sevenspiders -
Helpful Score: 8
This was my first encounter with Denis Leary and I can certainly see why he would rub some people the wrong way. He's loud, spastic and opinionated but pretty freakin' hilarious most of the time. He skewers modern society in all our over-priviledged glory and many of his observations are embarassingly true. Leary does devote a chunk of time to talking about his Catholic Irish upbringing which was less amusing than his insights on society in general.
But for the majority of the book Leary takes potshots at everything from Viagra to cancer-causing popcorn to child rearing to celebrity sex tapes, and does it in fine form. If you take him seriously, he comes off as a complete ass, but as Leary himself states in the introduction- the book is meant to be comedy, it's not meant to be taken seriously, and from a totally non-serious viewpoint Why We Suck is very funny.
But for the majority of the book Leary takes potshots at everything from Viagra to cancer-causing popcorn to child rearing to celebrity sex tapes, and does it in fine form. If you take him seriously, he comes off as a complete ass, but as Leary himself states in the introduction- the book is meant to be comedy, it's not meant to be taken seriously, and from a totally non-serious viewpoint Why We Suck is very funny.
Gavin H. (beirdo) -
Helpful Score: 4
This book was just about what I expected from Denis Leary. It is in his typical ranting style, and he pokes fun at just about everything. If you don't like his stand-up routines (No Cure For Cancer for instance), you likely will not like this book either.
Helpful Score: 2
I love Denis Leary and pretty much agree with his take on life and the ridiculousness surrounding us daily.
The first few chapters I found myself laughing out loud which is pretty rare for me, but by the middle chapters the language really started to wear thin on me and it actually started to get a little boring so I quit.
I figure I won't pick it up again so it's off to the next person in line.
The first few chapters I found myself laughing out loud which is pretty rare for me, but by the middle chapters the language really started to wear thin on me and it actually started to get a little boring so I quit.
I figure I won't pick it up again so it's off to the next person in line.
Kristin M. (MissKristin66) - , reviewed Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid on + 80 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
If you have a sense of humor and do not care about political correctness, this is the book for you! Very funny and thought provoking.
Suzanne C. (Suzanimals) reviewed Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I really like Denis Leary - he's a great comic and "Rescue Me" is a great show.
But I got a little bored and fed up with this book. Yeah, OK - Leary's a "guy's guy" - and he's gotta tell you that over and over. Sweeping generalizations about both men and women run rampant through this book. In the foreword, he warns the reader it's just for the joke. But I have to think he really thinks this way more times than not. In his book he says when drunk people say nasty things we tend to give them some slack because they were drunk - but really they're just saying things they really mean without the filter of sobriety. So I wonder if Leary's early warning of "don't take me too seriously" can be construed the same way.
He has a chapter about how he hates cats. Part of what he says is true - dogs are much more useful in helping humans. But his only relationship to a cat is his own barn cat. That's too bad - if he took the time to get to know a domesticated housecat he might understand more of their complexity vs. seeing a slightly feral barn cat be so aloof.
I gave up on the women vs. men chapters when he didn't even have the "BFF" term correct. C'mon!
But I got a little bored and fed up with this book. Yeah, OK - Leary's a "guy's guy" - and he's gotta tell you that over and over. Sweeping generalizations about both men and women run rampant through this book. In the foreword, he warns the reader it's just for the joke. But I have to think he really thinks this way more times than not. In his book he says when drunk people say nasty things we tend to give them some slack because they were drunk - but really they're just saying things they really mean without the filter of sobriety. So I wonder if Leary's early warning of "don't take me too seriously" can be construed the same way.
He has a chapter about how he hates cats. Part of what he says is true - dogs are much more useful in helping humans. But his only relationship to a cat is his own barn cat. That's too bad - if he took the time to get to know a domesticated housecat he might understand more of their complexity vs. seeing a slightly feral barn cat be so aloof.
I gave up on the women vs. men chapters when he didn't even have the "BFF" term correct. C'mon!
