Dave Barry's History Of The Millennium (So Far) (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
Finally! Finished! This was a really funny book! Dave Barry is an excellent author, and knows exactly how to make you laugh. Here are a few of my fav quotes:In a major upset at the Academy Awards, the Oscars for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress, AND Best Supporting Actor and Actress all go to Tiger Woods.In sports, Vijay Singh wins the Masters golf tournament and is awarded the coveted green jacket, which is quickly snatched away by angry Buick executives and given to Tiger Woods.In sports, the U.S. Open is not actually held because it's more efficient just to mail the check to Tiger Woods.Officials of the Baseball Hall of Fame correct a long-standing oversight by voting to induct Tiger Woods.Tiger Woods is kidnapped by rival golfers, sedated, handcuffed, placed in a straitjacket, wrapped in chains, and locked inside a trunk, which is then weighted with concrete blocks and dropped into the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. He easily wins the PGA Championship.U.S. News Organizations observe the anniversary of September 11 with investigations about the nation's continuing vulnerability to terrorism. First, the New York Daily News reports that two of its reporters carried box cutters, razor kinves, and pepper spray on fourteen commerical flights without getting caught. Then ABC News reports that it smuggled fifteen pounds of uranium into New York City. Then Fox News reports that it flew Osama bin Laden to Washington, D.C., and videotaped him touring the White House.UPDATE: Sadly, I haven't finished it yet. I got stuck. So I'll return to it later.
Ok, every year or so I try to give another Dave Barry book a shot because I know many Baby Boomers who love him. Lord knows why but they do. This one is a compilation of all his year-end review columns except for 2001, which he skipped due to 9/11. (I have to agree with him on that choice. There's no way he could've cracked jokes for every event and then suddenly get serious when he hit September.) Granted, topical humor rarely ages well but Dave's inane running gags were lame even when his content was current. Every so often he'd make me chuckle (and it is nice to be reminded of how easy it was to make comedic hay under George W. Bush) but overall I was screaming in my car for the lame gags, random references, and stupid comments that were supposed to be jokes to JUST BLOODY END. After reading three of his books, I think I'm giving up. Whatever makes people giggle over Dave Barry just doesn't do it for me.
What do You think about Dave Barry's History Of The Millennium (So Far) (2007)?
I know a ton of people love Dave Barry and always read his columns, but I never really got sucked into them. I thought I'd try out the audio version of this book and, while I did find it humorous, I wasn't laughing out loud constantly or anything. To be completely honest, there may be some truth in the fact that I don't know enough about world history or contemporary politics to get all of his jokes. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't completely in the dark, but with the way he mixes fact with fiction in his historical accounts, some of the jokes just went over my head. So, if you're a fan of Barry already, you're probably going to like this one. Otherwise, it's a toss-up.
—Amy
Classic Dave Barry Humor, "and I am not making this up...", Bode Miller, Fiesta Bowl officials, people of Palm Beach County Florida. It's all in there. I remember Dave Barry being really funny as a kid and I loved to read his column on Sunday mornings. This book is just a compilation of all his year-end reviews for the past 7 years. While it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be it didn't disappoint at all. If you want a good laugh and you enjoy the humor then this book is worth the read. If you have never heard of Dave Barry then don't start here.
—Tom
I am a big fan of Dave Barry's column but sometimes his books can be too much of a good thing. Maybe I should read one chapter a day or something like that.In this case, I finished the whole 205 page book in about 4 hours or less. I certainly chuckled every few seconds or so as I really do find his exaggerated statements quite humorous. He covers the second millenium in one chapter and then the years 2000 - 2006 in a chapter each though 2001 is basically skipped. if you've never read any Dave Barry, you can get a sense of his humor by accessing his columns at the Miami Herald website. Enjoy!
—Ed
