Book Review: Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway

I know, this isn't what was in the What Am I Reading section. I ended up spending some time on the road this weekend and while driving we listened to the book on CD. I've always liked Dave Barry; with all of his detours, tangents and rambling, his writing style reminds me of mine, only funny...and enjoyable...and good. In Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway, Barry helps us take an objective, if not quite serious, look at government from early man to present day Washington, D.C.

As I would have expected from Dave Barry, it was funny. His typical non sequiturs and absurdities help to keep the mood light regardless of how depressing the subject of government may be. He goes through history and examines the various governmental forms, before examining the problems of our government. Barry pulls no punches in his conviction of our current system and attacks both parties with equal fervor.

Surprisingly, there is even a section in his description of South Florida that includes a touching discussion of his wife's Cuban family and the hardships they and others like them have gone through. While this section stands out as different in tone from the rest of the book, it also stands out as impressive and heartfelt.

So what went wrong? I said before that I have always liked Dave Barry, but I tend to like him more as a newspaper columnist. In any particular column or book, there is always one particular joke that gets beaten to death. In a column, the overuse of one joke can be amusing. After about five chapters giant prehistoric zucchini jokes are much more annoying than amusing. While I also like the digressions in his writing, he did at times go on a tangent for so long that I forgot where we originally started. For example, in a discussion of resolving our election process, Barry decided that we should kick South Florida out of the Union. He then described various oddities of Florida, which, while amusing, went on for so long that when he returned to the subject at hand, it felt like that was the detour. The other unfortunate issue with this book was really a result of the timing of its publication. The book was originally published in early 2001, and of course the biggest political happening near that time was the 2000 presidential election. He did a good job with it, but I really could have done without ever hearing about that election ever again.

If you are in the mood for humor and a critique of the political system that provides no answers (and is honest about not even attempting to provide them), this book may be for you.

The final verdict: 2.0 Stars. Recommended with reservations.

Until later...