A witty, absurdist satire of the last 500 years, Alexandra Petri’s US History is the fake textbook you never knew you needed!

by Rohini G.

Every morning, before I plunge into the doom and gloom printed on the front page of the newspaper, I take a few minutes to refresh my soul and laugh loudly. Washington Post’s humor columnist Alexandra Petri’s witty perspective on the absurd in our politics (of which there is no dearth), tickles my funny bone, enlivens my gray cells, and infuses my heart with optimism. A full body workout!

What? You haven’t read her column and are unfamiliar with her razor sharp writing? Ah, my friend, what should I offer you – her hilarious article about whether George Santos should resign (It’s the last thing he should do) or her recent satirical perspective on the U.S. Senate – it’s senior living made permanent. Or better yet, come and meet her in-person on Saturday, June 24 at 2 pm at the Miller Branch as she discusses her new book U.S. History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).

As a columnist for The Washington Post, Alexandra Petri has watched in real time as those who didn’t learn from history have been forced to repeat it. And repeat it. And repeat it. If we repeat history one more time, we’re going to fail! Maybe it’s time for a new textbook.

On Petri’s deranged timeline, John and Abigail Adams try sexting, the March sisters from Little Women are sixty feet tall, and Susan Sontag goes to summer camp. Nearly eighty short, hilarious pieces span centuries of American history and culture. Ayn Rand rewrites The Little Engine That Could. Nikola Tesla’s friends stage an intervention when he falls in love with a pigeon. The characters from Sesame Street invade Normandy. And Mark Twain—who famously said reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated—offers a detailed account of his undeath.

Alexandra Petri is a Thurber Prize finalist. Her satire has also appeared in McSweeney’s and the New Yorker’s Daily Shouts and Murmurs. She lives in Washington, DC. She won the National Press Club Angele Gingras Award for Humor Writing 2016, Shorty Award 2016, Forbes 30 Under 30, Fifty Funniest People Right Now (Rolling Stone).

If there is even a single person standing who can see through the political obfuscation on all sides, and spark humorous conversation, then there is, yet, hope for this world.

Saturday, June 24
2 pm
Miller Branch
Register.

Rohini is the Adult Curriculum Specialist with HCLS. She loves literature and rainy days.