• Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

  • By: Al Franken
  • Narrated by: Al Franken
  • Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (15,836 ratings)

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Al Franken, Giant of the Senate  By  cover art

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

By: Al Franken
Narrated by: Al Franken
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Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author - the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Al Franken (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Al Franken fans, rejoice! Franken narrates his latest book in a voice that captures both of his key public personas: current U.S. senator and former humorist. This is a balance that cannot be underestimated, as Franken clarifies at the onset that the Senate requires a level of decorum that most former comedians would find excruciating." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

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I Fell In Love This Week with Al Franken

It's true. I fell in love this week with Al Franken. I didn't mean to fall in love. But it's hard to resist the straight shooting, intelligent, folksy, charming, clever storyteller that Al Franken is. Oops, I forget to mention funny. I should mention funny. He'd probably like that. He's also a true patriot. A hard-working honest one at that. I don't know that I'd necessarily agree with him on all his political views, but that's not the point.

I especially appreciated how approachable the book is for those of us with very little knowledge of the political process yet how enjoyable it is for those of us who know full well how the political process works. I think it's important for people who have felt disengaged from politics to somehow get engaged, and this book would be an easy way to get started, no matter your party. It's an interesting glimpse behind the curtain, if you will.

He eases the listener into politics by beginning the book with his early years at Harvard, and then amuses with tales of SNL. He's wily in explaining his Minnesota campaign run. It's all very fascinating, but I felt like he was maybe testing the waters to see if we were ready as a nation to understand the power of the de-humorizer and be ready to de-bunk that junk for a potential presidential run in the future. While I think he'd make an exceptional President, I have zero confidence in the rest of the population to see through the de-humorizer. Sorry, Al, hope I'm wrong. Or, maybe I'm reading that section wrong and that's not the intent.

For me, the best meat of the book comes when he really gets into what goes on day to day in D.C. It wasn't a Civics class, don't worry. But, it kind of gave you a feel for the day in the life of a Senator. I got a kick hearing the jokes he had to edit in his head that he now gets to let out -- apparently before his head explodes. Ted Cruz is the Dwight Schrute of the Senate, I knew it! I also appreciated that he acknowledges discouragements but leaves the reader with an overall tone of optimism. You know, if we work on this together, we can do this!

Al Franken, Giant of Senate? Tongue in cheek title? Clever, clever, man.

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I was reading this when the allegations against Franken came out

Please listen to the book anyway. It gives you a funny and honest review of what it is like to be a progressive in the US Senate right now. Also interesting to hear what the other senators are like. For someone like me who is a progressive going through a rough time with the Trump presidency, this was the shot of tonic I needed to know what to do next. Thanks Senator Franken for your service to our country.

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Perspective is everything

It is common in this day and age to use litmus test to paint politicians one way or the other. One litmus test that rarely fails is ... is this guy funny or not? Senator Franken without a doubt is funny. A rare quality amongst politicians these days. The early chapters of this book reveal a man that understands comedy often reveals truth better than facts, debates or lofty speeches. The book is riddled with humorous self deprecating stories that truly reveal a man of great character. I honestly wish he lived next-door to me and we could hang out together. How many politicians can you say that about? If you're a political junkie or you are manic depressive about the current state of affairs, please take time to listen to this angst free presentation by a truly great American.Thanks Al, I really needed this book.

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Seriously...

It seems that Senators are people.

Along with the not-so-surprising qualities of the Senate - the deep division, the hunger for power, the money grubbing, the self-promotion - Al Franken, in "Giant of theSenate", presents this feature that so often gets completely overlooked: Senators have grandchildren and hobbies and senses of humor (sometimes); and he has been making a genuine effort to get to know each and every one of them.

That disclosure may be the most unique and appealing aspect of this charming and eminently listenable book. I can't imagine that experiencing the book in any other format than audibly could be as satisfying. Franken obviously is the best and only narrator who makes sense.

This is a Senator who takes his work - and the people he represents - seriously. Senator Franken has been careful over the past 10 years to make this clear, so it is a real treat to hear him finally cut loose with some of the humor he has kept carefully at bay for a long time. There's not much that is surprising in his revelations (Ted Cruz is unlikable, can you imagine?) except that he views his new position and his colleagues with more tolerance and empathy than one might think.

And that's a good thing. Franken maintains respect for the Institution, heart-felt dedication to improving the Country, and hope for the future that is evident in even the most frustrating and horridly funny stories about the situation in Congress now. Intelligence, heart, hope, and persistence are excellent qualities in a Senator - and, for that matter, in all citizens who desperately wish to survive this period in American history.

Is "Giant of the Senate" an indication that there might be Presidential aspirations in Al Franken? Maybe, and why not? If a man who seemed at one time so unlikely a Senate prospect has been effective and dedicated and still kept his lively sense of the ridiculous, we should be so lucky!



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Franken's book is a relief for the sorely troubled

Would you consider the audio edition of Al Franken, Giant of the Senate to be better than the print version?

Because Franken reads the book, it is probably at least twice as funny as the print version.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Franken is a nice guy trying to do what's right. I am so happy that someone in the senate can be described this way. He does his homework, he has compassion for his constituents, and he reaches out to conservatives on a personal level to court friendship.He comes across as a very decent human being.

Which character – as performed by Al Franken – was your favorite?

Definitely himself.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Al Franken, humor and humility as an anecdote to ignorance and hubris now poisoning our democracy.

Any additional comments?

This book helped me cope with the seemingly endless stream of cruel, angry, diatribes pouring forth from everywhere all the time.

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Amusing, well written & enlightening

A must read if only for the chapters on Ted Cruz and on using humor in calling donors.

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Giant of the Senate

Informs as it entertains in his inimitable Franken style.
What I love about this book is that Senator Franken is bursting with exuberant love for people. For Minnesotans, for Americans. for his wife, his children, his friends and even some of his adversaries.
I really love his sense of outrage at the "Lying Liars", his fear and worry in the face of Trump's election, and his final note of hope.
I have a daughter, son in law, and two grandchildren a sister and a brother in law in Minnesota, and I'm just as happy as can be that their senator cares so much about them.
The other thing I love about this book is that I learned a lot about what a senator DOES. I laughed a lot of course, because Al Franken is a very funny man, but I also learned a great deal.
This book is hot of the press and speaks to current events but I have no doubt that people reading this book in twenty years will find it equally fascinating as a look inside an American head at a time when the country appears to have gone bat sh*t crazy. I'm reassured to think that those readers will judge us less harshly after reading Giant of the Senate.

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Insightful look at Democratic politics

What made the experience of listening to Al Franken, Giant of the Senate the most enjoyable?

I was born and raised in Minnesota so the references to places in the state were interesting. I moved to Nevada in 1983 and didn't know about the process he went through to become a US Senator.

What did you like best about this story?

Mr. Franken is obviously very intelligent and a hard working Senator for the people of Minnesota. I appreciate how much he cares about the people he represents and I wish my NV State Senators worked that hard. We do have a new Democratic Senator this year and I'm sure Catherine Cortez Masto will work as hard as Mr. Franken has.

Have you listened to any of Al Franken’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was never very involved in politics when I was working. Now that I am retired I can devote more time to politics and I did volunteer for Hillary Clinton and Masto. Mr. Franken's book is a very interesting look at how Federal Government works or doesn't work sometimes!

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Insightful memoir

Who would have dreamed a comedian from “Saturday Night Live” would end-up as a United States Senator? Franken states he realized early the value comedy has in explaining polities to the average voter. Franken states he is an old-fashioned Democrat whose Jewish parent instructed him in the importance of supporting the Civil Rights Movement. He was inspired by Paul Wellstone his Minnesota Senator who died in a plane crash in 2002. Franken ran for the Senate office and won.

Franken tells of turning into a deep policy wonk because he was so determined to convince the voters that he could be serious enough to do the job. He said he studied and worked hard to learn how the Senate worked. He was appointed to a number of committees. He serves on the Indian Affairs Committee. He states he was appalled that the Native Americans receive less than half per capita on health care than the average American. He tells how he tried to improve dental care for Native American children.

I found it interesting that he spent a large amount of time discussing the importance of telling the truth. He says we have to start caring about and insisting on the truth from everyone. He writes about his disgust with the current state of politics in Washington.

The book is written in a most humorous manner. This is the first time I have read a book by Franken and I found him easy to read. I enjoyed the combination of serious material and humor. He tells of his role in government and about the general working or not of the government in Washington in a very funny way. I learned about the inside workings about how a bill is created, written and past in the Senate.

The book is about twelve hours long and Franken narrated the book himself which added another delight to the book.

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Inspiring

An antidote to the depressing Trump disaster. Franken, in his usual sardonic style, tells how he went from SNL to the Senate. 75% of the book focuses on the day to day challenges he faces dealing with the serious issues of our time. His message is that the American people are still worth fighting for and we can't give up.

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