Reading isn’t something that is classified as exciting, funny, or a valid excuse worth staying home for on a Saturday night. But in the case of Dave Barry Hits Below The Beltway, there may be one exception. Even those who hate reading will have a hard time trying to put this book down. Unless of course they die laughing before they reach the end of the first chapter.

The premise of this book mainly focuses on making fun of the government, lawyers and other stupid and detestable figures such as politicians or friends of politicians — mainly the ones who are lawyers. He cracks on anything related to the government.

Dave Barry mocks, in separate chapters, the origins of government, the birth of the United States, the U.S. Government, Washington, D.C., the election process and the typical political campaigns.

But of course, even mentioning these topics gets boring, let alone reading about it.

Fortunately, Barry knows exactly how to take something so boring and simple and turn it into a clear-cut, clever and hilarious explanation that a college student with an IQ ½ of cottage cheese can understand.

For example, he explains the Historic Peace accord as having “the life span of a duck in a trash compactor,” or about the earlier Europeans and how gold and silver were the “Pokemon cards of the 15th and 16th centuries.”

Barry helps you understand the underlying importance of American history in a sarcastic and satirical fashion. He also masters the art of relating it to an updated comparison like when he explains that Pilgrims’ hats resemble traffic cones.

Barry also has no fear of straying from the typical politically correct humor.

He masters a skill that many writer/comedians tend to fall behind on.

He knows how to evoke the unpredictability of his humor in his writing. Most importantly, he knows how to poke fun at anything.

The best example of this would have to be about the typical political campaign and the confusion of the 2000 election process (old people), and lawyers.

The only drawback of this book would be that Barry goes on about a small topic in depths that by the end, the reader forgets what the paragraph was about.

Luckily, after anything that tends to confuse the reader, he provides funny and simple charts. And, if there is no chart, he is courageous enough to make fun of himself.

At the end of one chapter he says, “this chapter has already gone on way too long.”

If you like zucchini, you’ll love the many references and pictures of giant prehistoric zucchini for no apparent reason.

Anyone who knows good humor will enjoy this hilarious stand-up comedy in the form of a book.

Contact Lukasz Sokolewiczat oraclescene@yahoo.com