Life > November 15, 2007

By Michael Berkowitz | Contributing writer

Stephen Colbert’s book I Am America (And So Can You!) brings Colbert’s faux right-wing egotist persona to the page. The transition is not an entirely smooth one since much of the charm of the Colbert character comes from his delivery.

In his new book, I Am American (And So Can You!), Stephen Colbert uses his TV persona to write satiracally about political issues.

However, the book still captures the spirit of the show, and fans will not be disappointed.

Before I go insane, I will say for simplicity’s sake, “Colbert” will refer to the character and “the author” will refer to the actor.

The book serves as a sort of Colbert Bible, guiding the reader through the character’s beliefs.

Neatly divided into chapters and with a helpful index, the book provides an opportunity for the “Colbert Nation” to cite Colbert’s opinions in any political or moral argument. As he writes, “Then it’s two against one, and we win.”

The book uses similar formatting techniques to Jon Stewart’s America (The Book), including footnotes, end of chapter games and notes in the margin to help soften the fairly straightforward satire of the text.

Unlike the Stewart book, however, I Am America is limited by the scope of the Colbert character.

The author tries to include humor beyond that provided by Colbert’s pomposity but can not avoid the fact that Colbert is supposed to be writing the book.

As a result, Colbert is constantly self-reverential, overtly biased and consistently ludicrous.

Yes, that’s the same character he plays on the show, except that often the best moments on The Colbert Report are when the façade disappears and the actor shows through the mask.

Those moments of humanity make it easier to laugh along with the absurdity.

Still while the jokes about self-promotion wear thin as do his many attempts to advertise within the book (Chevron: The Gas with Techron Sports Chapter), his take on politics is filled with memorable one liners.

As an attack on homosexuality, he argues that man is made in God’s image and that God is not gay. Proof he says, comes from the role of God in the biblical story of Moses. “He turned Moses’ ‘staff’ into a ‘serpent’ ... “If he was gay, it’d be the other way around.”

Unfortunately, he loses most of the subtle, painfully funny satire that he brings to television. Most of the jokes, similar to the one above, are gags.

At the end of the book is a transcript of his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The transcript reveals the shortcomings of the book, as the speech, which was very funny and biting (YouTube it if you have read this far and haven’t seen it) falls flat without his delivery.

The sprawling book covers topics from animals to sex and even sex with animals. Colbert sometimes covers topics perfectly: his views on sex and science (against both, of course) provided numerous chuckles. The total number of hits outweighs the misses, but the book is far from the author’s comedic best.

It reads like an extended version of the correspondent boxes in America (the Book). As a result, it is a poorly delivered joke. That delivery is no fault of Colbert, but his use of a medium constraining his talents.

Ultimately, like Colbert’s show, I Am America (And So Can You!) should be treated as episodic. This is not The Da Vinci Code, which can be read in one sitting but rather a book that deserves its own breathing time.

A chapter or two could serve as a perfect study break. Or, as Colbert would hope, it may help stem the tide of tears that comes in knowing that his show will be on hiatus until the conclusion of the writers’ strike.