Oh, the Things I Know!

By: Al Franken

Narrated by: Al Franken

Al Franken, or Dr. Al Franken as he prefers to be called, has written the first truly indispensable book of the new millennium. Filled with wisdom, observations, and practical tips you can put to work right away, Oh, the Things I Know! is a cradle-to-grave guide to living, an easy-to-follow user's manual for human existence.

What does a megasuccess like Al Franken - best selling author, Emmy-award winning television star, and honorary Ph.D. - have to say to ordinary people like you? Well, as Dr. Al himself says, "There's no point in getting advice from hopeless failures."

Join Mr. Franken - sorry, Dr. Franken - on a journey that will take you from your first job ("Oh, Are You Going to Hate Your First Job!"), through the perils and pitfalls of your twenties and thirties ("Oh, the Person of Your Dreams vs. the Person You Can Actually Attract!"), into the joys of marriage and parenthood ("Oh, Just Looking at Your Spouse Will Make Your Skin Crawl!"), all the way to the golden years of senior citizenship ("Oh, the Nursing Home You'll Wind Up In!"). Don't travel life's lonesome highway by yourself. Take Al Franken along, if not as an infallible guide, then at least as a friend who will make you laugh. For adult listeners.

©2002 Al Franken. Recorded by arrangement with Dutton, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc. (P)16 9; 2002 HighBridge Company.

Critic reviews

"This laugh-aloud take on advice books - it is dedicated simply 'For Oprah' - is Stuart Smalley with an edge. Reviewer's advice: don't read it while sitting alone on a " (Booklist)

Franken Does It Again!

Sen. Franken never ceases to make me laugh and think. This book like his others, is a cut Above the usual dren perpetrated by lesser "humourists". I can only wish that he uses his "thinking man's" wit and powers of observation in Congress. That is our only hope and salvation.

Holy Moley! Al Franken is Funny

I was surprised that this book doesn't have an aggregate rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars. Don't let humorless reviewers sway opinion.

Oh The Things I Know

My neighbors are concerned because I walk through my neighborhood laughing out loud for no apparent reason. Contrary to what Al says, laughter is in fact the best medicine since many others cause headaches, urinary retention or even impotence. Everyone should read this book and devote their lives to its precepts. Perhaps we have entered the "Al Franken Millenium."

Surprisingly Fresh

Oh, how I enjoyed this book! I was incredibly surprised that the well-known liberal version of Al Franken was not really in this book. The intellectual comedian Al Franken takes center stage here. Very little on politics. The book is styled as a life advice book that will guide you through life from college to death. The book is chock full of invaluable advice like: don't tell the crowd at Hartford Tech that they are losers because your commencement speech was written for Harvard because your maid wrote down the wrong school, making you angry; keep a list of religions handy in your wallet in case you have a last minute need to pick one in the event of impending death or some other trauma; that he's read all the other advice books and can tell you that they all suck except for his! The book had me laughing out loud right at the beginning and then kept me going for a while. It is non-stop poking fun at just about every part of American life. It did slow down toward the end and the laughs were spreading a bit in the last 1/3, but I laughed so hard at the beginning that I would recommend it to anyone who needs a little comic relief....even conservatives!

You either have a sense of humor or ...

I'm amazed at the negative reviews given this warm, hilarious book! It's not for Pollyannas or the humorless, but for anyone who appreciates Al Franken's style of wit this is great "laugh out loud" fun. And just the right length. Audio quality is superb. I heartily recommend this to anyone with a mature sense of humor, meaning that if you're an adult with a sense of the absurd and a grasp of irony, and if you're someone who can discern Al's embracing humanity beneath a mocking, satirical exterior, you'll want to sit in your car long after the end of your commute, reluctant to stop listening...and laughing.