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Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy

by J.T. Lundy

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2511926,095 (3.67)1
Chris Thompson thought his youthful dreams of being a secret agent had long ago been put to rest. He has a wife and child, a stable job with the US Customs Department, and--aside from a minor incident involving outsourcing American apple pie production to Bangladesh--no real worries. This all changes when Chris receives a phone call from the president of the United States, Oscar I. Wright, regarding a secret invasion of America from Canada and Mexico--an invasion somehow tied to the "Big Mac Party," a cultish political party that worships the legacy of the notorious Communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy. Soon, Chris is equipped with firearms, designer suits, government helicopters, and an array of gadgets worthy of any top-notch spy. His mission: infiltrate the mysterious "Emergence" program founded by McCarthy within the shadowy halls of the US government--and, ultimately, save democracy as we know it from the xenophobic demons of America's past. A unique, bubbling combination of Christopher Buckley-esque satire, political farce, and espionage comedy, Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy reveals--through encounters with a hilarious cast of hallucinating politicians, Border Patrol commandants, crew-cut torturers, stuttering computer wizards, supposedly immortal pilots, and more--just how frightening a contemporary abuse of government power can be, and just how much we sometimes stand to lose when we decide to pursue our dreams.… (more)
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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
So there is a small but growing faction of politicians intent on bringing back the edicts of that nut job Senator Joseph McCarthy, who call themselves the Big Mac party ("BM" for short although BS would have been more fitting). Chris Thompson is drafted by the President himself and the Secretary of State to thwart the evil doers. Only the Sec of State is also one of them, so the Prez has to concoct another reason as to why Chris has been hired so that the Sec of State will go along with it -- that being that America is being invaded from all sides by millions of illegals from Canada and Mexico. It's all very crazy and fun until it turns just silly. Hmm, I wonder if The Donald has read this book? ( )
  kdabra4 | Jul 26, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
A fun, satirical romp through modern day McCarthyism. A strange and unlikely bunch of characters team up to save the world from McCarthyism and the-"Big Mac Party"-believing renegades who want to take over the government. The unlikely heroes and their situations had me giggling and shaking my head. But it was never dull. I did enjoy this political farce. ( )
  Dannadee | Oct 29, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
The description had potential, but it just wasn’t the novel that was promised. There’s a fine line between absurd (but entertaining) representations of reality and pure silliness. I felt the satire in this novel was too ridiculous and obvious to be either funny or compelling. The characters weren’t much better- they struck me as flat and stereotypical. Overall, really struggled through this book. ( )
  Kristilafollette | May 29, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
This book was fairly well-written. I did see a few grammatical errors, but not major ones. The story wasn’t my type of story and it didn’t catch and hold my attention, but it wasn’t horrible. Someone else may find it engaging. ( )
  eheinlen | Mar 6, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
The first time I read this book, I hated it. I've never read political satire before and it just seemed ridiculous.

Then I read it again, and again, and again, because I loved it.

It's packed with satire. I couldn't stop laughing while I was reading it. It IS ridiculous, and that's what's great about it- it fully captures the absurdity of McCarthyism. The Big Mac Party, the MacWacky, and outsourcing apple pie are all fantastic. ( )
  suigenic | Mar 4, 2014 |
Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)
"Lundy is a talented writer who crafts vivid characters, keeps the overcomplicated story moving at a brisk pace and serves up vigorous prose with punchy dialogue. ...An entertaining if over-the-top saga of demagoguery run amok."
 
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Chris Thompson thought his youthful dreams of being a secret agent had long ago been put to rest. He has a wife and child, a stable job with the US Customs Department, and--aside from a minor incident involving outsourcing American apple pie production to Bangladesh--no real worries. This all changes when Chris receives a phone call from the president of the United States, Oscar I. Wright, regarding a secret invasion of America from Canada and Mexico--an invasion somehow tied to the "Big Mac Party," a cultish political party that worships the legacy of the notorious Communist-hunting Senator Joseph McCarthy. Soon, Chris is equipped with firearms, designer suits, government helicopters, and an array of gadgets worthy of any top-notch spy. His mission: infiltrate the mysterious "Emergence" program founded by McCarthy within the shadowy halls of the US government--and, ultimately, save democracy as we know it from the xenophobic demons of America's past. A unique, bubbling combination of Christopher Buckley-esque satire, political farce, and espionage comedy, Happy Utopia Day, Joe McCarthy reveals--through encounters with a hilarious cast of hallucinating politicians, Border Patrol commandants, crew-cut torturers, stuttering computer wizards, supposedly immortal pilots, and more--just how frightening a contemporary abuse of government power can be, and just how much we sometimes stand to lose when we decide to pursue our dreams.

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