within otherwise mundane news. Who else could catch a New York Times headline that reads "Kerry in Florida Today" and whip up a quick satire piece that has thousands of people asking their co-workers: "Uh,.. why are you on the floor laughing so hard?"

I've been reading Scott Ott's amazing parodies since he started his website almost two years ago; this book is the cream of the lot. He deftly skews the news of the day to show its absurdities and yet at the same time often showing a deeper truth. That's the goal of parodies, and Ott is spot-on every time. And he's laugh-out-loud funny at the same time! I don't know how he does it. But I'm glad he does. If you love news, love to laugh, and love smart cutting-edge humor, you can't do better than this book.