Viewers of Stephen Colbert’s Comedy Central hit, “The Colbert Report” know that he does not much like the idea of books. Too many facts, he contends. It comes as a bit of a surprise then to learn that Colbert is in the middle of a book tour across the country in order to not only promote a book, itself a shock, but that the book is one that he himself wrote.
“I Am America (And So Can You!)” is the first entry into the world of the written word for Colbert, and he makes quite a splash.
Colbert’s book reads like an encyclopedia of political talking points. Everything from the family to animals to religion to higher education is covered, and at every juncture Colbert pokes large holes in the politicizing of many social issues in the United States.
The book quickly reached number one on the New York Times bestsellers list within one week of its release. The release of the book, despite its obvious selling power, was quickly overshadowed by the announcement that Colbert was running for the office of president of the United States. Many think that his announcement was made to promote his book in the first place.
“I Am America (And So Can You!)” also happens to be wildly entertaining. Colbert and his writing staff turn out comedic gold on a nightly basis on the show, his White House Correspondence Dinner speech last spring (the transcript of which can be found in its entirety in the back of the book) is hailed as one of the most biting and hilarious political presentations in recent memory, and who can forget his work on “The Daily Show”? The same people who participated in all of the above have lent their talent to this book as well.
Perhaps the only detraction from the book, certainly the most glaring, is the perpetuation of Colbert’s character. On television, he portrays a far right wing pundit (think any or all anchors on the Fox News Channel). And while the act plays well on television, it doesn’t translate quite as well onto a book: at times, the joke seems a bit overdone.
The book of course is filled with images and graphs not usually found in the traditional New York Times bestseller. For example, there is a built-in “gaydar” test to give to your friends. Also included are stickers to place throughout the book on sections where you agree with Colbert, as well as nomination badges to affix to other works of literature deserving of “The Stephen T. Colbert Award for The Literary Excellence.”
The final product is a well-conceived piece of comedy perhaps deserving of that Emmy that keeps eluding Colbert (if only the Emmys were meant for books). It is fun, funny, and even eye opening. Many of the jokes made by Colbert are exact replications of the “serious” points made by the likes of Ann Coulter and other conservative fiction writers.
Colbert calls homosexuality “the biggest threat facing America today-next to socialized medicine, the Dyson vacuum, and the recumbent bicycle.” When conservative authors write about homosexuality, they tend to stop at it being “the biggest threat facing America.”
And that is the point: Colbert laughs at the stupidity of conservatives by playing one on TV and now in bookstores, and America laughs along with him.
