I admit that I am one of the approximately 1.8 million viewers of “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. I was also one of the first people to buy America (The Book). And now I am the happy owner of Stewart’s latest work, Earth (The Book). The book begins, “Greetings Alien Brethren!” and is intended as an extraterrestrial user’s guide to our planet since Stewart surmises that humans will have vanished leaving quite a mess behind. The “book is designed to provide you with the next best thing to our actual presence: a comprehensive history of our planet and species, conveniently written in the universal language — American English.” Stewart (and friends) cover everything essential about our planet and it’s (former) inhabitants. A few of the chapters and their subtitles will give you a clue to the humor:
Earth: Everything you need to know about this gently-used, pre-owned planet.
Life: A comprehensive guide to things that can be killed.
Man: An introduction to the solar system’s original “bad boys.”
Society: How we overcame our basic humanity for the greater good. Religion: We were sure someone was in charge.
There is a lot of thoughtful humor in this book — far more text than America but just as quirkily illustrated. And don’t be tempted to skip the appendices which includes “Who Won” and “Why We’re Not Here”. May I just say, brilliant! ~Patti