The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (the Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race [Hardcover]

If you've read or heard about America (The Book), know first that this book is fairly different. America (The Book) makes itself out to be a mock textbook, and has many long, hilarious text passages that skewer politics and education at the same time. However, there are also the occasional pages that are infographics, with jokes both in the images and the captions, that take up complete pages.

Now imagine that the entire book were made out of these commented infographics, with the subject matter shifted from the USA to the entire planet, and aimed at an audience of aliens who find the Earth deserted after the human race spectacularly manufactures its own demise, and you have Earth (The Book).

If you haven't read America (The Book) - and if not, what are you waiting for? You can grab the paperback for less than $10 here on Amazon - just think of this as the anti-coffee table book. It's a tome that delightfully destroys all aspects of society, from our perceptions of aliens to the planet itself to commerce, religion and culture. It can be picked up occasionally and flipped to a random page, as each joke is encapsulated and confined. Or, it can be read large sections at a time, with every word and picture perused until you can laugh no more. There is at least one brilliant joke per page, and quite often more than that.

This book pokes fun at anything and everything, and you may find the finger pointing at yourself now and again. If you can't laugh at your own idiosyncrasies and beliefs, skip this book and recommend it to someone with a sense of humor. If you can't take a joke, this book isn't for you.

The only down side, one that America (The Book) has less of a problem with, is that some of the jokes can't stand the test of time in the long term. In 50 years, the numerous pop culture references throughout the book will be largely forgotten, lost to the winds of time. It's better that way, of course, as their shallowness is a significant reason why this book makes fun of them. So perhaps this won't be one of the great literary classics, discussed and venerated for all time, but there's certainly enough timeless humor in here for it to be funny at least as long as you'll be alive. Get it now, and leave it in a conspicuous place when you're not reading it (the coffee table, perhaps?), so that when we do destroy ourselves, the aliens can see this message.

Hopefully, they'll get the joke.

First off I'm a huge fan of The Daily Show. I even went to see a taping last year when I was visiting NYC. Anyway they've really been pushing this book hard on the show so I decided to pick up a copy. I didn't really know what to expect from it, but I did expect a little more content then there really was. This "book" is mostly just a collection of pictures with funny little captions/blurbs next to them. It kept me mildly entertained in the bathroom a few minutes at a time, but is not something I would have sat down and read straight through.

What really baffles me though is how they could possibly have turned this into an audio book. Like I said it's mostly pictures, how they translated that to an audio book is beyond me.

Anyway it's OK for a fan of the show looking for something light to read in the bathroom, but you're unlikely to be entertained enough by it read it in more then 10-15 minute stints.

Very funny and informative, if you like Jon Stewart you will enjoy the book. As with most material that touches on evolution, it will likely make creationists uncomfortable. A sense of humor is required. Enjoy!