Degrees of Affection

*5+++ Stars*

*The Gush*

Let me say first off that I don't read Dave Barry. I think I've read a total of 15 pages from his Cyberspace book and this. I don't actually get into his humor that much. This, however, is brilliant. When I first read this, I was like, "where has this been all my life!?" As a History major and lover of American history particularly (also British, WWI, and WWII, but that's neither here nor there), I knew exactly what he was talking about nearly all the time. That is the key to this book. You have to either know the history or be reading it at the time to get just how wonderful this book is. I've said for years if I taught an American History class, I would have the text and then this as supplemental reading. My reason being: there are no true facts in this book-dates are wrong, definitions are either played with or dead wrong-but the book itself is true.

How?

First, he's trying to say something about how we teach our children history. Kids don't care about dates, they care about people, about history being made real to them. Take them to a reenactment of a Civil War battle, they'll devour books about it; make them read about it out of a dry as dust history book and why are we surprised they don't know who Lee or Grant are? Secondly, Dave Barry is getting at the heart of the matter. Facts and dates obscure what we need to learn about a situation. If you know the facts about the event he is writing about, what he basically gives you is the heart of matter with a good dose of humor. This book can make you think, and in a better way than many text books today.

*The Negative*

The major drawback of this book is that you really can't get to humor without knowledge of American history. Who has that anymore? Also, if you haven't read recent school history texts, you might not understand what he is poking fun of often times.

*Summary*

If you love history, read this book. You will laugh so hard, you cry. If you are currently taking a US History course and are bored, read this along with the text. I bet you learn more than you ever dream.