Dr. Verne's Northern White Trash Etiquette

I have to admit that I was a tab bit 'ascared' to pick up Dr. Verne's Northern White Trash Etiquette for fear someone would believe I had more to learn. But once I had it in hand, I couldn't put it down. Pages flew until I discovered the help I needed to straighten out my love life. '10 Tips for Women Who's Ascared of Getting Stuck With a Loser' has become my bible. I now know how to determine if the man I'm seeing is a regular pervert or a gentleman pervert. (He's a gentleman. I have the pastel plastic pearls to prove it!) But best of all, even with all of this learning going on, Verne has me in stitches. The good doctor knows his trash and puts all other self-help gurus to shame. It's a must read for the humor hungry, so be prepared to laugh.

This book takes on two ripe targets: white trash and yuppies, and does so simultaneously in a clever and brazen way. It's one of those rare books that makes fun of everything in its path, even the book itself. It's kind of an Archie Bunker meets Michael Moore sort of thing. And it's really, really funny.

Though the title says it's for "Northern White Trash," the humor is applicable to anyone who doesn't mind laughing at themselves, or, better yet, at yuppified suburbanites. Dr. Verne mixes some replies to questions from readers with the kind of life lessons you won't get from Dr. Laura or Martha Stewart. Like how to fake a back injury so you can run a workers comp scam or classy all-you-can-eat places to go on a first date.

For anyone who's read their share of humor books, you know that most only redeem themselves when the oil pan on the F-150 is leaking and you need something to soak up the mess. But "Dr. Verne's Northern White Trash Etiquette" is different. It consistently makes you laugh -- hard. It's pretty obvious what separates Dr. Verne from other so-called humor writers: He's actually funny. Read just one page and you'll know you're a redneck -- or Jeff Foxworthy -- if you disagree. In both celebrating and sending up a truly underappreciated culture, the book provides the perfect primer for anyone who's never been to Stevens Point. Whether it's detailing more and better ways to collect worker's comp or justifying why scorin' with your Old Lady's sister is an inalienable right, this guide to the Northern White Trash is perfectly realized satire. Better still, you can read it in one trip to the bathroom. Just goes to show what a writer can do when his name isn't Dave Barry.

My first confession is that I don't read a ton of humor-related books. My second, however, is that I love Dr. Verne's Northern White Trash Etiquette. I picked up a copy after a friend highly recommended it. It took me a page or two to get used to the writing style, but the book quickly swept me up with its clever and original humor. It had me laughing for several days! The author has an amazing ability to render any kind of situation humorous. He (or she?) makes a mockery of all the self-help books by using a similar formula to give guidance to "white trash." Note: This is a wide group, ranging inept burglars to Spandex-hating, husband-beating women. Don't take the book seriously as it's not meant to be a commentary on society or anything similar. It's simply a funny, funny read. I can't relate it to anything else because it's so fresh and imaginative. But I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone who enjoys a good laugh. It's truly a fun read, one not to be missed.