Re-read this for the first time in ten years. Fails to hold up well. The humor is derivative and mostly based on pop culture references, and the historical and political material is limited to what the typical college student of the day would have have recognized. We can't have anyone feeling uncomfortable about something going over heads, apparently. Suggestive of The Daily Show's role in fostering a mass politics of smug complacency.

I've re-read this book, in snippets and installments because it makes me chuckle. Sarcasm in a quasi-educational format. Fun stuff! For a touch of the non-p.c., sophmoric and sharp wittedness can one do better than Jon Stewart?

I wish I would have read this right when it came out — I would have enjoyed it so much more. Reading it now, the sarcasm is a little too biting, perhaps a little too accurate.

I remember reading this for the first time in college (2006), laughing hysterically flipping through the pages while my housemates looked on nervously. ‘Are you ok?’ each would ask, thinking I was losing it since it seemed as though I was giggling whilst studying a textbook. ‘I’m good, it’s…it’s Jon Stewart, man. He’s just…so funny!’ Still one of my favorite books to this day, although I’m sure a few of the jokes are outdated now.

I shelve this with history and nonfiction with "tongue firmly in cheek." I did not feel that all the attempts at humor in this book came off as well as intended and the vulgarity was gratuitous in my opinion. Copyright 2004 - inclusion of topical material dates this book a little but as far an understanding "Government Inaction" things have only gotten worse. The great inventiveness of the schoolbook layout did make me wish that the writers of real text books for children/youth would include so much energy and more controversy and humor in real texts. Textbook authors could learn a lot by looking at this book.

A fun, quick read!

The Daily Show's mock American history/civics textbook is perhaps the funniest book I know of. Even the footnotes are (intentionally) hilarious. The formatting of the book is as clever as the writing, and the whole package is a nonstop treat. Highly recommended when you need a rolling bellylaugh!

I bought this book for five dollars from Borders. Yay for me. I started reading a bit, it's pretty hilarious. I love the faux textbook-esque style of it. I opened it up to a random page and read under a "Discussion questions" section "List the top 100 tv shows you would rather watch than the evening news". Hahahhhaha. Awesome.

Entertainingly satirical take on a high-school civics textbook. I've enjoyed the Daily Show, and this certainly has some of the same humor, except focused (mostly) on historical figures. The writing is clever, and the graphical layout is engaging. You might even learn something along the way! Then again, you might not - by and large the book communications actual information, but there are egregiously wrong bits of history in here, and it's up to the reader to sort them out. You know how sometimes you aren't sure when the joke stops? This book is like that. Also, I felt that they went way overboard with the sexual innuendo and jokes, especially since they all focused on male sexuality. How many times do I need to read about "morning wood" or fellatio or "teabagging" (?!) in completely inappropriate contexts? Not this many. Other bits that vaguely bothered me were showing the faces of our Supreme Court Justices photoshopped onto naked, aging bodies and the running gag about Thomas Jefferson and his taste for "brown sugar." But there were other parts that elicited real chuckles.

Liked it, but didn't love it. The funniest segments of the book were written by Samantha Bee, who does a dead-on version of a Canadian commenter (she's Canadian, of course, which helps!). The rest of it is wildly uneven in comedy quality, although on the whole it hits a bullseye. I think I just expected more after the level of The Daily Show's writing.

A very funny, very profane satire of a history/ civics textbook written by the staff of the fake news show “The Daily Show.” This is my favorite (and the only serious) part.
“A free and independent press is essential to the health of a functioning democracy. It serves to inform the voting public on matters relevant to its well - being. Why they’ve stopped doing that is a mystery. I mean, 300 camera crews outside a courthouse to see what Kobe Bryant is wearing when the judge sets a hearing date, while false information used to send our country to war goes unchecked? What the fu$% happened?”

America (The Book) is not the Daily Show, but it's damn close.

This is one of those cases where it might seem like a good idea to listen to the audiobook and hear the actors' deliveries in order to mimic the feeling of watching the tv show as much as possible. However, then you'd miss out on the high school textbook mock-up layout and that's missing half the point.

A Citizen's Guid to Democracy Inaction is modeled after a civics class text replete with horrible study guides, misguided questions, those pop-out boxes for more incorrect information, etc and also etc. It's all one big lampoon of laughter and I loved it!

Yes, it can sometimes be silly in a juvenile way...

“It's not that the Democrats are playing checkers and the Republicans are playing chess. It's that the Republicans are playing chess and the Democrats are in the nurse's office because once again they glued their balls to their thighs.”

And its insight isn't exactly mindblowing (or is it?)...

“If "con" is the opposite of pro, then isn't Congress the opposite of progress? Or did we just fucking blow your mind?!?”

However, occasionally a particularly spot-on, cutting remark is made...

“Classroom Activities
1. Using felt and yarn, make a hand puppet of Clarence Thomas. Ta-da! You're Antonin Scalia!”

Stewart and crew roast the U.S. Government time and again, so as you could imagine, it's a great read for Jon Stewart Show fans, it's also a good one for liberals in general and a tolerable one for Republicans who can take a joke.