The Simpsons and Society

The Simpsons and Society is a nice essay on how "The Simpsons" relates to our current culture. But that's about it. If you've read every other book about The Simpsons and Society, you should devour this one, too. If you're looking for deeper meaning or good laughs about The Simpsons, check out my list of best Simpsons books instead.

I looked forward to reading this book to learn something about The Simpsons and Society that I didn't already know. I looked forward to witty or intelligent writing. I was disappointed on both fronts.

Yes, Mr. Keslowitz knows The Simpsons inside and out. He can quote just about any line from any episode. But he only ties those quotes together, like playing connect the dots, to prove his "point" about Homer Simpson being a good father or Mr. Burns infinite hunger only being mental and not physical. The connectors are words from the thesauras, commas and good grammar.

Even more frustrating than reading stuff I already knew, was reading viewpoints I completely disagreed with. Right off the bat in chapter one, he writes, "Homer's insightful humor almost enables viewers to forget his lack of intelligence -- that is, of course, until he does something stupid (like putting nuclear waste on his guns in the "tomacco" episode.)"

How many of you ever forget that Homer is stupid? I know I never do. I sort of think that's the whole point of the character: He's a stupid guy who has a good heart (usually) and stumbles into unbelievable situations that sometimes work in his favor. In fact, there was an entire episode devoted to the ironic idea of Homer being smart in HOMR. Why ironic? Because it's ludicrous!

As I said, the book is a nice essay full of funny quotes. If you have some time in a waiting room or on an airplane, but all means use this to pass it.