Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Far)

I've only become a history buff in the past few years . . . that's probably because I never had a teacher like Dave Barry, author of DAVE BARRY'S HISTORY OF THE MILLENIUM (SO FAR). Barry has long been one of my favorite humorists . . . I've enjoyed reading his columns, as well as most of his books . . . this one is perhaps his funniest, though that said, I realize I probably write that after reading everything he has written. I do know his latest had me hooked as soon as I picked it up and read the book jacket: * I suspect that you'll come to the same surprising conclusion that I did: No matter what challenges we face as a species--no matter what hurdles are placed in our way--somehow we always find a way, even in the darkest hour, to make things worse. It's a miracle, really. You read about the events of one year, and you think, "There is no possible that human beings can get any stupider than that." Then you read what we did the next year, and darned if we didn't pull it off." Barry then proceeds to dissect each year of the Second Millennium and for a bonus, he throws in the entire First Millennium . . . on almost any page, you'll find yourself laughing out loud at such observations as these: * Another important scientific advance occurred in 1614 when the logarithm was invented by Scottish mathematician John Napier. Someday when time travel is invented, high school students will go back and kill him. * In Egypt, soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone (daughter of Sol and Esther Stone). This was very significant because it enabled scholars, for the first time, to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, which turned out to be a letter from Publishing Clearing House informing the ancient Egyptians that they might already have won two hundred sheep. * Dan Marino retires, causing hundreds of sports-talk radio callers to stop complaining that he stinks and start complaining that he stinks and start complaining that the Dolphins are going to really stink without him. My only regret is that I'm still going to have to wait a few years to read HISTORY OF THE MILLENUM (THE REST).

This was a pleasure to read. He kept me laughing throughout the book. I especially liked the way he would unexpectedly make an allusion to some modern personality while writing about a historical event or person. To appreciate Barry's humor, one has to have a basic knowledge of history and current events.

Let's face it...Dave Barry has always been the funniest man ever to lift a pen to his art and prose. Of course, he's had many a wonderful American predecessor to learn from, Twain and O'Roarke...but Dave has not only mastered them, but surpassed them. In this book, he takes poltical satire to a masterful level. Some how,he takes many of the aburdities of the day to day frustrations of our every day news, and brilliantly transformed it into satire that no other political author could ever acheives. He is simple, to the point, and razor like in his intuitions about everything under the sun. And like a true artist, he makes this look easy. Why he does not get credit for his great insight into human events, actually baffles me...maybe it's because, like any true genius, he can take the truth and instead of letting it get us down, he makes us laugh about it, which makes it of course less of a threat and easier to bear. This book will delight and inform you, and if you are wise enough to listen between the lines...it might just make you think. Which is something we could all be doing a little more.

I think Dave Barry is one of the funniest, if not the funniest writer on the planet. An occasional column of his is a dud, but that's excusable for someone with so much out there. When I picked up this book, I thought it may have some weak spots, but it does not. The book is funny from beginning to end, sometimes guffaw funny, sometimes snicker funny, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. As I read the book I felt that maybe I figured out his system, or his technique, and I could guess the punch line before it came, but that was not the case. He was never predictable and always suprised me with the comical completions of his prose. If you want to laugh a lot, get this book.

I don't understand these negative reviews! This book is hilarious! I guess if you don't keep up with current events and/or don't know your history, you would miss a lot of the humor.