# Al Franken's "The Truth (with jokes)" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872 "2006-02-16T21:59:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/1 "2006-02-16T21:59:24Z")
I just finished _The Truth (with jokes)_ ([http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525949062/102-7927110-2096901?v=glance&n=283155;](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525949062/102-7927110-2096901?v=glance&n=283155;) see also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Truth\_(with\_jokes)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truth_%28with_jokes%29)), by Al Franken ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al\_Franken](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken)), and I liked it and thought I’d open an appreciation/discussion thread. Perhaps this should go in GD as it’s a political book, but I’m not proposing any particular issue for debate. Who else has read it? What did you think? ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/2 "2006-02-16T22:02:01Z")
I read it and loved it. I especially like how he totally called old what’s his face on defrauding the Indian Tribes. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/3 "2006-02-17T01:25:06Z")
I enjoyed it, though I thought _Lies and the Lying Liars_ was more laugh-out-loud funny. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/4 "2006-02-17T02:52:12Z")
I like most of his books, but I am always surprised by how naive he is. E.g., in “Lies …” he was unaware of what a “rhymes with rich” Barbara Bush is. No one that follows politics can be that uninformed. In “The Truth…”, he falls for the “an IOU written to yourself is an asset” bull. Doesn’t he talk to anyone who knows a smidgen of accounting??? And in each book there’s a chapter or two that is just a dud. And each time it’s one of those dream/fantasy/cartoon things. Stick to reality Al. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/5 "2006-02-17T03:28:59Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > E.g., in “Lies …” he was unaware of what a “rhymes with rich” Barbara Bush is. No one that follows politics can be that uninformed. To be fair, what he wrote about in the book is how he found out. Everybody who knows has to have found out sometime. In his case, it was after actually meeting her. > [@](#): > > And in each book there’s a chapter or two that is just a dud. And each time it’s one of those dream/fantasy/cartoon things. Stick to reality Al. Supply Side Jesus was funny, but he and Michael Moore (and probably others) both did this thing I find annoying where they wrote imaginary conversations with God. I especially hated Moore’s, in which god says something to the effect of, “Of course I meant Gore to win. I gave him the majority of the votes.” Ha ha, very funny. Like God doesn’t understand the electoral system. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/6 "2006-02-17T06:14:16Z")
Moderator coughs gently: As with other political satire/humor, the discussion here is fine as long as we’re dealing with the work itself. That is, you may talk about the Franken book and what it has to say, whether it’s funny, whether it’s tragic, whatever. Do NOT (repeat, do NOT) discuss the politics per se. Yeah, it’s a fine line, but it’s there. Political discussions go in Great Debates forum; discussions about entertainment go here. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/7 "2006-02-17T10:42:10Z")
Has anybody read it who had no idea who Franken is or what direction the book was going to go? What did you think of it? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/8 "2006-02-17T13:47:55Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I like most of his books, but I am always surprised by how naive he is. I think that’s more like John Stewart playing the straight man. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/9 "2006-02-17T15:11:40Z")
I bought this before Christmas to read over Christmas, but my Dad gave me Jimmy Carter’s book, and I got about 10 others…it’s next in line, if y’all want to wait about 4 days. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-frankens-the-truth-with-jokes/344872/10 "2006-02-21T19:47:44Z")
My current favorite anti-Bush book is _Bush on the Couch_, followed by Kitty Kelley’s book _The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty_. If you just want something fun, in addition to Al Franken and Michael Moore there’s Paul Slansky’s _George Bush Quiz Book_.