By Brendan O’Reilly
Stephen Colbert ousted himself as a hypocrite with the publication of “I Am America (And So Can You!).” Colbert has been a fervent enemy of books, finding that they contain too many facts and not enough heart.
“I want you to know that this is the first book I’ve ever written, and I hope it’s the first book you’ve ever read,” he writes in the introduction. “Don’t make a habit of it.”
Of course, Colbert didn’t actually write this book or shout it into a tape recorder over Columbus Day weekend as he claims.
The real Stephen Colbert, as opposed to his conservative pundit character, is the real author, along with several writers of “The Colbert Report,” a “Daily Show” spin-off on Comedy Central.
“I Am America” makes for a great companion piece to “The Daily Show”‘s 2004 “America (The Book),” though the latter is written as a satirical textbook.
Colbert’s book is both a false autobiography and a self-help book. With Stephen Colbert being both a real guy and a fictional character, it’s difficult to sort out what’s fact and what’s fiction. Add to that the character Colbert admitting to making up details of his biography to seem more interesting and sympathetic, and it’s impossible.
But who cares what’s real? What matters is that “I Am America” is hilarious. The satire and narcissism fans have come to expect from Colbert is all there. The “about the author” simply reads “Stephen Colbert is America.” Joe Quesada, the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, contributed the illustration. He drew Colbert as The Incredible Hulk killing a grizzly bear with the American flag.
Sidebars are found throughout the book, driving jokes home. They are reminiscent of “The Word,” a segment on “The Colbert Report” fans will be familiar with.
The book is also self-aware that it is the first edition, with deliberate mistakes included. Also, the back cover and the “How to read this book” passage that precedes the first chapter go to great lengths to convince readers they have bought a Chinese counterfeit.
Each of the 14 chapters tackles a subject Colbert feels passionate about, regardless of how little he actually knows about it.
His view on homosexuals is they are trying to turn him gay with throw rugs and Clive Owen. As for religion, he likes the Jews. Since the Bible is 100 percent right and the Jewish people believe in the Old Testament, he writes, they are half right. His equation mirrors Ann Coulter’s recent comment that Jews need to be perfected, but Colbert’s insensitive words don’t get the same negative reaction. It helps that people know Colbert doesn’t actually mean what he says.
Probably the most well known example of Colbert’s insincerity was his 2006 speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, the full text of which is included in the appendix of his book.
“I Am America” makes no attempts to be subtle in its humor, with laugh-out-loud moments throughout. If one can’t laugh and read simultaneously, buy the audiobook, narrated by Colbert himself with guests such as Amy Sedaris (“Strangers With Candy”) and Jon Stewart.
