Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

By: Al Franken

Narrated by: Al Franken

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Al Franken, "one of our savviest satirists" ( People), takes on the issues, the politicians, and the pundits in one of the most anticipated books of the year.

Once again, the author of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations trains his subversive wit directly on the contemporary political scene, leaving the powers-that-be in tatters and his audience in hysterics. Al Franken thrives on being in the opposition, and now that the Republican party controls both the Oval Office and Congress, the gloves are off and the satire is fast and furious.

Franken's specialty is using his targets' own words to make comedic and political points. Finding logical inconsistencies, factual errors, and doublespeak wherever he looks, Franken takes on and destroys the myth of liberal bias in the media, hoists the Bush White House on its own rhetorical petard, and punctures the mean-spirited sanctimony of such media darlings as Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, and host of post-Limbaugh talk-radio gasbags. Timely, provocative, unfailingly honest, and always uproarious, Lies is sure to raise hackles and spark hilarity inside the Beltway and from sea to shining sea.

Listen to Al Franken talk about Lies on Fresh Air from September 3, 2003.

©2003 AL Franken (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

• Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2003

"In the kicking, spitting spirit of all-star political discourse, Al Franken gives as good as he gets." (New York Times)
"Riotous...provocative reading for everyone.... Franken's sardonic critique of our culture of political disinformation is serious business." (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
"Memo to Fox: Hire Al Franken." (Business Week)

Hilarious!

This was my first exposure to Al Franken and I am officially a fan! He is hilarious and I love it that the books are read by him. I laughed and laughed, I could not believe how funny he is. It is very fun to listen to him lambast such conservative idiots as Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and of course Bill O'Liely. Surprisingly, there are also some serious, moving parts and overall you can tell how deeply he really believes in his message and that, unlike some of the conservative liars he skewers, he is not doing what he does for ratings. His politics are perhaps extreme but maybe that's what we need these days. A great read.

If You Like Al Franken...

You will really like this book. Though he spends too much time defending the Paul Wellstone memorial, the book is truly hyserical and Franken's timing is perfect.

funny but long

Listened to this on an extended car ride with adult kids- enjoyed the commentary not always balanced but usually funny. We did have to stop it many times to have the discussions that it provoked.

Entertaining but just not serious enough

There are quite a few reviews on this book as of now - interestingly most of them are either five stars or a single with few in between.

Being a supporter of neither political reigns out there, this book was certainly entertaining to me...well, atleast a major portion of it. (I am not sure what 14 Harvard interns did on this book though.)

If you do not like listening to Plato or Bryson or 104.1 on your commute, and are looking for something much more funnier (sic!) than Ellen, listen to this book.

If you detest liberals, stay glued to the "Spin Factor", or agree with the tax cuts (duh!), stay away from this book...but then again, you shouldn't even be reading this review. :)

It Doesn't Take a Genius...

The fact is, it doesn't take a genius to point out bald-faced lies when they appear in print, but making it interesting, now that's a different story.

Perhaps the people who should be most embarrassed by this book are not the authors whose lies have been revealed. After all, they knew what they were writing was not true. And in fact, their goal was never to be accurate, but rather, to sell a vision and whip up the zealots. No, the people who should cringe while reading this are the professional journalists who let these lies go unchallenged day after day. Isn't it crazy that a comedian has to be the one who takes on the task of fact checking the public record? Just more evidence of the media's liberal bias I guess.

I must admit that Franken's justification for appearing at a Clear Channel rally and mocking the Dixie Chicks as "Blixie's Chicks" was deeply disappointing. Can't he just admit that he was wrong and apologize for his lapse in judgement? (Actually, a close listen reveals that it wasn't a lapse in judgement, or fear, that motivated him - it was a desire to advance his career.) Just for the record, as President Bush's own experts have now admitted, Hans Blix and the UN inspectors were right all along. But is anyone ready to apologize for our attacks on them? I won't be holding my breath.

The book is indeed a great listen and Al Franken is the real deal - a liberal who can articulate our deep moral and ethical convictions while keeping a wonderful sense of humor.

Give Me More Al

I have listened to this book twice and I just can't get enough! It is funny, informative, sad and really, really funny. Thanks Al, please write more books like this!!!!

Irreverent, Funny, and Important

Even if you aren't a liberal, a great read. I learned, laughed, and appreciated hearing political dialogue that isn't sugar coated euphemism or silly diatribe. Go Al!

Splendid and humorous book

I thought this was one of the most humorous and thought provoking audiobook that I have listened to in a long time. This also has been the only one that I have wanted to listen to three times. Not only does he makes accurate points about the right but does it in a comical way. Highly recommended for people that enjoy political satire.

Who paved the road for the current disaster...

...and how did they do it, and what data support those claims?
Al Franken shines a light on the untruths and elitist self-serving policies being implemented by the Trump administration. He is a brilliant researcher and communicator who explains complicated principles in humorous ways, so this book is interesting and entertaining. It’s no wonder that Senator Franken is viewed as an enemy by extreme conservatives who “need” to believe on the lies told by Alex Jones, Sean Hannity, Steve Bannon, and the 45th POTUS.

Franken for President in 2018 - yes, 2018!

I've always been a fan of Franken, from SNL to Air America to the present. He submits his well researched facts (with jokes) and presents his findings in a "Spin-Free" fashion. He admits when Dems got it wrong and when Republicans got it correctly - I didn't want to say "right" LOL. This country really needs to sit up and think of the good of the country and world, not just their own households. Al Franken, since this book has been written has really stepped up to the plate and has knocked it out of the park for the people of Minnesota. Lucky them!