mschlat's review against another edition
2.0
There a lot of reasons I should like this book --- it's written by a punter, it's aggressively liberal, and the humor is almost omnipresent. (The sparkleponies in the title represent Kluwe's attempt to replace some of his profanity with a more imaginative approach.) Heck, there are a few essays here with a science fiction bend that are positively inspired.
But I still found the book a slog to get through. Reason one is Kluwe's writing style, which is highly manic and hard for me to take in large doses. Reason two is Kluwe's earnestness. The book gets points from me for its takes on marriage equality, but I never felt that Kluwe advanced an argument that was based on anything besides his views on human rights. Everything was straightforward. I never really disagreed with him, but I also never saw any attempt to persuade or address nuance. Reason three (which I think Kluwe would agree with) is a lack of the personal. Kluwe almost always prefers to argue a principled stance instead of making a personal appeal. That's great for a letter to the editor or an online rant, but for an entire book, it feels sterile.
But I still found the book a slog to get through. Reason one is Kluwe's writing style, which is highly manic and hard for me to take in large doses. Reason two is Kluwe's earnestness. The book gets points from me for its takes on marriage equality, but I never felt that Kluwe advanced an argument that was based on anything besides his views on human rights. Everything was straightforward. I never really disagreed with him, but I also never saw any attempt to persuade or address nuance. Reason three (which I think Kluwe would agree with) is a lack of the personal. Kluwe almost always prefers to argue a principled stance instead of making a personal appeal. That's great for a letter to the editor or an online rant, but for an entire book, it feels sterile.
murph_the_serf's review against another edition
3.0
A book best read in small parts over time. Kluwe can be a funny guy but his humor is a touch too absurdist without the language backing necessary to be a great novelist. His short pieces are short for a reason and it seems he knows that but reading them all back to back doesn't do well for the second half of the book. If you were to keep this on your night stand or coffee table and read a few entries a night or just whenever you have a few moments it would serve the book the book much better.
katrinky's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. I like that Kluwe is unflappably curious, and passionate, and irreverent in the face of authority. I like that he knows he's overpaid, and that football is largely ridiculous. I didn't like the chapter about honesty wherein survivors of spousal abuse and women (specifically) who stay with their cheating (male) partners are delusional and dishonest to themselves. The people to blame for cheating and abuse are cheaters and abusers. Period. There's more at stake than telling oneself the truth, when physical and/or emotional trauma are involved.
This is at once a silly book (funeral drinking games, literary rickrolls, the index, oh god, the index WHICH IS SO FUNNY) and a deeply serious book (letters to the Supreme Court and several newspapers, and thoughtful essays imagining future technologies and their consequences). It was clearly written hastily, and several chapters are not necessary. But Kluwe is fiercely smart, and so funny, and above all, indelibly committed to his values (most of which I agree with, so this is a pro, not a con). I like that in a punter, and I especially like that in a human.
Gems from the index:
asshole(s):
asshole fuckwits vs douchegbags, 198
Beats by Dre: 100 [kluwe is NOT A FAN]
children
dinosaurs, appeal of, 200, 239
colonoscopies, explodigng, 87, 88
cum-gargling shitmilitias, 43
dumbasses, yourself and others, 133
language, 16-18
Caps Lock and, 135
poop-sniffers, 135
television
Kluwe's wife's favorite shows, 32
As mindless pap, 8
This is at once a silly book (funeral drinking games, literary rickrolls, the index, oh god, the index WHICH IS SO FUNNY) and a deeply serious book (letters to the Supreme Court and several newspapers, and thoughtful essays imagining future technologies and their consequences). It was clearly written hastily, and several chapters are not necessary. But Kluwe is fiercely smart, and so funny, and above all, indelibly committed to his values (most of which I agree with, so this is a pro, not a con). I like that in a punter, and I especially like that in a human.
Gems from the index:
asshole(s):
asshole fuckwits vs douchegbags, 198
Beats by Dre: 100 [kluwe is NOT A FAN]
children
dinosaurs, appeal of, 200, 239
colonoscopies, explodigng, 87, 88
cum-gargling shitmilitias, 43
dumbasses, yourself and others, 133
language, 16-18
Caps Lock and, 135
poop-sniffers, 135
television
Kluwe's wife's favorite shows, 32
As mindless pap, 8
stiricide's review against another edition
DNF'd ~30pp. I like Kluwe, I like his essays, but this collection is utterly incoherent. If there's a linear progression to the way these op-eds are presented, I can't find it, and they're otherwise totally unrelated from one to the next. It's a discombobulating read and I just can't do it.
abhrasach's review against another edition
4.0
An irreverent, sometimes hilarious, sometimes deep-thinky read, exactly what I'd expected of Kluwe. Best read in small doses, to avoid blog-book exhaustion. It made me care about football for entire minutes at a time, largely because he succeeds in making it about people and not products. Occasional moments of ally fail, unfortunately. But best profanity-bleeping ever. (Chances are, if you've heard of the book, you knew that.)
shogins's review against another edition
1.0
Look, Chris Kluwe is clearly a smart guy, and comes up with great turns of phrase. It's just that once I've read one hilarious profanity-laced screed against "traditional marriage" supporters, it seems like I've read them all. I totally agree with his pro-marriage equality position, but I don't need to read him make the same point with slight variations over and over again. And the majority of the rest of the essays were boring. I think he writes very well - it just turns out that I have minimal interest in what he has to say.
(Oh yeah, I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.)
(Oh yeah, I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.)
moirab's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely breaking the dumb jock stereotype, Kluwe writes on politics and controversial issues in a way that (hopefully) appeals to a wider audience. It's helpful that I agree with him on most things, and maybe he can sway a few kinds towards a more empathetic existence.
kt42reads's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of essays, at its best points, reminded me strongly of George Carlin in his peak years. Witty, incisive, blunt, and thoughtful.
Some of the pieces are not as strong, but that's to be expected in any collection. On the whole, a very strong response to the times in which we live.
Some of the pieces are not as strong, but that's to be expected in any collection. On the whole, a very strong response to the times in which we live.
lizabethstucker's review
4.0
Chris Kluwe has brought together his thoughts on equality, gun rights, gay marriage, football, salaries, writing, religion, and so many other subjects. The essays are funny, thought-provoking, possibly offensive if you are sensitive to blue language. Above all, they are well thought out and honest to the point of pain. Chris pulls no punches.
Here are two favorite sections.
On inequality: "If you vote to restrict the rights of other people, you are trying to make them your slaves. You are telling them that the very birthright that makes us human, the right to free will and choice, the right to happiness and freedom, does not apply to them. You are flat-out stating that these people are no longer human beings, that YOU should decide what's best, with no care for independent thought, that YOU alone know the only way to do things."
On writing: "There's no such thing as originality in the components of a story {...} the originality comes from what you bring to the table, the perspective you look out on the darkness with, the way you wrestle that fog into a shape no one has ever seen before."
I honestly don't remember how I found this book, but I'm glad I did. If you are the person who recommended it to me, thank you! Kluwe is sharp. He has a way with language that is fascinating and refreshing. He truly understands how his mind works. He's also a science fiction and fantasy reader, an influence that sometimes weaves through his essays. I highly recommend it. 4.5 out of 5.
Here are two favorite sections.
On inequality: "If you vote to restrict the rights of other people, you are trying to make them your slaves. You are telling them that the very birthright that makes us human, the right to free will and choice, the right to happiness and freedom, does not apply to them. You are flat-out stating that these people are no longer human beings, that YOU should decide what's best, with no care for independent thought, that YOU alone know the only way to do things."
On writing: "There's no such thing as originality in the components of a story {...} the originality comes from what you bring to the table, the perspective you look out on the darkness with, the way you wrestle that fog into a shape no one has ever seen before."
I honestly don't remember how I found this book, but I'm glad I did. If you are the person who recommended it to me, thank you! Kluwe is sharp. He has a way with language that is fascinating and refreshing. He truly understands how his mind works. He's also a science fiction and fantasy reader, an influence that sometimes weaves through his essays. I highly recommend it. 4.5 out of 5.