Unfair & Unbalanced

Book excerpt: Called by readers "blazingly funny, divinely inspired, breathtaking, sophisticated, original, deranged, a brilliant intellect wasted, and a comedic genius," if one could stew Dave Barry, Hunter Thompson, Al Franken and David Sedaris down into a thick, tasty ragout which might then be served over noodles, that might begin to approximate the unexpectedly hilarious experience of reading Patrick Carlisle. In a thoroughly questionable and highly refutable manner, with wildly fluctuating amounts of insight and sensitivity, Mr. Carlisle examines such irrational topics of modern identity as internet dating, the fanatic right wing, the dark, dangerous appeal of Meg Ryan, the unfathomable motivations behind the comb-over, the mysterious banana test, first love, antidepressants and the heartbreaking challenge of being a Yum! Brands Man. Pessimistic but full of longing, immersed in popular culture but oddly erudite, manic and depressive in turn, deeply and absurdly tangential, profoundly deluded and yet uncomfortably honest, liberal but utterly politically incorrect . most importantly, in the words of one reviewer, Patrick Carlisle is "so horribly, mind-bogglingly funny."