Author: Z.M. Wagner

ISBN: 0-7414-2540-8

The following review was contributed by: Sue Vogan: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here

Z. M. Wagner resides in Arizona, "where he enjoys playing sports outside in the winter and anything that keeps him inside during the summer." He has written four other books and "several volumes of poetry, and plans to continue writing until he can no longer hold a pen."

Since President Bush's approval ratings have almost bottomed out, (only President Nixon's was lower at the same point in his career, but the House Judiciary Committee were preparing four articles of impeachment at that point), it's no wonder that political satirists have a lot to write about.

Z.M. Wagner has offered a warning which includes "if you don't understand the concept of sarcasm, irony, and satire; or if you simply belong to that class if person commonly known as a complete idiot, you will more than likely hate both this book and me." He goes on to state "the more willing we are to give up our freedoms because of threats to our safety, the more often that safety seems to be threatened. Think on."

"One Nation Under George" is fictional and tongue-in-cheek look back over George W. Bush's presidency between 2004-2008. From the very first page, the reader departs on a hysterically funny and shocking look at America's future.

Have entertained these thoughts -- replacing the U.S. soldiers with prisoners or limiting free speech, starting with Howard Stern?

Did you ever look for a good argument to have school children wear the same uniform? A character from "One Nation Under George" may be able to help. Her name is Ms. Spinster.

Ms. Spinster makes her way around to the public and private schools to gather information on what works and what doesn't. She thought "rather than have kids concentrate on the inequalities suffered by the different minority groups under our present system of government, she thought we should emphasize that everyone is considered equal under the law. By emphasizing the equality of every American under our law, and by stressing the amount of progress that had been made to ensure that all people were treated equally under the law, kids would begin to see things from a more optimistic viewpoint." And, like most information-gatherers, she delivered a memorandum "to all schoolteachers across the country. In it she stated: "The similarity that all school children in America have in common is that they are all Americans and therefore American culture is what should be taught in schools. A kid does not need to be taught that he is black, or Jewish, or Mexican or Chinese. They simply have to look at themselves to know this. One important thing in every single one of these cultures is family, and if family is such an important ingredient in all of these cultures, then they can be taught about the roots of their culture from their families. It is not a schoolteacher's job to teach a child how to be black, Jewish, Mexican, or Chinese. It is a schoolteacher's job to teach a child how to be a good American. Hyphens are dividing this country. A child is not an African-American; he is an American. True he is an American of African descent, but first and foremost and singly and separately, he is an American; and that American culture us the only thing that a public American educational system should be obligated to teach its American students."

Mr. Wagner's novel sheds new light on current problems and adds a twist to the kaleidoscope of colorful political ploys. Z.M Wagner sees what you see but with lots more humor.