06/06/2022
New Yorker columnist Borowitz (editor, The 50 Funniest American Writers) delivers a quip-filled look at U.S. politicians who “turned ignorance from a liability into a virtue.” Claiming that “not so long ago, it was less than ideal for an American politician to seem like a dumbass,” Borowitz blames Ronald Reagan for showing, in the words of humorist Molly Ivins, “that ignorance is no handicap to the presidency.” (As governor of California, Reagan once claimed that plants and trees produce more air pollution than chimneys and cars.) But at least Reagan could memorize a script; Dan Quayle, on the other hand, “spewed nonsense worthy of Lewis Carroll on opium.” Borowitz also skewers Sarah Palin, who allegedly did not know that Africa was a continent. But the book’s biggest target is Donald Trump, who once suggested that Frederick Douglass was still alive and that American patriots “took over the airports” during the Revolutionary War. Though Borowitz’s inability to resist a pun can grow tiresome, he sheds light on the cultural and economic trends that gave intellectualism a bad name and identifies the political operatives—including Roger Stone and Bill Kristol—who facilitated the rise of ignorance. Fans of The Borowitz Report will gobble this up. (Sept.)
A wittily alarming polemic that tracks the evolution of American politics from grounds for gravitas to festival of idiocy.” —The New York Times
“How did we slide into the abyss of liking our politicians to be—or to act—dumb rather than smart? In this funny but serious book, Andy Borowitz chronicles our embrace of anti-intellectualism.” —Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker
“This is one of these brilliant books that makes you laugh until you cry. Borowitz masterfully throws light (and shade) on the confederacy of dunces who have fumbled their way into power. His writing has never been smarter, sharper, or more necessary.” —Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book
“Highly recommended. Can't remember the last time I read something so maddening that was also so hilarious. Also, it is diagnostically astute about the rise of ignorance in American politics.” —Kathryn Schulz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
“In his illuminating and hilarious book, Andy Borowitz not only skewers political stupidity, he identifies its three key phases. . . . Much as the great lampooners of late 18th-century London helped expose ruling class excesses, Borowitz’s withering mockery is a weapon against the creeping authoritarianism of early 21st-century America.” —Edward Luce, Financial Times
“A devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents . . . In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other clear-eyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts. . . . Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues’ gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. . . . While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates’ knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow’s ‘Dumpty’ series. . . . For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“A stinging indictment of how the Republican Party has, by design, devolved from at least somewhat reasonable or coherent discussions of politics and policy to full-on celebration of idiocy.” —Salon
“Andy makes me laugh out loud, that’s a given. In this book he has also made me think out loud. Profiles in Ignorance is hilarious, original, scary, prescient and a wake-up call for us all. A must-read.” —Susie Essman, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm
“Borowitz always hits the target. . . . The book is hilarious and scary . . . because it's TRUE!” —Larry Wilmore, Black on the Air
“[Borowitz] sheds light on the cultural and economic trends that gave intellectualism a bad name and identifies the political operatives . . . who facilitated the rise of ignorance. Fans of The Borowitz Report will gobble this up.” —Publishers Weekly
“Is it better to laugh or cry at America’s most profoundly stupid politicians? Why not both laugh and cry, as anyone will by reading this new book by Andy Borowitz. He is one of our sharpest satirists, as evidenced by his column The Borowitz Report, but he’s wisely made this book nonfiction, skewering the dumbest of the dumb.” —Air Mail
“Hilarious and wildly entertaining.”—Indiana Capital Chronicle
“Worth every penny . . . Profiles in Ignorance is funny because it's true—and nutty. . . . Borowitz uses his skills to skewer and expose politicians. . . . An equal-opportunity historian, he pulls back the curtain on Democrats as well as Republicans.”—Worcester Magazine
“Borowitz details a staggering array of obliviousness, lending his penetrating gibes to the estimable tradition of political mockery championed by Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and H. L. Mencken.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
Praise for Andy Borowitz:
“We need a new emoji to signal the uniquely brilliant humor of Andy Borowitz: savage but gentle, hilarious but sad, thought-provoking but never hard to figure out, ironic but without cheap sarcasm, snarky but never cruel. He’s a national treasure!” —Laurence Tribe, coauthor of To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment
“A witty diagnosis of the political troubles of the US.” —Jewish News
“I expected a laugh. . . . How much better to also find a cogent explanation for our current political climate. . . . Borowitz takes us on a well-researched journey of the past 40+ years of American politics, leaving no president un-examined, and he does so with humor and curiosity.” —Presbyterian Outlook, Book of the Month
“Literally had me laughing out loud. . . . Profiles in Ignorance is a treasure trove of quotes by elected officials and would-be elected officials who not only enjoy the taste of shoe leather but demonstrate that they either slept through high school civics and American history, or don’t care enough to even learn the basic facts that any person taking the examination to become an American citizen must learn.” —Cool Cleveland
“Both humorous and frightening as it explains how we got to where we are today in the national political scene.” —Boston.com, Favorite Reads of 2022
12/01/2022
Award-winning satirist Borowitz (The Borowitz Report) takes on the state of U.S. politics in this astonishing and well-researched book. There is a lot to laugh at, until it becomes clear that the political realm in the United States is just as Borowitz describes. From Ronald Reagan through the Trump era, Borowitz traces the three stages of ignorance: ridicule, acceptance, and celebration (of ignorance). Borowitz focuses on the last five decades, but he's clear that earlier examples exist. Borowitz's narration of this clever book will help listeners laugh, while the content may compel some to cry. He doesn't just chronicle; he makes recommendations for reversing this trend and raising the bar that is precariously low. Real conversations, listening, and education are the key to fighting back against the age of ignorance. The optimistic author thinks this can change course if people act. VERDICT Librarians may recognize and relate to Borowitz's amusing and insightful observations. This superbly narrated book should be a part of every public library collection.—Christa Van Herreweghe
★ 08/01/2022
Readers may laugh, cry, or swear under their breath (sometimes all at once) with this scathing survey of the seemingly increasing ignorance of American politicians. Borowitz, a writer of page and screen and satirist for The New Yorker, humorously examines the ever-increasing, lowering-of-the-bar expectations of presidential candidates' knowledge and beyond in this book that is perfect for fans of The Daily Show or John Lithgow's "Dumpty" series. Beginning with Ronald Reagan, the author identifies "the Three Stages of Ignorance: Ridicule, Acceptance, and Celebration" and carries readers through the Trump era. All the while, he provides interesting tidbits and oft-underreported information, such as the various subjects' academic leanings and reading habits (or lack thereof). He also highlights the specific qualities that politicians have that made their successes possible, despite their lack of knowledge, such as Reagan's acting ability and what he calls Trump's "island of competence." For readers who have ever looked at the political landscape and asked how or why, this is a book that will inform and infuriate. VERDICT Though the chapters are long, the copious notes, footnotes, and index add to this amusing but maddening book's wealth of information.—Jack Phoenix
Andy Borowitz, writer, humorist, actor, and creator of the often bitingly satirical “Borowitz Report,” which skewers contemporary politics and politicians at every turn, has in his new audiobook set his sights on the rise of ignorance in American politics. In a sharp turn from John F. Kennedy's classic PROFILES IN COURAGE, which highlighted bravery and integrity in politics, Borowitz's PROFILES IN IGNORANCE features a cavalcade of politicians who, Borowitz argues, are sorely lacking in the knowledge necessary to govern. Borowitz’s narration enables him to inject a measure of sarcasm and irony into the material. His convincing parodies of the vocal cadences of various featured politicians add a further humorous touch. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Andy Borowitz, writer, humorist, actor, and creator of the often bitingly satirical “Borowitz Report,” which skewers contemporary politics and politicians at every turn, has in his new audiobook set his sights on the rise of ignorance in American politics. In a sharp turn from John F. Kennedy's classic PROFILES IN COURAGE, which highlighted bravery and integrity in politics, Borowitz's PROFILES IN IGNORANCE features a cavalcade of politicians who, Borowitz argues, are sorely lacking in the knowledge necessary to govern. Borowitz’s narration enables him to inject a measure of sarcasm and irony into the material. His convincing parodies of the vocal cadences of various featured politicians add a further humorous touch. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
★ 2022-05-31
A celebrated political satirist eviscerates know-nothing politicians, mostly Republicans.
Over the past 50 years, the Republican Party has continuously nominated incurious, poorly read, and laughably unprepared candidates for public office, with puppet masters in the wings to minimize the damage. Such is the all-too-convincing premise of Borowitz’s exhaustively detailed, devastatingly funny takedown of a veritable Mount Rushmore of incompetents: “People sometimes call our nation ‘the American experiment.’ Recently, though, we’ve been lab rats in another, perverse American experiment, seemingly designed to answer this question: Who’s the most ignorant person the United States is willing to elect?” If this parade of intellectual lightweights began its “Age of Ignorance” with Ronald Reagan, writes the author, it reached its nadir with Donald Trump. In the hallowed tradition of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Ambrose Bierce, and other cleareyed satirists, Borowitz skewers all manner of chronically befuddled, willfully ignorant dolts: Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene (a “prolific QAnon loudmouth”), Matt Gaetz (the “ultimate specimen of Florida Man”), Lauren Boebert, and former football coach Tommy Tuberville, who once said, “There is one person that changes climate in this country and that is God.” Ravaging this seemingly endless rogues’ gallery of buffoonery and corruption, Borowitz marshals mind-boggling, breathtaking evidence. In pillorying Trump, he’s shooting fish in a barrel, but even worse are the unprincipled “handlers” behind the scenes: Roy Cohn, Stu Spencer, Roger Ailes, Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, et al. Democrats don’t get a pass, but Borowitz clearly demonstrates that Republicans are unrivaled in behaving as if stupidity was a virtue. While there are countless laughs in the book, they have a rueful edge given that we are all affected by such widespread ignorance. “In this book,” he writes, “I’ve made nothing up. All the events I’m about to describe actually happened. They’re a part of American history. Unfortunately.”
Top-notch political satire from a practiced pen.
