Customer Reviews
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories - By: Jma Pinero-rey, 13 Nov 2008 
I must say the author has made a good & funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories
For everyone not PC repressed - By: Mr. P. M. Ashley, 15 Dec 2007 For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -
I swamped myself - you have been warned
Funny - or not? - By: Mrs. P. A. Porter, 19 Aug 2007 
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!
Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs - By: Kurt Messick, 29 Dec 2005 Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there isin human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires & livingin caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.
Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent wayin which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture & accepted morality, too.
So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised & thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?
And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy & cookies outin the woods? This is the kind of question addressedin this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
Now, before you get your knickersin a twist, realise that this is allin fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to & beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.
James Finn Garner highlights thisin his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes & encourages your suggestions for rectification.
In this volume, we have the following stories, revised & updated for the modern reader:
- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack & the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin
I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the storiesin this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs livingin a harmonious collective, & of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods & sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up & down & pondering the role of the eco-feministin her era.
Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess & the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, & the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course & condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, & turns him back into a frog.
'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'
Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, & those caughtin an inter-species spell.
Fun for children of all adult ages.
BRILLIANTLY FUNNY - By: Keane Listener, 06 Jan 2003 
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists & phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales & Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings & political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light & not boring.
