I have mixed feelings about this book…
It was super funny in the beginning and I thought, ‘This is going to be great!’. I even felt defensive when I read one lady’s review on Goodreads about how she didn’t like the book and basically thought Ingraham was a whining narcissist. But about halfway through the book, I was beginning to feel a bit drained.
While I was completely in agreement with the premiss of the book, the style in which Ingraham rants about America’s cultural decline started to grate on my ears by the fourth chapter. And it’s too bad because muffin tops, screen addiction, high school reunions, spoiled pets, and the effects of emoticons, abbreviated conversations and poor grammar on the American vernacular are great things to discuss and make fun of! But too much sarcasm and too many snarky remarks strung along in one book had me completely bored and more than a bit put off by the time I finally finished the book.
I did agreed with many of the things she had to say…
Yes, I’m sick of seeing boxers under jeans.
Yes, overly abbreviated texts irk me.
Yes, I think that parents should give their kids decent names that they won’t get tortured for in grade school.
Yes, I think pop music with inane and filthy lyrics are a waste of time and morally degrading.
But good grief, other times, I felt like telling her to take a chill pill (her issue with flavored coffee creamers and rant on bad restaurants)!
I don’t really know much about Laura Ingraham. I know that her work and political views totally color her style and opinions and that’s perfectly fine. But there’s a way to poke fun at society and point out it’s flaws, mistakes, and goofs. A sarcastic, or sort of tongue-in-cheek comment now and again is even acceptable in such a piece. Satire, fine; I’m cool with that! However, a constant flow of criticism and rather choleric commentary about how Americans can’t seem to get their acts together is, in my opinion, tasteless and graceless.
So do I recommend the book? Eh, yes and no. Flip through it if you come across it. It’s not a complete waste of time, but I would borrow it from the library or buy it on the cheap or second hand. There are definitely some great observations and it’s good for a few laughs…if you can stand all the snark.
Y’all stay blessed!
unscripted 