If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers

by Jack Bowen

Book Overview

A PICTURE MAY BE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS-- BUT A FEW CHOICE WORDS CAN SPEAK VOLUMES - If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't More People Happy? - Bottled Water Is for Suckers - Clones Are People Too - At... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812981057
• ISBN13: 9780812981056
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A math guy loves this philosophy stuff

As a number guys, I'm not inclined to read many books on philosophy but Bowen's light romp through the world of bumper stickers is both fascinating and entertaining. The pace of the book is fast and almost gives you the feel of riding down the freeway passing cars and analyzing their bumper sticker. Having been involved professionally with social media, the notion of bumper stickers as the precursor to Twitter is both relevant and enlightening. I found Bowen's viewpoints often challenging, never mundane and found myself rereading certain parts to slow the pace down so I could come to my own opinions about his different points. That in itself should prove the compelling nature of this unique book. Great read for anyone looking for some unique perspectives.

An 'All You Can Think' Buffet

In Bowen's latest book, he uses the in-your-face statements of bumper stickers to explore the philosophical ideas and problems that lie at the forefront of the American psyche. From abortion to foreign affairs, religion to feminism, Bowen illustrates how just beneath the surface of the often trivial statements affixed to dingy bumpers lie the major issues in our society. In a style that is both thought provoking and humorous, he takes the reader on a tour of the history of ideas. I was particularly impressed by Bowen's eloquently stated comparisons that tack back and forth between philosophy and popular culture. He does a great job showing the relevance and importance of philosophy in our everyday lives.

A fun light read. Highly recommended.

The book had me laughing out loud from the humor the author uses, and the pace is nice because the short, concise analysis the author provides on some complex topics from bumper stickers. A fun light read. Highly recommended.

Entertaining fun and easy to understand

wow. i pretty much randomly picked this book off the "new books" shelf at the library because the title caught my eye. How easy and entertaining it is. Everything is told on a level anyone(me being a high school student) can understand and the humor is very funny i actually laughed out loud..it takes no effort to sit down and read this nonstop

fun for everyone

I'm not much of philosopher...or much of a reader, for that matter. Yet this book gets an easy 5/5. It's surprisingly easy to read for how deep some of the topics are...it moves along at a very digestible-but-entertaining pace. Also, the vignette-like structure makes it really easy to pick up and put down. However, I found myself saying "oh just one more" whenever I finished one, so maybe not super easy to put down. I highly recommend this book for... - philosophy students - intellectually curious kids - adults - all book clubs - birthday/graduation presents - anyone who needs to go to the bathroom and wants something to read I guess I'm highly recommending it to just about everyone. I'm putting it in the rare category of "can't miss."