American Idiot
As one might expect, Stephen Colbert’s mixture of feigned conservatism and pure absurdism make his book I Am America (And So Can You!) a joyful addition to any classroom, presidential library or johnny-on-the-spot. While much more author-centric than its obvious predecessor, John Stewart’s America (The Book), it fits perfectly into Colbert’s more arrogant, personality-driven milieu, and gives just as many chuckles, if fewer full-color spreads of the Supreme Court naked.
The book traces Colbert’s childhood through his adolescence and all the way to his (questionable) maturity, addressing every issue from premarital sex to class warfare and the “treasonous” agenda of Hollywood. Though in truth a collaboration of many writers who are all credited at the beginning of the book, the amalgamation of comedy does a good job of making it all sound like one voice. Pay particular attention to the marginal notes—they pull no punches and often provide the heartiest laughs, and are employed exhaustively throughout the book. Even the table of contents is ripe with amusing subheads such as “When It’s Okay to Shower with Men” under “Sports,” or “Instructions on How to Defrost My Head” under “A Note to the Future.”
Throughout, as in his TV program, Colbert manages to turn logic on its ear and sound completely logical while doing so. For those who missed the staggeringly uncomfortable video that showed us the size of Colbert’s 100 percent American balls (which, incidentally, are artfully rendered, Da Vinci-style, on page 190), there is also a transcription of his now infamous monologue from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
—Tom Sturm
tsturm@valleyadvocate.com
American Idiot
