The book is full of half-truths and multi-truths, or, as Steven Colbert might say: "truthiness." In fact, one of the reason this satire works is that it keeps you on the edge; part of you thinks "could this actually happen?" Then you realize some of it is happening right now.
With that said, The Revelations of George W. Bush isn't nearly as accessible as other popular works of satire right now. For one, the whole book is divided up into "talking points," essentially notes on policies George W. Bush wants the members of his administration to prepare as he enacts martial law. The problem is that these policy points go line by line, and by the end of the book, there are well over 7,000 of these talking points floating around in your head. It's hard to read at first, but then you get used to it.
Another problem with The Revelations of George W. Bush is that sometimes it can be quite funny, and other times, the comedy falls short. When the comedy falls short, it reads more like conspiracy theory than anything else, as if the author is trying to convince us that there really was a bird flu epidemic and subsequent cover up, and we should all be very scared. Other times, the comedy is great, and the statistical evidence provided in the book backs up the comedy with an element of truth.
Overall, The Revelations of George W. Bush is a great political satire. If the Bush Administration scares you, or you're just afraid that one day you'll wake up to see American democracy eroded away, you'll feel there's a certain element of truth to most of this book. Otherwise, it makes for an entertaining read.
Article comments