Reading Between The Lines: Dubiously informational: Satire on the go

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Bat Boy lives! Need anything more be said?

Easily-digestible satire is always good for a light but thought-provoking read. Here are a couple of books that'll tickle your funnybone with an esteemed sense of poignancy.

The Devil's Dictionary
Accomplished classical American journalist and writer Ambrose Bierece takes on society and life with his satirical Devil's Dictionary. The book employs Swiftian wit (complete with mentions of baby-eating) with a timeless charm and description of everyday things that ail us. Fairly inflammatory comments made towards the clergy and leaders seem not all that controversial in this day and age, but the century-old book's age hasn't stopped it from being funny; if anything, the eloquent and posh manner in which it imparts its biting commentary makes it all the more funnier.

The Onion Book
A rather lofty goal of taking every single country in the world down a notch, but The Onion Book does it with no sweat. A rather interesting dimension that the book carries is just how well researched their satire is. Essentially a parodical Atlas, it follows the archetypical structure of including facts and historical timelines (albeit ones based humorous stereotypes and hearsay), and, in the most upfront way possible, lets you know what the country's really about. You put yourself at risk of actually learning a thing or two in between reading how the Bahamas' high literacy rates comes from the country's entirely hotel-staff population finding Danielle Steel novels forgotten by tourists.

World Weekly News: Bat Boy Lives!
With World Weekly News, things go from plain satire to diving off the deep end. The tabloid's consistently bizarre and paranormal outlook on every day issues is culminated in Bat Boy Lives!, a collection of some of their best and oddest work. Every outrageous claim, from Elvis/Bigfoot sightings, to the truth behind what was really ordered at Jesus' Last Supper, is backed up by an even faker doctored image. But it's all in good fun. More or less parodying what passes for news with run-of- the-mill tabloids, the book's cataloging of the weird is highly entertaining for a group read, and there's plenty of room dedicated to their pop-culture icon, the eponymous human/bat hybrid creature Bat Boy.

America: The Book
Conceived by writers of The Daily Show with John Stewart, America: The Book parodies high school politics textbooks, with a chapter devoted to ripping apart an aspect of the U.S. government. Written around the time of the 2004 U.S. elections, the book definitely shows its age, but still remains a funnily accurate insight on Bush era politics, a time that seems so far away from today. The parodical history is still funny, and the section on America's view on the rest of the world is still liable to split sides, so don't worry about being put to sleep by ho-hum “Bush sure is dumb” jokes. If you're lucky, you'll snag a copy of the book that still includes the real hierarchy of the U.S. government (with a Bush vs. Kerry '40s-boxing- match poster on the reverse), worth the price of admission alone (but if you don't find it, hey, the book's still got plenty to offer).

Reading Between The Lines explores books that you may have missed out on that are worth your while. If you have a book to suggest, email Eshaan at e_gupta@fanshaweonline.ca.