Remember those brown paper bag covers we used for text books back in the good old days?
Yeah, well, I should probably use one for this week's reading selection.
Wouldn't want to risk offending anyone at the local diner as I peruse the tome over breakfast.
Lest any of the regulars take it as a personal indictment of their behavior, I can assure everyone that I am simply working my way thru my reading backlog in the most expeditious fashion: alphabetically!
www.onassholes.com
A list of a$$holes as specifically identified or otherwise implied in this book (in order of appearance):
ReplyDeleteGen. Stanley McChrystal
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Pres. Silvio Berlusconi of Italy
Pres. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela
Pres. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of Iran
Donald Trump
Simon Cowell
Mel Gibson
Ann Coulter
Adolf Hitler
Josef Stalin
Benito Mussolini
Ben Turnbull (fictional character)
John Updike
Bill O'Reilly
Noel Gallagher
Rush Limbaugh
Michael Moore
Ari Gold
Gregory House (fictional character)
H.L. Mencken
Richard Dawkins
Larry Summers
Gustave Flaubert
Bernard-Henri Levy
Naomi Campbell
Gen. George Patton
Bill Lumbergh (fictional character)
David Brent (fictional character)
Michael Scott (fictional character)
King Henry VIII of England
VP Dick Cheney
Speaker Newt Gingrich
Al Dunlap
Steve Jobs
Donald Rumsfeld
Paul Wolfowitz
Richard Perle
Gov. Huey Long of Louisiana
Ralph Nader
Sen. John Edwards of NC
Julian Assange
Cecil Rhodes
Lord Kitchener
Gen. Gordon of Khartoum
John D. Rockefeller
Albert J. Beveridge
Rev. Jerry Falwell
Chris Matthews
Keith Olbermann
Neil Cavuto
Roger Ailes
Kanye West
Pablo Picasso
Ernest Hemingway
Miles Davis
Lloyd C. Blankfein
Ok, once I set aside the author's admission to his liberal bias in identifying a$$holes, I not only enjoyed this book but also accepted his theory.
ReplyDeleteThe first part of the book is fairly humorous, especially the introductory anecdote about Gen, McChrystal. Basically, the author defines who deserves the epithet and who does not. Then, he details the various incarnations we have all encountered.
But, the truly redemptive portion of the book is delivered in the second half. I was pleasantly surprised when he used the analogy of Christ at Gethsemane when he explained his theory on how to respond to the a$$holes we encounter.
To borrow another analogy, consider the human anatomy that inspired the title of this book. It is unavoidable and actually performs a necessary function. So, it must be tolerated and its produce addressed expeditiously in order to get back to the rest of your life.