Zapped by the God of Absurdity

Book excerpt: This is a curated collection of Krassner's satirical writing and reporting that serves both as a look back on his career and as a memoir. One of his most infamous works, "The Parts That Were Left Out of the Kennedy Book," made outrageous claims that some people thought were true. He reports from a swingers' event and a conspiracy convention - and from the trial of Dan White for the murders of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk during which Krassner coined the term "the Twinkie defense." He also includes anecdotes about encountering celebrities such as Lenny Bruce, Johnnie Cochran, Ram Dass, Larry Flynt, Squeaky Fromme, Dick Gregory, Charles Manson, and Robin Williams - and that time he took an acid trip with Groucho Marx.