A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat - Lazy and Stupid

I used to really like Dennis Leary. His “No Cure for Cancer” album was something that I listened to a lot, and could recite the routines and sing the songs by heart. I was maybe a little young to be listening to it, so it had this illicit air about it. Leary was unapologetically who he was, and no one could take that from him. I wanted to be just like that!

But that was the 90s. Maybe it was a backlash to the perceived PC movement or something, but what worked for him on that album is carried over on this book, and it doesn’t work. I know the book is dated, so I don’t know if this is true of Leary now, but he just seems like a sad reactionary here. The world has changed and it’s different, so he’s mad. It is a little more complex than that, but that was how I felt reading this document. Leary makes a point to have anecdotes that show just how smart he is, so he has “intellectual” bonefides (plus he was riding on the “Rescue Me” accolade when this was coming out).

Leary is smart, that is not at issue. He just wants things to be the way they were when he grew up in terms of gender roles. When he writes of these, he feels like the embarrassing uncle at Thanksgiving. But as I said, he’s complicated. Leary writes with an enlightened view on race relations, so it’s confusing. He doesn’t seem to like either party, so it is hard for me to just categorize him and then dismiss him, but his stich hasn’t aged well. The only reason I kept reading the book to the end was to see if it got better, hoping that it would but not optimistic about it. It didn’t. It reminded me that I wasn’t the same person I was when I was 11. For better or worse, Leary is still the same person he was when I was 11.

If you are:

* politically correct
* easily offended
* reluctant to see the world as it really is
* reluctant to admit that you are (or have been at times) a moron
* an overprotective parent
* an overbearing parent
* a parent who's kids can do no wrong
* a politician
* fat
* a fat politician who's kids can do no wrong

then please close this review, forget this book exists and resume your normal activities with your head planted firmly up your butt.

I have been described as a "brutally honest" person more than once. And I don't deny it, I am. If you want the truth (the real truth) about your new haircut, then better not ask me because that is exactly what you'll get - the truth.
I also like to get the truth from the people around me. If I ask my boyfriend if my butt looks big in these pants, it's usually a test to see if he has the balls to tell me the truth. I already know my butt looks big in these pants. If he tells me I look great...he fails.

But I digress. Although it explains why I liked this book so much. Denis Leary doesn't soften anything up. He tells it like it is.

Leary covers a lot of subjects: parents, kids, bullies, Britney Spears, politics, sports, men, women, Oprah...and although you may not agree with everything he says, you have to appreciate his no BS approach to each and every subject. Especially the way we should choose our presidents, which I completely agree with, even though I'm Canadian, the idea pretty much applies to all elected leaders.

He is "brutally honest". He is unleashed. He is wild and funny. I wonder if he ever thought about running for office?

My third attempt to get this past the censors. Seems silly to cause problems because you use language used in the book!! Anyway, some of the below you may have to guess due to the need to write a "clean review".

One big rant, but entertaining. I am not a fan of stand up and usually such books leave me cold. However, maybe because I am not American but Irish helped. We generally enjoy "taking the mick" which basically means witty, sarcastic mockery of oneself or friends. I also am in or near his generation which also helps. And a lot of the rant I agreed with - even as a cat owner. He does go off on women but even there I had to agree to some of it - he was hard on working moms. As a female who has worked almost all her life outside the home , at a senior level in a man's world, I also found myself raging at the women who see the knock backs as gender harrassment. S**k it up girls - life ain't fair. Just dust off and plug on , we can beat them at their own game if we try. Dennis' rant may be offensive to some, even many, but there are nuggets of truth and it is witty. I understand there was some ruckus over the autism/ ADH bit but while he may have gone too far the reality is he has hit some uncomfortable truths. Drugging small children on amphetamines because they are lacking in concentration skills makes me uncomfortable. Even in Ireland such diagnoses seem to have become worryingly common. Anyway, if you are offended at being called fat, lazy, stupid, mick, k**e or other politically incorrect word then don't go here. And I am a fat mick so I fall right in there but not nearly as fat as I used to be! I enjoyed this against the odds so hence the 4. I won't be searching out more of his work as frankly this type of material wears on me after a while and the 5 was missed as I dragged through the last chapter or so. If you like stand up then you might well enjoy this.

Wow, this book was totally amazing!!!! I bought it before boarding the flight to Jamaica (where I went for vacation) and saved it for Jamaica. Needless to say, from page one, I immediately began laughing myself seriously.

As Leary says, this book is not for the faint of heart. When the book got released, he got in deep **** for his "Autism Shmautism" chapter where he states:

"There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a [...] what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you: your kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."

Of course, one would not have read the prologue. He is no doctor here, and that is the point. It seems as if one found it offensive so they flipped to one chapter and read the offensive part. Yawn.

Aside from that, Leary takes no prisoners here. His humor is offensive, rude, vulgar and uncalled for- and I love it. It shows that one needn't be politically correct to be funny. I'll admit that I was shocked when I first began reading it, but then I realized: It's all part of the show.

There are several examples of moments that those who can take a joke (seriously. I can't believe the negative reviews here. It's like they didn't read the book at all) will laugh so hard they'll nearly die with. For example, the Famous Dead Kids chapter had me rolling. Also, his Irish recipes in the "Sex With Kathy lee Gifford" chapter had me rolling. "Seven thousand potatoes, a pie, fourteen sticks of butter..." LOL. Also, he even goes so far to make fun of Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy, which had me nearly dead from laughing so hard.

In short, if you have a twisted sense of humor and can parody yourself every once in a while, you will laugh yourself silly. I know I did.

I would definitely consider myself a fan of Denis Leary. From his roles in movies, television (Rescue Me & The Job are amazing), his albums, stand-up and now his writing. This book "Why We Suck" came out in 2008, so I am a little behind on my reading, but nevertheless the delay didn't take anything away from the content.

This book is basically a satire of contemporary life; pop culture, religion, race, politics, family values, gender differences and everything in-between. This book in many ways is very tongue-in-cheek and Leary knows it. However, many of his points are logical and put things in perspective. For instance, when talking about how certain parents do a lousy job role modeling and/or parenting and look to blame anything but them.

I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading this book. The chapters are titled in a very amusing manner that is almost non-sequitur in nature. In addition, I would have to say that I didn't agree with all of Leary's opinions, yet it took nothing away from the pleasure of reading this book. Leary is both caustic and sentimental; just listen to how he references his family and life experiences. While I read this book I found myself thinking "wow, I have been thinking that forever" or "man I could have said that". However, Leary expresses these notions much funnier than I would.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is able to laugh at themselves and the world we live in. In addition, if a person is easily offended, this might not be the way he/she wants to spend their free time. There is some foul language in this text, which shouldn't be too surprising, but if that isn't a person's cup of tea then stay away. Under the assumption you are an individual that still is hung up on Denis Leary ripping off Bill Hicks then I don't even know why you are reading this review.

If nothing else, Leary is a doctor, how could he lead us astray?

"Dr." Denis Leary explains it all --- literally. (Leary earned an honorary doctorate in 2005 from his alma mater, Emerson College, and he intends to use it.) For the Boston-bred comedian, there are no sacred cows, no taboos, no subjects off limits --- the Catholic Church, celebrities, politicians, even his Irish lineage. No one is safe from ridicule, and when Leary takes aim with his razor-sharp wit, he takes no prisoners.

When first published in November, WHY WE SUCK and its author courted controversy concerning his statements on afflictions like childhood autism, especially when he says: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumbass kids can't compete academically so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks and psychotherapists to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a **** what these crackerjack whackjobs tell you --- your kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."

This hardly seems like the diagnosis of a doctor, but as Leary clearly states in his lengthy prologue, "This is a comedy book. Which means it's meant to be funny. So when I say something in here I am offering up my opinion, my slightly exaggerated take on people, places and things and very often a twisted take on reality. In other words: it is parody, satire and poking fun." So I guess the offended parties skipped right over the prologue to get to the offending chapter.

Leary has been a comedian/actor for over 20 years. He created and stars in the popular F/X series "Rescue Me," which is about to begin its fifth season. But even in his earliest stand-up days, he wasn't a stranger to controversy. His first comedy special, "No Cure for Cancer," and his quick MTV commercial spots touting his love of supermodel Cindy Crawford launched him into Hollywood, with more specials ("Lock 'N Load") and even movies (The Ref, Wag the Dog). But now he's in charge of his own show, and we get the feeling that's just the way he likes it.

WHY WE SUCK reflects his own sardonic and incensed viewpoint on America's celebrity-obsessed culture and why people like Anna Nicole Smith should serve as a cautionary tale ("...she serves up a great argument against taking strippers out of the strip club....it's like taking King Kong off the jungle island and dropping him into the middle of midtown Manhattan --- nothing good can come from it."). He also rails against President Bush, whom he refers to as "Bush Jr." and advocates taking bratty teens who appear on the show "My Super Sweet 16" and dropping them chuteless into Iraq. Sure, he exaggerates and embellishes a bit, but some of his points make sense. No wonder our reputation has been less than sterling in the global arena. We live in a culture where a person will sue McDonald's if they get fat from eating their grease-laden food. What really irks Leary is that the notion of personal responsibility is completely forgotten in our modern-day, Wii-obsessed world. And you know what? He's right.

Fans of Leary will devour this book and appreciate his humor. It's not for the faint of heart or humor-impaired. The real surprise here is the touching relationship he shares with his mother. He describes her as "Mary Tyler Moore, Mother Teresa and Joe Pesci in a blender and set it on high..." Their conversations back and forth provide this work with a surprising amount of heart. Maybe it's because I grew up in an Irish Catholic household quite similar to Leary's, but these sweet exchanges with his mother, peppered with reports of who died and who has cancer, read like a chapter out of my own family's book. After finishing WHY WE SUCK, I related some of the best bits to my father over the phone. "I'd like to read that. Send it to me when you're done." Of course, I warned him about the language.

--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

After telling a friend that I'd just finished reading two books with heavy, emotional subjects, she suggested I read this. The book claims to be offensive to everyone at some point. That alone made me laugh. Life is serious but we've all gotten way too easily offended and need to see ourselves in a totally different way.....even those parts of us that aren't so great and especially those parts that we think are the absolute best. Why? Because they aren't.

Leary manages to simply write things that are true observations of people in general and while he will write a line or two of "disclaimer" before launching into a diatribe, he doesn't waste time in the book going on and on about something isn't meant to offend and apologize, etc. I like the directness and bluntness that he uses.

Were there parts that offended me? Sure, a little. Then I realized that I really shouldn't be offended because frankly, most of it has a LOT of truth to it.

I laughed, out loud, through a large part of the book. When I wasn't laughing, I was grinning. Most of the time I was nodding in agreement.

Want to laugh at yourself? Want to chuckle at just how ridiculous some things have become? Get this book. It's a great, funny and light read.

`Why We Suck': the title says exactly what this book is about.

Denis Leary is one of those people who just puts it all out for there. If you agree, fantastic. If you don't, he doesn't care. `Why We Suck' is Leary's way of explaining why every other country out there hates us. Its funny, biting, offensive, and here's the kicker-its true.

Leary takes on everyone: from George W. Bush to Paris Hilton to Michael Vick to Anna Nicole Smith to parents who use nannies to help raise kids; everyone gets lambasted.

Does he go off a little? Sure. But he states upfront that this book is supposed to be comedy, satire, and offensive. You've been warned. He writes honestly, uses curse words, vulgar words, and doesn't mince a damn thing.

Throughout the book though, he shows his human side; his undying love for his wife and children. He rants and raves about everything that is wrong with American society today, but it is because he truly feels that we should be better, that there are right and wrong ways to raise kids and make your significant other happy, and for you yourself to be happy.

This book is refreshing and absolutely hilarious-from the first page to the last page. I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone looking for a riot and not easily offended.

I loved this book. It was incredibly funny, well-written and had me chuckling on the plane. I read it years ago and I still crack it open for a laugh now and then. Denis' assessment of the over privileged is hilarious - if not spot-on. The only thing I would say is that his accolades for he and his family (his wife and kids) are oblivious to and somewhat exempted from his own criticisms of American culture. I mean, I get it. You love your wife. But you and your kids are not perfect by any stretch either. So give us some hilarious juicy stories that are REAL when you're talking about them, would ya? That's what would make this book absolutely perfect!

So here's the thing, who was the Marketing genius who disserviced Denis Leary by entitling his latest book, "Why We Suck." This is the kind of title that can be offensive to many, and even if not, how many of us want to have such a title resting upon the coffee table for their children to see.

Here's the shame - this book definitely does not suck.

Have you ever read an article or a book, the writing of which is so pathetically nebulous that you cannot tell the point of view of the author? This is NOT that book.

"Why We Suck" is like the hits that keep on coming, page after page. Leary names names, mostly of tabloid and People magazine life forms, and makes definitive statements that leave zero doubt as to his point of view. I am not saying that you will agree with every opinion (a little too leftie for me), but you have to admire his willingness to so clearly provide it in such abundance.

And he makes an awful lot of sense.

In fact, there is so much here that you can relate to that has gone wrong in America, among them the "pussification" of America, the different roles and thought processes of men and women, pseudo-diseases brought to you by lefties who are interested in placing non achievers into increasingly smaller, victim support (loser) groups, and the drug companies that have perfected "the" pill that will give you hope through dope. He goes after the people who play the race card at the drop of the hat, and the fat and the lazy and those who would eliminate Christmas. In short, he decries the onslaught of political correctness which has clearly become culturally degrading.

But, leave no doubt. Apart from the humor, Leary leaves us with a plea to end the PC madness that have savaged this country and made it less, to reassess/repair/reaffirm the values - and especially - to reaffirm the culture of America. Leary delivers his hits in an easy to read and very understandable, albeit "colorfuly vocabbed" literary style that some will find offensive. However, you will laugh out loud as you turn the pages because he dares to say many things that you think but do not say.

If you are a PC zealot, or someone who has zero interest in traditional American values and culture, take a pass.

Denis Learly is a friggin' badass. I have always been a fan of his stand up and he's always brought a smile to my face on talk shows, but I never knew he wrote books until I stumbled upon this book on the clearance rack of a bookstore in San Francisco. Knowing I had a long trip of flying ahead of me, I shelled out the measly $4.00 for it (heartbreaking that I paid SO LITTLE now that I've read it) and started to give it a read on my travels. I couldn't put it down! It's hilarious. He's so full of piss, vinegar and all that is right in the world that he actually made me want to start writing about my travels.

The sections about his parents are so good and his Mom is a riot with her made up words. The best chapter for me was the one on kids and Annie Lebowitz. Damn, tell it like it is, Dr. It actually made me have a more honest conversation with myself about wanting kids and I can thank him for that.

Bottom line, Why We Suck is a must read for anyone with a brain, an attitude and a keen eye on life. Thank you for writing this, Denis!!!

First off, everyone will be offended by this book because we all are in fact fat, loud, lazy, or stupid at some point. The ideals of America and what people think of it have spun out of control and this is one man's attempt to get us back on the right track. Thank you Denis for writing it. We need more books like this to counter the moronic crap that is out there in the world today. I hear people ask all the time, "Why do terrorists, etc... hate us?" Well read this book and you'll find out.

One special note too... Regarding the AUTISM SCHMAUTISM chapter: I am a special ed teacher in a very wealthy area and Denis couldn't have been more right on with this controversial chapter. I have some kids that are truly autistic, but I have several that just have pushy parents that threaten to sue and bully the school district, so we therefore say they are autistic and offer them up all kinds of taxpayer services. The actuality is that these kids are just quirky, different kids. It is really ridiculous.

This book is a try & fail at being hilarious. It is 230 pages of cookie cutter, cliche, try-too-hard "comedy" that didn't make me laugh once. He doesn't say anything substantial, never heard before, new, creative, profound, or otherwise something that I didn't already know. Let me emphasize what I said before- he tries WAY too hard to be funny in this book. If he had put one second of thought in to saying something interesting, he may or may not have been slightly comical. But instead he blabbers on and on using too many examples to get an obvious point across. In fact, if you want to get the jist of the entire book cover to cover, dont read it. Just read the table of contents. Because every chapter's title was enough to get the -- again, very obvious -- point across. Not only that, every chapter was the same, starting with him making some lame crack about how stupid someone/something is, and I thought, okay, so where is he going with this? And he didnt. Thats all the book is: him talking about how stupid some things/some people are (and that this makes terrorists want to bomb us). It was a disappointment and a waste of money.

I received the audiobook version of this as a present. Starts off kindof slow and there are some slow parts throughout, but this is funny as hockey sticks for any guy who admits to being a guy. I almost drove off the road laughing while listening to parts of it. Women with a good sense of humor who appreciate the inherent differences between the genders may find this funny, but in general it's for men. If you don't appreciate vulgarity, then don't buy this book. If you pride yourself on being politically correct, then don't buy this book. But, if you are a heterosexual male who enjoys being a heterosexual male, or want to get a present for the aforementioned, then you should buy this book. (Note that there is nothing anti-gay in this, and there is a rant that gay marriage should be just as valid as traditional ones.) Anyway, if you're a guy who spends a good bit of time driving, then get the audiobook version of this, but pull over for the funniest parts.

Dennis Leary covers a large assortment of topics including all areas of entertainment, politics, life, and celebrity. The theme of the book is in line with Leary's stand-up style which should give you a good idea of what to expect. If you are unfamiliar with Dennis Leary, he comes across like Jerry Seinfeld's surly cousin; observational humor with a tone of irritability.

Leary is very funny at times, but I would not rate this book very high in comparison to those from many other well known comedians. Too many of Leary's jokes tend to be aimed at shock value instead of quality wit or genuine humor. While some elements leave you laughing out loud, most of the routine in just exceptionally long-winded, often requiring pages of reading before punch lines are delivered. Leary is the master of tedious rants, but this book could have been vastly improved had he edited out many of the lackluster segments.

The book started well, with a major rant against American celebrity. Just what the Doctor ordered.

Very quickly though, the book derails into a 'this was my upbringing, it was good enough for me why not kids today?' rant.

I would be happy to real a Denis Leary autobiography, but its not what I thought I was getting with this book.

Also as a generation down from Leary, I'm just so totally over, ready to violently dismantle the whole "We're too good to childrens these days in my day I ____" (insert warmed bare feet in cowpats in the snow, starting metal working at age five, or working 1,000 jobs to support the family"

Yes previous generations did have it worse than ours, and thats been happening from around 200 years ago and the agriculture revolution, now make up your minds and decide whether you want the human race to acutally have improved lives as the generations develop or do you just want an endless repeat of your life?

Ok my rant out of the way. Leary's childhood is fairly basic fare, and a little self-congratulatory, eventually we get back to other more interesting 'cultural' ranting, all with characteristic Leary style.

Ultimately reading this book is like listening to I'm an A**hole twenty times on slightly different topics. Its hard to believe that anyone got offended by this book given that its so obviously an angry rant rather than an informed opinion (bear in mind I'm a proud to be PC, side with the offended type person)

Eventually the tone of the book gets old, there are some pretty good gags throughout (especially the William Defoe look alike ones) but overall I can only say average.

This is great Dennis Leary material. If you like Dennis Leary's comedy routines, you'll like this one.

But buy the audio book rather than the print version. Dennis Leary reads the audio book and his delivery adds a major something extra to the material.

I have a 40 minute commute to and from work and I usually pass the time listening to audio books. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. This is a great audio book for commuting and/ot travelling.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading this book. I love Denis Leary's sense of humor and he writes just the way he speaks, which some people can't figure out how to do. Sarcasm is great and Leary uses it a lot. The stories involving his mother were great reads. He had a lot of funny things to talk about from his past and I enjoyed reading what he thinks of other situations. I have been a fan of Leary for a long time and I'm glad this book didn't let me down.

The subtitle of this book really says it all, and Denis Leary's pull-no-punches approach will have you deliriously giddy as he takes aim at the dumb, the lazy, the fat, bullies, fertility-treatment patients, and cat lovers that make up so much of our society. (When you see the list of who he aims his superbly biting wit at, there really isn't anyone left unscathed. And it's great.) EVeryone is fair game and truthfully, what Leary has to say isn't malicious--it's just true!

This is honestly one of the best comedian books I've ever read! I've never had a BOOK make me laugh so much. But the comedy wasn't the only thing that made the book good. Dr. Leary touched on a lot of subjects that trouble the average American in today's age. From parenting to stereotypes, he poked his sarcastic finger into the chest of everything he could make fun of. Then, he made serious subjects humorous. Leary mostly wrote towards men, speaking of women, wives, and sports, but that's not to say that the book cannot be enjoyed by the better gender also. This is not a read for someone who doesn't enjoy any of the "old Denis Leary" material. He still has the same style, sarcastic, vulgar, and "ranty". I personally don't know of the old him (I'm only 21), but I gave the novel a shot because of the catchy title. I was all around pleased, and couldn't put the book down. Hope he's not done with his writing career.

Irish-American actor/comedian Denis Leary takes no prisoners in this autobiographical debut, covering his life from boyhood to parenthood, as well as bombarding the reader with opinions on everything Oprah to autism. While not as deviously funny as his live stand-up stuff, it still provides some laughs and shines with the eviscerating wit that his fans know and love.

Despite my loathing for the choice of title, this book is spot-on from start to finish. If you like Leary and have a drop of Irish blood, you will love it. One line, about why boys fight, is worth the entire book.

I sank into this book and loved it! Dennis Leary doesn't allow himself to be distracted by our increasingly complicated world. He sticks to the basic facts of life and, yes, he makes fun of those of us who make excuses for self-indulgent lives.

The autisim thing so many people are angry about? I have two autistic nephews and he wasn't talking about them. He's talking about parents who can't be bothered to do their best to raise their kids as best they can and help them find ways to live productivly even with Autisim or ADD etc.

He's not only intelligent, he's one of the more preceptive men on the planet. It may have taken him 25 years but it finally dawned on him that the way to get on with women is to simply go with the flow of the more complicated way women think, and worry, and emote. A lot of men seem to think women want men to think more like women but that's not true. Women want men to respect, and tolerate, and even enjoy, as Dennis has learned to do, the tangled web that is a woman's mind.
Notice I didn't say he has to understand the workings of a woman's mind. That would be asking the impossible.

In my opinion a great deal of the trouble between men and women is because men want women to think in the blunt and simple way men do and dismiss the more complicted workings of the feminine mind as "silly woman's nonsense".

I've no doubt his wife is a fantastic lady just as he says she is, but she's also extreamly lucky to have found a man like him. His parent's raised him right.

And I did love what he said about the Pope etc. So very true. Too bad drawing and quartering is out of fashion in that case.

This book delivers as promised. It finds a way to offend everybody and every imaginable grouping of everybodys.

But it does so in a nice, mostly entertaining way. It makes us laugh---at ourselves and at others.

And isn't that what the old TV show, "All In The Family" did? Offended nearly everyone and made us find a way to laugh at ourselves? And, doing so, find some measure of common ground?

That's what this book does: Meathead meets Archie Bunker in one long rant, 240 pages worth, guaranteed to make you laugh, make you smile and, a times think, "Oooh, Don't believe I'da said that..."

There's something here for everybody

This is Dennis Leary, thoughtful, machine-gun fast, and hilarious.
He covers a wide range of topics.

The most important aspect of the cd is that he does it stand-up style.
You would think you were listening to one of his live shows.
Why is this important? I've listened to another huge comic and that was read as if it was a boring old medical seminar.

If Dennis does all of his future books for cd, Itunes, or whatever, as long as it is out loud, this is the preferred method for his content.

Comedy is like music, it depends on your taste. This book is all tongue-in-cheek, with a title like that, how could it not be? So you either read it and say: "well, he's got a point there, my kid is fat because I take her to McD's all the time" or you say: "what an idiot! It's McD's fault that my kid is fat, it couldn't be because I can't say no when my kid asks to go there."

Simple: This book is accurate to the very end. It is true--but the first few pages tell you to "laugh" and "not be offended." Forget that. This book is EXACTLY true. A commentary on the human species. The bad part: The punctuation of the book, its formatting, and paragraph style make it hard to read. (I took off one star for that).

Dr. Denis Leary accentuates a number of very important themes in what I can only describe as the best self-help book ever.

The conversations with his mother are my favorite parts.

Everyone will find a topic/point-of-view that you will disagree with in this book, but nothing was ever solved by agreeing all the time.

The most disappointing book I have ever read. Please, do not read this book. Just go to urban dictionary and read as many disturbing definitions as you possibly can. The book bashes woman, non-drug users, people who do not believe in casual sex, and autistic children. The worst part is he sounds like an insane idiot ranting about the most obviously dysfunctional parts of society. If there was any depth to his pointless discussions, the book would have been better, but he makes absolutely no educated points whatsoever. I am not religious or politically opinionated, and the book was very offensive. He thinks the president should be able to prove that he has tried coke and weed. He gives the most disgusting description of children possible and probably does not have any faith in any form of intelligent lifeforms whatsoever. He basically thinks anyone reading his book must be a lazy, stupid, uneducated idiot and takes the time to periodically insult the reader. If one wants to read depressing material, go read Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, and get a dose of literary merit along with the most sour viewpoint of life and society possible.

Funny at times, then it goes into extended lulls that seem to be just filler. Some chapters seem a rehash of previous ones. Somewhat disappointing overall. And....if Mr. Leary is reading, we know you think your wife is hot and you are trying to make her happy; but do you have to kiss her butt in every chapter? The best parts of the book poke fun at things and this is so opposite the rest of the book I don't get it.

The moment I start taking my own insanity too seriously I turn to Denis Leary as a surefire cure, and I'm out of myself and over myself in no time. It must have been really satisfying for him to write this book, because it's so liberating to read it. It is very important that these things are said, not just because they are hilarious, but because they are incredibly insightful and controversial. His work illuminates perfectly how precious is our right to free speech. So, thank you Denis Leary, you shining star of the First Amendment. Thanks for proving once again how great it is to be in this country, where we are able to read and to write and to think and express ourselves freely, no matter who gets pissed off. Fabulously funny book, written by a remarkably smart man.

Virginia Oliver
Alexandria, Virginia

This book definitely is filled with information that most sane Americans already think and say every time they watch the news or read the paper. After 30 pages I was so uninterested I stopped reading. It is obvious that Leary is not that far removed from the other "celebutards" he writes about. He clearly wrote the book to make money (nothing wrong with that) but if he cared about what he published he never would have had this hit the shelves. Each page has huge margins, skipped lines, and extra spacing. He probably wrote this in a week and cashed huge checks because of it. Using his celebrity status in this way is just as bad as what the people he makes fun of do.

I really wanted to like this book because I enjoyed Leary's "Lock n' Load" and "No Cure for Cancer" CDs, but it's not to be.

<SPOILERS ahead!>
For a book that bills itself as taking no prisoners, respecting no sides, and being edgy, Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid is none of these things. It's a boringly predictable bit of standup in which Leary repeats variations on the same themes (George Bush sucks, the Catholic church sucks, old Hollywood actors and actresses suck, fat people suck, etc.).

If you're going to write a book that takes no prisoners, it's pretty gutless if you only thump Republicans while giving Democrats a pass. For instance, Leary has no problem with homosexuals, but when he needs to poke fun at them it's Republican Larry Craig he chooses--what, Barney Frank and his boy toy Steve Gobie (who ran a prostitution ring out of the senator's apartment) couldn't be played for laughs?

George Bush gets repeated and unjustified savaging (as in Leary posts lies about Bush that would have been acceptable if he'd done the same to Democrats). Now, when you think about it, Bush is about as safe a target as it's possible to pick since Leary's clearly a Liberal who's afraid of ticking off his pals. Savaging Obama, *that* would have been courageous and certainly there's enough to criticize.

But Leary picked the safe route and dumped on Bush while writing an ode to Slick Willy and his fondness for sexually harassing employees, lying to the American people and suborning perjury to prevent a woman he harassed from getting a fair hearing in court.

I'm kidding of course, Leary thinks what those nasty Republicans did to Clinton was just a scandal about sex, just like any mind-numbed Liberal Democrat.

Hollywood stars and starlets, about whom you'd think he could have based the book entirely on, get nothin' but love. Again, way to wimp out.

Finally, Leary rants endlessly about the Catholic church, which is a pretty safe target these days, but he ends up displaying a huge yellow streak down his back when he admits that he won't attack Islam because those guys actually kill people. Way to be edgy and speak truth to power, Denis!

There are some good moments when he's talking about his folks. Also there's a surprising bit where he tells women who have kids that they should stay home and take care of them rather than getting a job. But otherwise the book is predictable to the point of being boring and safe to the point of timidity when dealing with subjects that could have gotten him in trouble with his Liberal pals.

On the plus side, the audiobook is well produced and Leary's delivery is as good as any of his standup performances.