Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of The Planet Earth, 73rd Edition features incorrect statistics on all of the Earth's 168, 182, or 196 independent nations.
It also features maps, including a fold-out world map at actual size. Readers will learn about every country from Afghanistan, "Allah's Cat Box," to the Ukraine, "The Bridebasket of Europe."
Today's news-parody consumer cannot possibly understand made-up current events without the context of fake world history and geography. That is why The Onion is publishing a world atlas: to help us.
Our Dumb World is an invaluable tool for any reader interested in overthrowing a weakened government in East Asia, exploiting a developing nation in Africa, or for directions to tonight's party at Erica's. It is a reference guide to 250,000 of the world's most important places, such as North Korea's Trench of Victory, the Great Human Pyramid of Egypt, and Saudi Arabia's superhighway, the Mohammedobahn.
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"First of all, a warning to the wise: if you don't believe that no-holds-barred, anything-goes humor is possible, don't read the book. I mean it...just don't even try. That said, if you're like me and you like to laugh even when you want to cry simultaneously, you'll love this book! The Onion is the "world's leading humor publication," and it upholds its reputation with this book, which is a mock atlas of every country of the world. The Onion's smart-ass assessment of each nation is brutal, crude, and merciless, while at the same time being hilarious, clever, and even (really?) poignant. My favorites? France, "One Nation Above God"; Saudi Arabia, "All Is Forbidden"; and Vatican City, "The Catholic Disneyland.""
— Katie (5 out of 5 stars)
“The best parody since the National Lampoon published its phony newspaper, the Dacron Republican-Democrat, in 1978…It is skewed, buffoonish, raging, mocking, and often ridiculous. It is not factual, fair, or balanced. It just rings true.”
— Daily Beast“Raises the bar for topical humor…Known for their savage, irreverent newspaper parody, the Onion staff delight in playing up stereotypes and skewering perceptions, and they have picked an enormous playground in which to do so; this skewed world atlas complies enough fictional facts to tickle—and probably offend—just about everyone…Eminently browsable and compulsively rereadable, this is an essential book for fans of Stewart, Colbert, and (of course) the Onion.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Cheekily deflates the egos and efforts of every land on earth in a mock-educational melee of geopolitical and cultural hatchet-jobbery…The Onion will bring tears to most listeners’ eyes with this offering.”
— AudioFile" Easily the funniest book I've ever read. "
— Matthew, 2/18/2014" This book is hillarious! If you like Jon Stewart's America, Stephen Colbert's book, and the like you will love the Onion's Atlas of the World. "
— Ellie, 2/6/2014" Excellent Satire! Often hilarious. "
— Robert, 2/4/2014" Best. Encyclopedic Atlas. Ever. "
— Layne, 2/4/2014" I don't know if it's considered blasphemous to award five stars to a humor book, but in the world of humor books, the Onion people have put together a masterpiece. I read this book casually over a period of four months, and there was plenty of material to keep me occupied. Each country has enough sly comic whimsy to cover seven or eight issues of The Onion, and in many cases (like the U.S. entry) much, much more. And there are a lot of countries, it turns out. (I was never much for geography.) My favorite entry? Suriname. "
— Dru, 1/31/2014" I don't think it is possible to actually read this entire book. As always The Onion goes over the top in presentation with every little nook and cranny being filled up with hilarious stuff. This book is great as a coffee table book. I think I'd get overwhelmed if I sat down and tried to read it straight through. From wonderful comments about countries (Canada - See U.S. on pages 9-12, Ethiopia: Africa's Extended Belly) to spoofing on world politics (Now Bono Awareness Rated!) it is just a fun read especially if you have a great sense of humour. I'm moving into the read section just because I'm crazy about organization but I'll be flipping through and appreciating it for a long time. "
— Robin, 1/26/2014" Funny in many places - and often hitting a little too close to home - this is definitely an Onion book. Read this one in little bites - too much of a good thing is overkill. I especially liked the look at the regions of the U.S. (very enlightening), but my favorite entry was the one on Tonga, which editors claim to have made up entirely. "
— Jennifer, 1/23/2014" Simply brilliant, but I would say that. "
— Duncan, 1/17/2014" LOL!! "
— Creatingadream, 1/10/2014" In Our Dumb World, the humorists over at The Onion debase the respective fields of cartography and geography. Their work is, as always, uneven, but, at its best, this Atlas is hilarious. "
— BGP, 12/21/2013" It was funny at the beginning but as it continued it got more and more lame. Although the section on Contra was hilarious. "
— Royce, 12/17/2013" I love The Onion. Everything they come out with, I love. They're clever, and funny, and smart. Did I mention love? "
— Cassandra, 11/25/2013" Hahaha... I'm going to Hell. "
— Nicole, 11/23/2013" My favorite country subheading, on the Canada page: "for the United States, see page 21." "
— Nathan, 11/19/2013" Every page can make you laugh and learn something interesting. The writers are ingenious. "
— LiEng, 10/21/2013" When satire meets reality and continues towards its insanely logical conclusion is the mark of The Onion. "
— Fjorthur, 6/15/2013" Hilarious, witty and poignant. Sometimes goes too far, but I guess that is the point. "
— John, 5/18/2013" This book is hilarious to me in the spot-on insight it gives with its offensiveness. It hurts to laugh at it not because it's awful or overly mean, but because you know that every joke holds an unspoken truth. It's funny because everybody really DOES suck in their own unique way. "
— Slavoj, 4/15/2013" Laugh out loud funny at times, but as a whole stupid. "
— Moira, 4/6/2013" Very funny, especially on eAudio. I liked the Luxemborg section the best, but they were all good. "
— Virginia, 3/8/2013" This is potentially the funniest book I have ever read. It's heavy on the rape jokes, though. The Onion writers are way, way too fond of rape jokes. "
— Christian, 2/27/2013" Riotous. Explodes every extant stereotype about every extant nation. "
— Jack, 9/30/2012" This is the funniest damn thing I've ever read. If you're anal about political correctness, it will offend you and your self-righteous constitution. "
— Jay, 6/16/2012" Roflcopter! "
— Lauren, 2/25/2012" Hilarious! I read it on CD which only added to this humorous and satiric book. "
— Me, 1/14/2012" Heh. This atlas makes me laugh almost as much as the Rand-McNally Road Atlas '05! "
— Windy, 12/4/2011" I bought this book as a gift and couldn't stop laughing as I flipped through it. Very, very funny if you like The Onion's humor. "
— Jill, 11/26/2011" Gimicky as these type books are, they always make me laugh. "
— cindy, 3/31/2011" Sure, it doesn't carry the laser-beam focus and freshness of The Onion's "Our Dumb Century" before it, but "Our Dumb World" is just as packed with genuinely hilarious jokery. "
— Stan, 2/9/2011" Hilarious! I read it on CD which only added to this humorous and satiric book. "
— Mythyagain, 1/26/2011" In <em>Our Dumb World</em>, the humorists over at The Onion debase the respective fields of cartography and geography. Their work is, as always, uneven, but, at its best, this Atlas is hilarious. "
— BGP, 12/28/2010" This book is just awesome. I listened to it on cd (cus, ya know, reading hurts my brain) and it's very funny in that format. Recommended to history and geography buffs, and anyone else who knows, deep-down, that America is the Best, Fattest, Dumbest, and most Funniest nation on Earth! "
— Justin, 12/17/2010" A very funny book from some of my favorite people...Gotta love THE ONION! "
— Randy, 10/21/2010" Laugh at our ridiculous world and how truly small we all really are. "
— Rayna, 8/19/2010" This is a book that will grow on you. Warning...it is totally and completely offensive. If you're cool with that, you will like this book. "
— Borax, 6/22/2010" This book is a joke that gets old fast. Every country is insulted equally. It's a dumb book. "
— Florence, 4/12/2010" “The Onion” takes on the world, literally, in this twisted geography book. Incidentally, this volume contains my very favorite “Onion” photograph, ever: The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro with two automatic weapons clutched in his hands, gangsta-style. Awesome. "
— Peacegal, 3/31/2010" Hilarious. If you like the Onion, you'll like this book. And if you don't, what's wrong with you?? "
— Katie, 2/23/2010" Irreverent and hilarious. And recommended by David Sedaris. I read bits when I need a good laugh. "
— Nori, 1/21/2010Every week, three million readers turn to the world’s most popular news organization for a much-needed dose of Onion news and entertainment coverage. In a history spanning fifteen years, six popular books, and ten Webby Awards, The Onion has attracted legions of loyal fans drawn to its fearless reporting and scathing commentary on world events, human behavior, and journalistic convention.
Laurie Keller is the acclaimed author-illustrator of Do Unto Otters; Arnie, the Doughnut; and The Scrambled States of America, among numerous others. She grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, and always loved to draw, paint, and write stories. She earned a BFA at Kendall College of Art and Design, then worked at Hallmark as a greeting card illustrator for over seven years, until one night she got an idea for a children’s book. She quit her job, moved to New York City, and had soon published her first book. She loved living in New York, but she has now returned to her home state, where she lives in a little cottage in the woods on the shore of Lake Michigan.