“The old saying is true: what goes around, come around…especially when it’s crap.”
“Of Thee I Zing: America’s Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots” by Laura Ingraham with Raymond Arroyo
It was through this book, Of Thee I Zing, that I was able to finally pinpoint what it is about conservative talking heads in the media that really rubbed me the wrong way. In this book, Laura Ingraham dissects everything that’s wrong with America these days, some of which are valid points, some of which are truly a matter of opinion. As the full title may suggest, she covered everything from muffin tops to body shots, Christmas sweaters to vegetarians, texting to sexting and everything in between, all in fairly rapid-fire little vignettes which make haiku seem lengthy. While reading these little snippets that I’m sure were considered tongue-in-cheek and clever when you think of them, once they’re said, they really just seem like some old white guy (or, in this case, gal) complaining about things they don’t like.
I have expected to turn the page and be told to get off of Ingraham’s lawn.
Perhaps it’s just the fact that I’m on the other side of the political spectrum that I didn’t find Of Thee I Zing particularly clever or funny. In fact, it seemed a little tired and whining more often than not. I thought maybe it was the format of the book, the quick little snippets of “wit” here and there, but, no, that wasn’t it either, because the structure is very similar to George Carlin’s book and I love reading through those and laughing. There were a few moments of insight that I liked, a few moments where I really felt for Ingraham, too, as she’ll touch briefly on her struggles with cancer and as a single mom, which was different and interesting and garnered respect. But most of the book was like slagging through a bunch of half-conceived rants on nothing really substantial, just some annoying things about life in general. Which is basically how it is for all these political talking heads, anyway, when you get right down to it.
Overall, I probably never would have picked up this book if it wasn’t on sale for less than two dollars at my local Barnes & Noble, and I basically got what I paid for. Do I regret reading the book? Not at all, it was pretty interesting at times. Do I feel I got much out of it? Nope, not really. Except that I learned the apparent definiton of a “Zing” is “Mildly interesting complaint from a white middle-aged lady.”
Books read: 024/100.
L.S. Engler 