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Why is this book NOT available at Amazon U.S. but IS at the U.K. site?!?

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Up2Late Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 06:11 PM
Original message
Why is this book NOT available at Amazon U.S. but IS at the U.K. site?!?
Is this censorship or "Political Correctness" gone out of control? It was #1 at the U.K. Amazon site during the Christmas season, but I cant even find it at the U.S. site!!!

Here's a link and a review, sounds like something that would go over well here: <http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0316729531/reviews/026-3937049-6874817>


"Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: The Encyclopedia of Modern Life"


Alan McArthur, Steve Lowe

List Price: £9.99
Our Price: £5.99
You Save: £4.00 (40%)
48 Used & New from £4.50

Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Hardcover - (November 3, 2005) 288 pages

Reviews

MARIE CLAIRE
'An A-Z rant about the naffness of modern life that's so relentlessly bitter it's actually rather uplifting'

ESQUIRE
'A life-affirming guide to the modern world'

Synopsis
If you hate: loft living; bar-clubs; Tony Blair; chick lit; global warming sceptics; Keane; loyalty cards; IKEA; Kabbalah; bling and Richard Curtis...then you need IS IT JUST ME OR IS EVERYTHING SHIT? - an encylopedic attack on modern culture and the standard reference work for everyone who believes everything is shit. Which it is. This book is for the large percentage of the population interested in saying NO to the phoney ideas, cretinous people, useless products and doublespeak that increasingly dominate our lives. This book is designed for everyone who thinks they may have mislaid their soul in a Coffee Republic. Never before has there been a book so completely full of shit. This very funny, well-informed, belligerent rant of a book adds up to an excoriating broadside against consumer capitalism that the authors hope will sell loads of copies.

<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0316729531/reviews/026-3937049-6874817>

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TallahasseeGrannie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 06:14 PM
Response to Original message
1. I must be doing okay
because I don't know what half the stuff is...like Keane, Richard Curtis, Coffee Republic...
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rzemanfl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 06:36 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. I don't even know what "naffness" is. n/t
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Up2Late Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 07:53 PM
Response to Reply #2
9. As you might have guessed, it's British Slang, I found it though Google
Edited on Tue Mar-07-06 07:53 PM by Up2Late
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/naffness

naff 1 Pronunciation (naf)

adj. Chiefly British Slang
Un-stylish, clichéd, or outmoded.

(Possibly of dialectal origin.)

naff 2 Pronunciation (naf)

intr.v. naff·ed, naff·ing, naffs Chiefly British Slang
To fool around or go about: "naffing about in a tutu" Suzanne Lowry.

Phrasal Verb:
naff off
Used in the imperative as a signal of angry dismissal.

(Origin unknown.)
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rzemanfl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-08-06 07:55 PM
Response to Reply #9
11. People at DU always get your answers for you...if you are lazy
enough, like me.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 07:45 PM
Response to Reply #1
8.  "tasty toasty and hot drink"
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 06:47 PM
Response to Original message
3. Maybe because it is a British book, and not written for Americans?
review snip:

<snip>

this was a funny yet at times mundane book, February 4, 2006
Reviewer: niall hanratty from ireland
as an irishman i have no interest in british politics and the new labour party.
But this book seems to dwell on it a lot.
i feel only English or great britains might only understand this book in these political situations.but overall i feel this book was a good read with interesting comments on mineral water and other misicellaneous items in todays modern world.
I would Reccomend it but would skim over the sections of english politics and other pieces of english culture i have no idea of what they are about.

<snip>
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xchrom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 06:50 PM
Response to Original message
4. i think the first two posters exemplify why
that book isn't sold here.

i don't know what this stuff is either -- so, baby makes three.
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Up2Late Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 07:04 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. Maybe we should request an American translation?
Because it sounds like it would be popular here at DU, or even among U.S. Democratic activist community. :shrug:

I did read some bad "Reader reviews" too, but who knows, they might all be Blair loyalists.
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xchrom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 07:19 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. lol -- all three blair loyalists
bad mouthed the book?
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Up2Late Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-07-06 07:39 PM
Response to Reply #6
7. It's only speculation on my part, but here's what they wrote...
They both sound like the 34% who still support Bush.



<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316729531/026-3937049-6874817>

...Customer Reviews
Avg. Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other shoppers!

1 out of 5 stars Is it just me, or is this book sh*t?, March 3, 2006
Reviewer: thymetraveller from Aylesford, KENT United Kingdom
This was given as a Christmas present, possibnly under the assumption that it was humorous. After reading (or, should I say, attempting) the first few chapters I gave up.
If life is this bad, there is no reason to live. To answer the cover question, it IS you.
Grumpy old men? At least they were funny.
Sorry, but this book is just bad. Not even worthy of the seconds bin I am afraid.
Avoid.

Was this review helpful to you?



9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2 out of 5 stars Too Much Obscure Material, February 26, 2006
Reviewer: ash-uk from West Sussex, England
While there is no doubt this book has its funny moments, there are too many references to obscure or inapposite material - which is a shame given that there are so many things out there that are rubbish, incompetent or downright duplicitous and worthy of a good bitch and moan. While reading it, I flicked past many of the less interesting items and came to the conclusion that they outweighed the good ones.

Was this review helpful to you?




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Monkey see Monkey Do Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-08-06 12:26 PM
Response to Original message
10. Most Americans wouldn't get a lot of the references
There's the aforementioned slang, much of the politics is domestic and there's a lot of pop-culture references mixed in. This is a slightly unfair comparison (partly because I think this site is quite hateful), but "Cunts Corner" is probably as close as an example of the book - both subject matter & style - that I can think of to give you an example:

http://www.holymoly.co.uk/index.php?option=com_glossary&func=display&catid=14&Itemid=23

However, it's published by Time Warner (and as far as I remember there was no Murdoch entry) so given its success I'm sure they'll be a US version out in December.

It was an easy going read on Boxing day, but nothing memorable. Plus the authors generally chose a lot of really easy targets & the book (partly due to the order of the alphabet) gets a little dull toward the end.

Francis Wheen's How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions is far better IMO:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158648348X/
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northzax Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Mar-23-06 04:28 PM
Response to Original message
12. because it hasn't been published in the US yet?
order it from the UK site.
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