Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

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.

This was my favorite book of 2017 so far, and wildly exceeded expectations. Holy cow! Just when you think there's absolutely nothing funny about politics, government, world affairs or current events, and that there's no way you could ever laugh at these things, along comes Al Franken to prove you wrong. So, so many laugh-out-loud moments made my commute miles fly by, and I found myself actually sorry every time I had to turn off the book. Thank you, thank you, Al, for putting this educational, inspirational, and above all, hilarious page-turner out there to cheer us all up and remind us it's NEVER too late to try to make a positive difference in our communities, our home states, and the country we all ❤️ love. Recommended for mature audiences of all political persuasions. This one, like patriotism itself, is truly bipartisan.

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.

Although Al did a great job narrating his book, the content was missing the "spark", the comedic twist. This book tends to be more about politics than anything else. If you are a Democrat, you will love it as it puts Republicans in bad light. I don't care much for politics, although few facts and stories are ok, but I was hoping this book had much more emphasis on Al's life, rather than politics.

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

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.

Definitely himself.

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

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

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!

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.

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

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.

Uplifting and reassuring in these troubled times to hear a politician speak candidly about their experiences and to realize that there are still compassionate ones out there. I was not familiar with his comedy or political career prior to hearing this book and still really enjoyed it.