One unique aspect of Is It Just Me or Is Everything Sh*t? is that it was written by three authors - Brendan Hay, Steve Lowe
and Alan McArthur. Hay is a contributing writer to numerous publications and television programs, including
The Daily Show and The Simpsons. Steve Lowe is also a prolific writer; his work has appeared in
Q, Big Issue and Blender, to name a few. Alan McArthur’s background is quite different from his co-writers
- he has worked on free education campaigns and served a term as the deputy director of Solidarity.
Based on two UK bestsellers, this book is written to appeal to American audiences
with a keen interest in politics and celebrities. Alphabetical rants on virtually everything in today’s
U.S. culture from abstinence programs and music sponsorships to YouTube – it's all covered in Is It Just Me or Is Everything Sh*t?. If you enjoy making fun of publications like
The Enquirer and TV shows like ET, this book is for you. Readers may also recognize elements of the humor displayed in TV shows like
The Family Guy and The Simpsons - taken to this level and beyond.
Prepare for a heavy dose of satire laced with a pessimistic, sarcastic view of today’s society, including comments on oxymorons, doubletalk by advertisers and more. Many readers will laugh out loud at times, nod in agreement at other times… and cringe once in a while, too.
Of course, this book will not appeal to anyone who doesn't enjoy this type of humor. Anyone
unfamiliar with the latest celebrity news may not get much out of these rants. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this: even though the title should already have warned readers, there is regular use of curse words throughout the book.
While Is It Just Me or Is Everything Sh*t?
itself makes no claims about participating in the green publishing movement in any way,
it was printed in the US – which means fewer fossil fuels spent in shipping to the American reader. This is a hardcover book with a protective slipcover and has about 263 pages in total.
Personally, my experience reading this book went like this: I was initially intrigued; that turned to amusement then quickly to boredom. As such I cannot rate the publication higher than 2 out of 5 stars.