The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them) | 
 enlarge | Author: Peter Sagal
Publisher: HarperEntertainment
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 49015
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0060843829
Dewey Decimal Number: 179.8
EAN: 9780060843823
ASIN: 0060843829
Publication Date: October 1, 2007
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Product Description
Somewhere, somebody is having more fun than you are. Or so everyone believes. Peter Sagal, a mild-mannered, Harvard-educated NPR host—the man who put the second "L" in "vanilla"—decided to find out if it's true. From strip clubs to gambling halls to swingers clubs to porn sets—and then back to the strip clubs, but only because he left his glasses there—Sagal explores exactly what the sinful folk do, how much they pay for the privilege, and exactly how they got those funny red marks. He hosts a dinner for three of the smartest porn stars in the world, asks the floor manager at the oldest casino in Vegas how to beat the house, and indulges in molecular cuisine at the finest restaurant in the country. Meet liars and rich people who don't think consumption is a disease, encounter the most spectacular view ever seen from a urinal, and say hello to Nina Hartley, the only porn star who can discuss Nietzsche while strangers smack her butt. With a sharp wit, a remarkable eye for detail, and the carefree insouciance that can only come from not having any idea what he's getting into, Sagal proves to be the perfect guide to sinful behavior. What happens in Vegas—and in less glamorous places—is all laid out in these pages, a modern version of Dante's Inferno, except with more jokes.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
Very entertaining - good summer read! May 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sagal's talent for entertaining with biting and insightful commentary on the absurd and unseemly make this a good summer read. For those of us who are dedicated "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" fans, you'll hear echoes of his crazy laugh throughout this book!
A Light-Hearted Look at the Subject April 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you only know Peter Sagal from his radio show "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!", you may be slightly surprised at this book. It contains much of the humor he brings to the show, although of course not the ad libs, but beneath the light-hearted facade is an exploration of behavior patterns our society views as vices and portraits of people involved in them. If you don't know Sagal at all, you may be disapointed in the book, as it is NOT a dry, scholarly study.
Three of the seven topics involve sex, which perhaps reflects current American pre-occupations reasonably well. However, he omits our fascinations with lethal weapons and with violence generally, which also figure considerably in our entertainment (espeically television, movies, and video games). The manifestations of his selected vices tend towards the middle and upper classes.
The book is well written, and much of it is a first-person account of Peter's (and, often, his wife's) field work in the various subjects. Professional sociologists will be put off by the light tone, but may find some useful anecdotes nevertheless. The rest of us can derive some voyeuristic pleasure from seeing how the other half lives.
I wish he dove a little deeper March 18, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Entertaining read - I only wish Sagal wasn't such a prude. I'd like to read more of an insider's view, rather than that of an outsider looking in.
 Snide attitude and limited subjects make this book not all it could be, but slightly worth a read February 2, 2008
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
The title of this book certainly draws you in. It's always interesting to read about the seamier side of life, and wonder how people actually get INTO doing those things! But this book really isn't the answer to many questions. It looks at a very limited number of areas, and specific cultures within them---eating at a very high end restaurant, attending a swingers club for one night without participating, viewing the filming of a specific sort of adult movies, etc. It's certainly not an overview. However, what is written about still could be quite interesting, and sometimes is, but the writing is marred by a smarty-pants, looking-down-on-others attitude. For example, Sagal has NO understanding of the appeal of gambling and pretty much laughs his head off at those who would waste their money that way. I am sure most gamblers know the house wins in the end, but it still can be fun to watch the slot machine swirl knowing there's even a CHANCE of winning, if you only spend a limited amount---and Sagal doesn't get this at all. He subtly makes fun of almost everyone he meets, for example, repeatedly mentioning how a adult film star is staring into space during a meal. He has a few odd writing habits, like mentioning almost everyone's height as soon as they are introduced.
Overall, not a BAD book---but not really one that adds any knowledge or understanding to the world of vice!
vice book January 18, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
delivered promptly but the book is not what i thought it would be, it is very satirical to the point of annoyance
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