This year's presidential campaign is, like most things nowadays, filled with record breakers. No matter how things go down in November, the winners will fill history books, either as the first non-white president, the first female vice president, or...the oldest non-incumbent president. Okay, so that last one probably won't be pointed out in text books, but it sure does open the doors to this funny little book: 72 Things Younger Than John McCain, by Joe Quint.
Note: This is not a review about politics, nor does it reflect on my political views. I picked up this book one day because it looked FUNNY, and I have no problem laughing at (or with) people on both ends of the political spectrum.
Contents
This book starts off with a brief introduction by Joe Quint, explaining how he got the idea for this book. Back in April, when he was campaigning for Obama in Pennsylvania, he and another campaigner started joking around at lunch about John McCain's age, and what kinds of things were invented in his lifetime. From there, Quint created a blog with this idea: http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com. Then came the quickly-produced book 72 Things Younger Than John McCain, highlighting 72 items from his blog, one for each year of McCain's life.
72 Things Younger Than John McCain is a 128 page booklet, with each page or two-page spread featuring a short paragraph explaining the item on that spread, as well as a related picture. Some of the items are silly, such as m&m's, chocolate chip cookies, Cheerios and nachos, while other items are surprising, because it's hard to believe that there are people still alive who had to brush their teeth with something other than a nylon-bristled toothbrush in the early years.
For those interested in laws and such, some items of interest might be that minimum wage, the 40 hour work-week and the AARP were all invented during John McCain's lifetime. Others might be surprised that there was a day before area codes and zip codes. One of the most interesting entries to me was:
By law, many Federal employees.
According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Title 29 of U.S.C. Section 633a states that agencies are (permitted) “to establish a maximum age requirement only in instances where they have proven to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that age is a bona fide occupational qualification necessary for the performance of the duties of a particular position.
Um, OK - I can think of such a position.
The most shocking entry for me was the one stating that Keith Richards is younger than John McCain. This did not shock me so much because of the comparison between the two gentlemen, but because Keith looks well into his seventies. I guess some people age better than others.
Final Thoughts
It's pretty clear by the title of the book that 72 Things Younger Than John McCain falls in the humor genre, although it should also be clear that Quint has a political agenda. As the above passage illustrates, he is definitely looking to influence voters' decisions with the information in this book. Several entries end with snarky remarks meant to turn people away from McCain.
If you are a die-hard McCain fan who is not willing to look at the age thing lightly, this is not the book for you. Obviously, this book will be an entertaining read for Obama fans. For others, who enjoy a good laugh at a politician's expense, regardless of political party, 72 Things Younger Than John McCain will definitely give you something to laugh at next time you're stuck waiting for the bus, subway, doctor, etc.
I read this book in about 20 minutes while my daughter was playing with the trains at the book store, so it is definitely a quick read. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a coffee table book, since the quality of materials is cheap and will probably not last long, but it would make a good bathroom reader.
Recommended: Yes
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