Al Franken : giant of the Senate

Title:

Author:

Summary:

"A book about an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that. This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves."-- Jacket.

General Note:

Includes index.

Edition:

First hardcover edition.

Contents:

Why I'm a Democrat -- How I became a comedian -- Saturday Night Live (not the drug part) -- Saturday Night Live (the drug part) -- Saturday Night Live (the part where I leave) -- Paul -- A 99 percent improvement -- Year of the bean feed -- The DeHumorizer(TM) -- I attempt to litigate comedy -- Hermann the German and the pill-out couch -- No joke -- Harry and Chuck -- Icarus soars -- Twixt cup and lip -- Public opprobrium -- My first powwow -- Tax-dodging, rape-joking pornographer for Senate -- Franni saves the campaign -- "Has it gotten that bad?!" -- "It's close, it's very close" -- The recount -- Welcome to the NFL -- I actually become a senator -- My first big win* -- What gets me out of bed in the morning -- The case of Perry Mason's lost case -- The angel and the devil -- Never give the staff credit -- Letting my id run amok -- I screw up -- Operation curdle -- Health care: now what? -- I meet George W. Bush -- The 64 percent rule -- My Republican friends -- Sophistry -- Bulletproof -- Cracks in my soul -- The Koch brothers hate your grandchildren -- No whining on the yacht -- I win awards -- We build a DeHumorizer(TM) -- I get reelected -- Lies and the lying liar who got himself elected President -- I attend a presidential inauguration -- Being as good as the people we serve.

Physical Description:

vi, 406 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Personal Subject:

Franken, Al.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Congress. Senate -- Biography.

Publisher:

Twelve,

Publication Date:

2017

ISBN:

9781455540419

9781538759981

Publication Information:

New York : Twelve, 2017.

Call Number:

923 FRANKEN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003239004	Adult Nonfiction	923 FRANKEN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum -- comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.

"Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." -- Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.

Author Notes

Al Franken was born in 1951 and grew up in Minnesota. He got his start in show business in high school, when he began performing stand-up comedy. He attended Harvard University, but his comic talent went unrecognized by the school's famous Harvard Lampoon, which rejected him. Undaunted, Franken continued to do stand-up with a friend from high school, Tom Davis.

Franken and Davis became celebrities when Lorne Michaels discovered their act and hired them for his new show, Saturday Night Live. In addition to doing the stand-up, Franken wrote many funny skits, including Chevy Chase's famous Gerald Ford bits, and created memorable characters like Stuart Smalley.

Franken's ability to write comedy translated into a best-selling success with his political satire, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. The book has sold almost one million copies. His other books include The Truth (with jokes), and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate.

Franken was elected to the U. S. Senate representing Minnesota in 2009.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this excellent, insightful memoir, comedian turned senator Franken recalls his unlikely path to public service. He was raised in a middle-class family in a Minneapolis suburb, tried to launch his comedy career while still an undergraduate at Harvard University, and found success when he landed a gig in 1975 as one of the original script writers on Saturday Night Live. He and his colleagues, some of them fueled by alcohol and drugs, indulged in late-night writing sessions that made the show's sketches part of the cultural lexicon. The heart of this memoir is Franken's decision to move back to Minnesota from New York City to run for the U.S. Senate against the Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman. Franken's decision seemed rather quixotic at first, and the 2008 campaign was notable for GOP denunciations of Franken's satirical writings as well as his wife's public disclosure of her struggles with alcoholism. Coleman initially won by 725 votes, which triggered an automatic recount that gave Franken the victory by 312 votes. Due to repeated legal challenges from Coleman, however, Franken wasn't seated until July 2009. Not surprisingly, Franken is quite a raconteur, and he tells the story of his remarkable life and times with a sense of humor that is always irreverent and often self-deprecating. One thing is no joke, however: he's very serious about his job representing the people of Minnesota. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Foreword	p. 1
1 Why I'm a Democrat	p. 5
2 How I Became a Comedian	p. 10
3 Saturday Night Live (Not the Drug Part)	p. 21
4 Saturday Night Live (The Drug Part)	p. 30
5 Saturday Night Live (The Part Where I Leave)	p. 39
6 Paul	p. 46
7 A 99 Percent Improvement	p. 51
8 Year of the Bean Feed	p. 63
9 The DeHumorizer™	p. 75
10 I Attempt to Litigate Comedy	p. 86
11 Hermann the German and the Pull-Out Couch	p. 91
12 No Joke	p. 98
13 Harry and Chuck	p. 100
14 Icarus Soars	p. 109
15 Twixt Cup and Lip	p. 114
16 Public Opprobrium	p. 119
17 My First Powwow	p. 136
18 Tax-Dodging, Rape-Joking Pornographer for Senate	p. 145
19 Franni Saves the Campaign	p. 152
20 "Has It Gotten That Bad?!"	p. 160
21 "It's Close, It's Very Close"	p. 168
22 The Recount	p. 172
23 Welcome to the NFL	p. 182
24 I Actually Become a Senator	p. 186
25 My First Big Win*	p. 190
26 What Gets Me out of Bed in the Morning	p. 196
27 The Case of Perry Mason's Lost Case	p. 199
28 The Angel and the Devil	p. 203
29 Never Give the Staff Credit	p. 212
30 Letting My Id Run Amok	p. 219
31 I Screw Up	p. 229
32 Operation Curdle	p. 235
33 Health Care: Now What?	p. 247
34 I Meet George W. Bush	p. 267
35 The 64 Percent Rule	p. 271
36 My Republican Friends	p. 283
37 Sophistry	p. 293
38 Bulletproof	p. 308
39 Cracks in My Soul	p. 314
40 The Koch Brothers Hate Your Grandchildren	p. 329
41 No Whining on the Yacht	p. 335
42 I Win Awards	p. 344
43 We Build a DeHumorizer™	p. 349
44 I Get Reelected	p. 359
45 Lies and the Lying Liar Who Got Himself Elected President	p. 367
46 I Attend a Presidential Inauguration	p. 376
47 Being as Good as the People We Serve	p. 386
Acknowledgments	p. 393
Index	p. 397

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Table of Contents