2024 the best state review

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A New York Times bestseller—a brilliantly funny exploration of the Sunshine State from the man who knows it best: Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry.

We never know what will happen next in Florida. We know only that, any minute now, something will. Every few months, Dave Barry gets a call from some media person wanting to know, “What the hell is wrong with Florida?” Somehow, the state's acquired an image as a subtropical festival of stupid, and as a loyal Floridian, Dave begs to differ.

Join him as he goes in hunt of the legendary Skunk Ape; hobnobs with the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs; and visits Cassadaga, the psychic capital of the world, to have his dog's aura read (apparently, she's "very spiritual"). Hitch a ride for the non-stop thrills of alligator-wrestling ("the gators display the same fighting spirit as a Barcalounger"), the hair-raising spectacle of a clothing-optional bar in Key West, and the manly manliness of the Machine Gun Experience in Miami.

It's the most hilarious book yet from “the funniest damn writer in the whole country” (Carl Hiaasen, and he should know). By the end, you'll have to admit that whatever else you might think about Florida—you can never say it's boring.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ G.P. Putnam's Sons; Reprint edition (September 5, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101982616
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1101982617
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.54 x 0.5 x 8.22 inches
Reviewer: Scott Hedegard
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Celebrate the weirdness that is Florida
Review: Hands down the looniest writer to ever have a regular column syndicated nationwide, Dave Barry has tickled who knows, hundreds of thousands if not millions of readers over the years, and while he has retired from the Miami Herald, he still does books and delights his regular cadre of fans, or "alert readers", as he used to refer to those of us who were always sending in the weirdest news items we could find to him. "Best. State. Ever." is a homage to his home state of Florida, and he chooses to defend it by visiting some truly strange places and reporting on his findings. In the pre-interstate days, Florida, like other states, especially those in the Midwest and Great Plains, where agriculture was the king and tourism was unthought of outside of driving through a state such as Iowa, my first home state as a kid for example was a mecca for all sorts of strange roadside attractions designed to pull weary drivers off the roads and into their gyp joints. Barry himself gave a hilarious example in a previous book, and excuse me for not recalling the book it was in, by talking about the miles and miles of enormous billboards shrieking out the next fascinating attraction, and city limit signs like "Dweebmont, Ohio, Styptic Pencil Capital of the World". A town in SE Kansas boasts the world's largest mining shovel, where lead and zinc mining in the 1900's was the lifeblood of the three state area of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It is so big people rappel down inside the shovel, and one person years ago DIED after losing his grip. I may be wrong, but I think it's close to Columbus, Kansas. That's just one example. Apparently today Florida is the weird destination for the droves of people who visit, move down, and according to Barry, fail to find their way out because it's a peninsula where everybody keeps driving in circles. It's these locales Barry visits, always respectful of the owners and performers, and he clearly loves the out of bounds strangeness of his state, including Key West, a city so decadent it defies description and sometimes it defies clothing. And Dave points out that in addition to the negative side of Florida - the oppressive heat and humidity, endless jokes that arose from the 2000 presidential election and swamps galore, there is the mildness of the weather, endless things to see and do, lots of outdoor and environmental activities to get involved in, and lifestyles not seen anywhere else. Barry is a great humorist and like everything he does, "Best. State. Ever." is a great read, light, funny and sometimes almost poignant. Florida could scarcely find a better spokesperson than Dave Barry.

Reviewer: Jo G
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Starts out gangbusters, fizzles a bit
Review: The first couple of chapters were Barry at his best, and I had to be careful not to drink anything while I was reading. The next couple were reportage on various unusual Florida tourist spots that were almost devoid of humor and written in present tense, as if they were originally intended for publication elsewhere. I don't regret buying it, because when it's good, it's hilarious, but I wish it followed through.

Reviewer: Curious Epicure
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I bought this book to get rid of a cough. I am not making this up.
Review: I bought this book to get rid of a cough. That is not a typo.I was vacationing in Florida and also had a cough that was going on and on forever. I needed a good book to read on the beach, so I went to a bookstore. Unfortunately, I did not notice the "Florida" section until I was leaving the store, having already purchased Melanie Benjamin's The Swans of Fifth Avenue: A Novel (which I read and highly recommend BTW). Dave Barry books took up the largest portion of the Florida section, with Key Lime Cookbooks coming in second, but "Best. State. Ever." was face out and bright yellow, so I noticed it. It looked funny, but since I'd already made my purchase, I left.Later that evening when another coughing spell was due, I thought about the Barry book I'd seen because it occurred to me that I might be able to get rid of my stupid cough by way of a good, lung-clearing laugh session, so I bought the Kindle version right then and there. Although I am not a medical professional, I can tell you that reading this book worked better than any of the OTC remedies I had been using. The laughter provoked an epic cough session that subsequently allowed me to sleep through the night with no coughing whatsoever. And it worked again the next night. Again, I am not a medical professional; I can only tell you what my experience was.There have been parts of a couple of the chapters that did not have the desired effect, and other parts had me laughing so hard that I could barely see the words for the tears in my eyes (I'm keeping that in mind in case my eyes ever need to be flushed out), but for the most part, this book proved that laughter may indeed be the best medicine.I am not making any of this up.

Reviewer: Alma Pollock
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Barry does it again
Review: What I like about Dave Barry is that for over 40 years now, he makes me laugh out loud when I read his books. I also snort . This book is no exception . Snort.

Reviewer: Baret K.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have read every book that Dave has written and was never disappointed.. and this is yet again another masterclass from the master. You must read this book.. read ALL his books.

Reviewer: SG
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Description amusante d'une viiste de la Floride, mais je m'attendais à un récit encore plus drôle de la part de Dave Barry, de la plume duquel j'ai lu quelques chroniques.

Reviewer: Cliente Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I have the entire Dave Barry oeuvre. Every book continues to make me laugh with every rereading.I offer one of his books for bedtime reading when I have overnight guests.

Reviewer: D. TAYLOR-MUNRO
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: More Dave Barry fun

Reviewer: David Wineberg
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Dave Barry needed to rant about Florida, his home for the past 30 years. Best. State. Ever. is a Florida travelogue. He visits a bunch of seedy, kitschy, tacky and otherwise uncomfortable places including a psychics town, a mermaid show, Spongeorama, Skunk Ape, Gatorland, and Key West, where all the beer is cold refreshing, without the comma.The opening salvo is worth the SJ Perelman Prize, which does not exist, but which should be created for this one essay. It is a sharp, sardonic, sarcastic, aggressive and funny 30 pages comparing Florida to other states. The exaggerations are precious, the targets fat and juicy. It has been honed to perfection, reading like a Phyllis Diller set with a laugh at precisely every 12 seconds. You feel you are being bowled over, steamrollered and battered into submission: this man is the best. He can’t possibly keep this up for the whole book. He doesn’t.All the following essays are trips he takes around the state, with his unremarkable experiences in them, and his bemused reactions to the flora and fauna. They are peppered with small, slightly unfocused black and white photos he took on the trips, (with a noted predilection for signs) and wonderful footnotes that add so much to the Dave Barry Experience (Ha! being my favorite).From Barry’s standpoint, Florida is Disneyland for Baby Boomers. From the bars to the retirement cities, it’s a treat all day every day. You can blow your savings at shooting ranges, walk around naked in Key West, have your fortune told by liars or just enjoy the giant insects, snakes and alligators lying around, waiting. The book doesn’t exactly prove Florida is the Best. State. Ever., but it’s a delightful romp with Dave Barry hosting.David Wineberg