Politics & Government
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Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
Named One of 7 Best Nonfiction Books of the Fall by Kirkus Reviews
Andy Borowitz, "one of the funniest people in America" (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly examines the intellectual deterioration of American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump.
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a "Swiftian satirist" (The Wall Street Journal) and "one of the country's finest satirists" (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column "The Borowitz Report." Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country's political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation.
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades.
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn't move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
Andy Borowitz, "one of the funniest people in America" (CBS Sunday Morning), brilliantly examines the intellectual deterioration of American politics, from Ronald Reagan to Dan Quayle, from George W. Bush to Sarah Palin, to its apotheosis in Donald J. Trump.
The winner of the first-ever National Press Club award for humor, Andy Borowitz has been called a "Swiftian satirist" (The Wall Street Journal) and "one of the country's finest satirists" (The New York Times). Millions of fans and New Yorker readers enjoy his satirical news column "The Borowitz Report." Now, in Profiles in Ignorance, he offers a witty, spot-on diagnosis of our country's political troubles by showing how ignorant leaders are degrading, embarrassing, and endangering our nation.
Borowitz argues that over the past fifty years, American politicians have grown increasingly allergic to knowledge, and mass media have encouraged the election of ignoramuses by elevating candidates who are better at performing than thinking. Starting with Ronald Reagan's first campaign for governor of California in 1966 and culminating with the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, Borowitz shows how, during the age of twenty-four-hour news and social media, the US has elected politicians to positions of great power whose lack of the most basic information is terrifying. In addition to Reagan, Quayle, Bush, Palin, and Trump, Borowitz covers a host of congresspersons, senators, and governors who have helped lower the bar over the past five decades.
Profiles in Ignorance aims to make us both laugh and cry: laugh at the idiotic antics of these public figures, and cry at the cataclysms these icons of ignorance have caused. But most importantly, the book delivers a call to action and a cause for optimism: History doesn't move in a straight line, and we can change course if we act now.
Editorial Reviews
"How did we slide into the abyss of liking our politicians to be-or to act-dumb rather than smart? In this funny but serious book, Andy Borowitz chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism." -Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker
"This is one of these brilliant books that makes you laugh until you cry. Borowitz masterfully throws light (and shade) on the confederacy of dunces who have fumbled their way into power. His writing has never been smarter, sharper, or more necessary." -Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book
"A devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents . . . In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other clear-eyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts. . . . Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues' gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. . . . While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates' knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow's "Dumpty" series. . . . For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate." -Library Journal (starred review)
"Andy makes me laugh out loud, that's a given. In this book he has also made me think out loud. Profiles in Ignorance is hilarious, original, scary, prescient and a wake-up call...
"This is one of these brilliant books that makes you laugh until you cry. Borowitz masterfully throws light (and shade) on the confederacy of dunces who have fumbled their way into power. His writing has never been smarter, sharper, or more necessary." -Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book
"A devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents . . . In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other clear-eyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts. . . . Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues' gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. . . . While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance." -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates' knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow's "Dumpty" series. . . . For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate." -Library Journal (starred review)
"Andy makes me laugh out loud, that's a given. In this book he has also made me think out loud. Profiles in Ignorance is hilarious, original, scary, prescient and a wake-up call...
Readers Top Reviews
1KAY1ASKindle
Sure, I had heard some of these stories before, but Borowitz digs deeper. He goes behind the scenes and identifies all of the guilty parties who contributed to some of the most outrageous assaults on our democracy seen over the past 40+ years. That's when the patterns start to show! The same shady, behind- the-scenes guys in Reagan's inner circle are still active today and continue to cause havoc within our election processes. This book should be required reading for everyone who cares about preserving our democracy!
Diane
This book is a bit of a departure from Andy Borowitz’s previous books in that much of the humor rests squarely on the buffoonery of the people profiled, though Andy’s humorous asides are sprinkled liberally throughout. He was able to help me understand how we got to where we are, by taking us back through previous administrations and bringing back memories of all the outrageousness that our brains (mine anyway) so dutifully suppressed. Even though I’ve lived through it all, I really learned from this “refresher course”. I highly recommend this book to everyone who might be getting discouraged by the state of affairs in the US. Things can get better! We just need to work hard and make it happen!
Ever wonder how we here in America wound up in the political mess we’re in? Well, read this brilliant and humorous book by the wonderful writer Andy Borowitz, and you’ll start to understand. Profiles in Ignorance takes you through three stages of the profound ignorance plaguing American politics ( Ridicule, Acceptance and, worst of all, Celebration) as Borowitz weaves historical facts with his own delightful yet hard-hitting humor. The good news? Ignorance in American politics is not new. President Warren G. Harding is Exhibit A. The bad news? Not only is it more rampant and profoundly outrageous today ( How in the world did a multi- bankrupted, reality show clown become president?), but also too many of our fellow citizens are celebrating it. Nobody writes political humor like Andy Borowitz. This is a must read if you, like many Americans, could use some laughter as we wonder if ( how) we’ll ever see the light at the end of this long tunnel of ignorance.
Buckley
We are living — politically and culturally — in the Age of Ignorance, so named by Andy Borowitz, a guy who writes fake political news for laughs: We got here in three steps of ignorance: ridicule (back when a lie or a goof could end a political career), acceptance (when stupid became normalized) and celebration (when Donald Trump became president and we entered the hall of mirrors): Borowitz gathered all the stupidest, funniest and just plain baffling things every president and Vice President has uttered since Ronald Reagan was president, book-ended with the most cutting, sarcastic commentary by cabinet members, journalists and other fellow travelers. This book will make you laugh out load and shake your head until your eye teeth are loose. It will also depress you and make you supremely angry. It is Borowitz’s and my hope it will make you stop being a checkbook political hobbyist and do the work required to help save democracy.
BC Pro
I was looking forward to this book for a long time. Following Andy in all of his satire has made me happy! This accurate accounting of the ignorance that has dominated politics is a must read! The historical recounting and the details were important for me to hear (at one level I admit that I wanted to forget it)- and Andy brings it to us with such parallels and integration. You will not know whether to laugh or cry, you will likely do both! I have bought it for so many people, having lived through much of the time period (I first voted in 1972). I plan to listen to it next, as Andy narrates the Audible version. Get this book!
