What This Comedian Said Will Shock You

Richard Helppie Reviews Bill Maher's Latest Book

Comedian Bill Maher has long been an entertaining and witty guy, with trademark zingers to the heart of today’s pervasive nonsense. His schtick has morphed to a program of excoriating the left and right, which probably means he has enough friends for the time being. 

Maher’s most recent book “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You” is a fun read. At least I’m presuming the read is fun. I listened to the audio version in Maher’s own voice. Mostly when walking my dog. 

Naturally, his book has great turns of phrase, and some very funny stuff. 

But hold on. The book soon reverts to the Maher mean. Both definitions. 

Maher hates Republicans, Millennials, Gen Z and children in general. He doesn’t ask people to love him for that, and he is self-aware enough to not pine for a campus invite from the Young Republicans Club. His views, delivered in his practiced acerbic fashion, are not for either the thin-skinned or the well-informed policy wonk. Prepare to be entertained. 

In Maher’s world, the Republican Party is just full of knuckle draggers. That is objectively true, but it’s obvious that his dual fetish for Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene drives most of the critique. Meanwhile Maher’s Democrats are pure and selfless, but they are tragically akin to the extreme elements of the culture wars, so that’s bad. In other words, a book with nary a mention of Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, Sheldon Whitehouse or any actual deviant the Democrats keep sending back to Congress. Tragic that Maher pulls his punches when Jerry Nadler’s belt line provides material enough for at least a couple of one-liners. 

Maher brings nothing original to his critique of Donald Trump. The familiar and tiresome rants with the same formula of mixing Trump’s actual idiotic behavior with the mainstream exaggerations and distortions that cause eye rolls and sighs. A high point of the book is Maher deftly framing the frustration of those who can’t understand why Trump backers support Trump. These, of course, are the same people who can completely ignore things like Biden’s extra-legal destruction of Title IX, dismiss our president’s cognitive misfires and have mega-hurt feelings when Maher’s comic wit aims at them.  Maher’s witty critique of overt wokeness repelling sensible voters is worth the listen or the read. 

Maher rolls to a strong finish with his logical appeal for everyone to quit politicizing every aspect of life. Stop the nonsense of party over policy. I’m for that. 

Maher begs readers to stop this fantasy that the other side will quit and capitulate once your team defeats them in 2024 election. He nearly goes full Rodney King with an appeal for all of us to get along. 

And he’s right about that. 

Isn’t it odd it takes a comedian to say it?

Onward.