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rocketiza's review against another edition
5.0
Containing perhaps the funniest essay I have ever read to one of the most humanizing articles with a 360 perspective on immigration, what I really took away most from this collection was an insightful commentary into how Saunders approaches the world and translates into his writing. The articles are ordered in a way to build off each other despite being on a range of topics, and gave me a new appreciation for his other books that I've read. His ability to entertain while at the same making the reader think about very big issues is superb, and as always I find myself thinking back to his points and central ideas well after finishing the book.
davygibbs's review against another edition
4.0
Saunders's first collection of essays is a winner. The Dubai piece alone is worth the price of admission. He is such a humane and observant traveler--I will not be satisfied until he writes a full-scale travel book.
liberrydude's review against another edition
2.0
A real hodge podge of essays on topics ranging the gamut from travel to literary criticism. Some are serious. Some are satiric and humorous. And some are annoying. I would have called this the motley megaphone.
jeffgrann's review against another edition
5.0
A book of non-fiction essays must be special if read a decade later they still delight. By combining smart with funny, Saunders tours the American psyche through literature, politics, and international travel. The results are compelling and persuasive. Anxious about crummy journalism, manipulative politicians, and sophisticated advertising? Read The Braindead Megaphone, Proclamation, and Manifesto from PRKA. Curious about great literature? Try Mr. Vonnegut in Sumatra, Thank you Esther Forbes, The perfect gerbil, and The United States of Huck. That Vonnegut essay has my favorite line of the book, "Humor is what happens when we're told the truth quicker and more directly than we're used to." Beyond enjoying some great writing, you'll encounter about a few subversive ideas that will hopefully stick for years to come.
mvancamp's review against another edition
4.0
I love George Saunders. This is very nearly a perfect collection. There are one or two pieces that seemed to be filler but overall an impressive first compilation of his essays. Plus, it is refreshing to see an author who is as in love with his wife as Saunders is. Kudos, George. I anxiously await more stories and find my self with a huge smile whenever I see an article or story by Saunders in the latest New Yorker.
earlyandalone's review against another edition
5.0
The best thing about Saunders' nonfiction is the way you feel like he's talking to you, telling you a funny or sad or silly story about that time he went to Nepal, or the time he stalked the Mexican border with a bunch of right-wing vigilantes, or the time he was given a book by a nun that changed his worldview. His thoughts on literature and writing are illuminating and illustrative. I know I gush about Saunders far too much, but he just has a way of depicting our world and the people who live in it that makes us believe in our own humanity.
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
Several really good essays in this book. Something about Saunders really just clicks with me -- for example, upon reading his essay on Barthelme's "The School," I went back to my copy of B's Sixty Stories to revisit and found that it was the only story in that collection I had dog-eared. I didn't love all the essays in this book, but several really worked for me, and the letter from a dog (not precisely an essay) made me cackle when I first read it and cackle again when trying to keep a straight face while reading it aloud to my family later.