In an office on the 12th floor of the Acme building...

OK – so because I read this article today by Mr. Lake Wobegon himself I decided it might be nice to review one of his humorous books. Garrison Keillor is generally considered to be a National Treasure (at least by Gary Trudeau - though not by the National Review) for his weekly throw-back radioshow A Prairie Home Companion. I must admist to some degree of old-fogeyism as I do enjoy sitting down and listening to the show with the paper (not the DNR) and a cup of coffee, though it has been ages since I've done that(I think at the time I could honestly call myself a New Englander). Garrison, in addition to being a weekly radio host, is a rather prolific author with a series of Lake Wobegon books, articles from various literary journals and of course The New Yorker - and of course spoken word recordings, etc. etc. ... (though I actually prefer Willem Lange's recorded voice, alas to each their own)

This book is a rather thinly veiled mockery of the election campaign of Jesse "The Body" Ventura. The feud between Keillor and Ventura lasted through the entirity of the latter's term - and was the source of much amusement for listeners of PHC as Jesse was a frequent target of jokes, puns and other levity. The book is written in a very amusing style, and it is easy to see how Mr. "The Body" could take offense. But really, if you're a guy who's post Navy-Seal career led you to be a professional wrestler then neo libertarian politician you should be used to a certain degree of mockery.

The briefest possible plot summary: Jimmy "Big Boy" Valente narrates his autobiography full of wild tales, mad ramblings and frequent insults to Keillor.

The book has several things to recommed it: an easy flowing style, a humor that is both base and erudite, a length that is really more novella than tome, and a variety of identifiably likeable and dastardly characters.

Rating A-

Related:
Buck Wild Doonesbury - G.B. Trudeau