November 30, 2010 / Leslie

Review: Earth: A Visitors Guide To The Human Race

Earth by Jon Stewart

A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race

Genre: Humor, Satire
Published: Hachette Audio, September 2010
Format: Audio Book 3 hrs. 38 min.
Rating: 3 of 5

Aliens have finally discovered Earth long after the human race has gone extinct. Instead of finding humans, they find a deserted planet and a book left for them by Jon Stewart and The Daily Show crew. It’s a guide to understanding our species. Science, government, culture, religion, no topic is off limits.

I listened to the audiobook version and while I liked it, and few parts were laugh-out-loud funny, it wasn’t up to what I expected from Jon Stewart and company. Although I found it to be funny, irreverent, and often sarcastic, it was missing a lot of the wit that I enjoy on The Daily Show. Too much of the humor was sophomoric and immature; toilet humor to be more exact. If you’re not familiar with The Daily Show, there is a bit of politically incorrect humor here and it’s not for the easily offended, especially those with strong feelings about a few touchy subjects; religion and sex come to mind.

I thought perhaps I was missing something by listening to the audiobook and not seeing the accompanying graphics in the book so I went to the library and checked out a copy of it. The print version contains lots of pictures and illustrations and would make a nice coffee table book. But no, it didn’t change my opinion. In fact, I liked the audiobook better. It was read by Jon Stewart, the Daily Show correspondents, and Sigourney Weaver. Jon Stewart did a nice job chatting with the aliens with his deadpan serious delivery. I’m a big fan of The Daily Show and these guys can make me laugh, just not as much as I expected I would.

Did I like the book? Yes. Did I expect it to be better? Yes. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you’re already a fan you’ll probably enjoy it. If Jon Stewart is new to you, check this out from the library and see if you like it.