Title: The Antidote: To The T-Rump Show
Author: Dr. Blackman
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1533393296
Pages: 103
Genre: Political-Humor/Post-Apocalyptic
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
The late and incredible Robin Williams once said, “People say satire is dead. It’s not dead; it’s alive and living in the White House.” This sentiment has never been more true in the age we live in now, as the leadership of the United States sits as a prime example of satire at its finest. In author Dr. Blackman’s book titled The Antidote: To The T-Rump Show, the author explores the destructive path our world is on using a fictionalized, post-apocalyptic world featuring people similar to those who we see in our daily lives.
A satire analyzing both the political and social aspects of our current society, the author portrays a fictional world in which Spamerica (formerly Manhattan), has seen the relocation of the indigenous people of Manhattoes from their homes to the shantytown of Albya. Exploring a battle between the corporate world seeking to isolate themselves and the people of their country from the world in order to maintain power and control, and the people directly rejecting these false leaders and their corrupt agendas, this book showcases an alternate reality style version of our own world, and the horrors that could await us by blindly following such leadership.
This book is the perfect way to delve into the corruption our world faces today. The use of satire allows us to analyze the world through the looking glass, so to speak. What stuck out to me was the inclusion of not only a satirical Donald Trump, (Crooked Donald T-Rump was the perfect character choice), but masking other notable figures like Russian President Putin being called Vlad the Impaler, or classifying the study of violence in our nation by mirroring it with the cult-like religion known as Scientology (called Violentology, from founder El Don Hubbub and using a practice called Lianetics). These are just a few examples that showcase not only the author’s perfect handle of the satire genre as a whole, but the author’s ability to highlight the rise in violence, the ease in which leadership lies to the public – and the public lies to itself, and the need to reconnect to the world around us and each other in a more harmonious light.
This is definitely a story for anyone who is more left-leaning politically, as well as anyone against the current actions of the United States government in particular and anyone who enjoys a good satire. I found this book not only be humorous in its satirical nature, but important to see where we, as a society, went wrong, and how we can end the practice of blindly following leaders who promise a quick fix, and instead find those who can bring balance, hope and light back into the world.
This is a fantastic book which deserves to be read. The blend of satire and a fictional post-apocalyptic world with our real world politics was powerful to read, and the long form poetry style of writing was perfect to see play out throughout this book. If you enjoy a fun and engaging satire that delves into the current political realm of our society, then grab your copy of The Antidote: To The T-Rump Show by Dr. Blackman today.
