The New New Rules

October 31, 2011
Controversial ultra-liberal comedian Maher follows his acerbic New Rules collection with more irreverent musings adapted from his popular weekly HBO show Real Time. Addressing his pet peeves from 2005 to the present, the book tackles everything from The Jersey Shore, to Ted Haggard, to porn addiction, to Rick Perry, as Maher traverses what things irritates him most and ruin his American experience. His alphabetized rules are interrupted by longer screeds, including his 2005 foresight about the financial and foreclosure crises of 2008, and a get-out-now letter to Levi Johnston, who fathered Bristol Palin's baby, around the time of the 2008 Republican National Convention. The nonlinear nature of the book takes readers back and forth through the later years of the Bush Administration and the first three of the Obama Administration, showcasing Maher's consistently unforgiving wordplay, snark, and strangely self-aware humility. His satire can be surprisingly humane, though he never misses the opportunity to pun, which makes every entry capable of surprise. The fearless and honest Maher remains the best cultural critic since George Carlin, and his most recent effort is as hilarious as it is precise.

January 2, 2012
“New Rule: Stop putting religious statues on the front lawn. Whoever said there are no virgins left in L.A. has never been to a Mexican neighborhood: there’s one in every yard.” Maher’s passionate rants have never been so addictive as in this inspired performance by the master of late-night talk-show controversy. Taking on everyone from god-fearing Christians to overzealous baseball fans that name their children after ballparks, Maher speaks his mind as only he can. Unabashed and unapologetic, Maher’s performance is as entertaining as his HBO program. Luckily, the new rules keep coming and coming and Maher wisely avoids overly long tirades; the laughs are endless in this thought-provoking work. A Blue Rider hardcover.