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Barrett Brown
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Flock of Dodos: Behind Modern Creationism, Intelligent Design and the Easter Bunny Hardcover – April 1, 2007

by Barrett Brown (Author), Jon P. Alston (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
What is creationism? Is it science, theology, both, neither? Who's behind it?  And why should you give a damn in the first place? Ex-National Lampooner Barrett Brown and Professor of Sociology Jon P. Alston, Ph.D, answer these questions, and perhaps one of two more, in a superbly unorthodox, serenely offensive and splendidly hilarious look at the forces behind the most talked-about pseudo-theory in modern history.
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  1. Print length
    176 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Sterling & Ross, Cambridge House Press
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0978721306
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0978721305
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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Flock of Dodos is in the great tradition of debunkers with a sense of humor, from Thomas Paine to Mark Twain." -- Alan Dershowitz

"Jesus Christ and lesbian monkeys in the same book. Brilliant. `Smart' and `funny' in the same book. Genius." -- Cenk Uyger, The Young Turks, Air America Radio

"Simultaneously smart, insightful, and hilarious! Even though refuting creationism is like shooting tiny Noah's Arks in a barrel, Brown and Alston dissect the movement with a wholly unique wit and perspective. The best book I've read in years." -- Bob Cesca, The Huffington Post, Founder, Camp Chaos Entertainment

"Here's the problem with America's born-again wackos: only a gifted comic is capable of describing them, but no one with a sense of humor can stomach being around them. That's why there are so few books like Flock of Dodos. With their painstaking attention to historical detail and amusingly violent writing style, Brown and Alston have given the religious right exactly the righteous, merciless fragging it deserves. I wish I could tie James Dobson down and make him eat every page." -- Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone Magazine, author of Spanking the Donkey

About the Author

Jon P. Alston is Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University. He is the author of seven other books and more than seventy articles and anthology contributions. Barrett Brown has written for several national magazines including National Lampoon, Cracked, Jest, Wired, Playboy and for nerve.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sterling & Ross, Cambridge House Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2007
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0978721306
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0978721305
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.5 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

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Barrett Brown

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
46 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book humorous, with one mentioning it's a fun no-holds-barred counterattack. The content receives positive feedback, with one customer describing it as very informative. Customers also appreciate its value, with one noting it's worth getting.

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14 customers mention "Humor"10 positive4 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one mentioning it's fun to read a no-holds-barred counterattack.

"...The authors' sometimes humorous and always witty approach softens the blow...." Read more

"...Rhetoric and humor can be good. It is sometimes fun to laugh at people that deserve to be mocked. This book is proof...." Read more

"...Whatever the case, this is a funny book that shows the vast contradictions and fallacies of the so-called Intelligent Design movement...." Read more

"...The authors wrote the book in a humorous style, and in many places it is laugh out loud funny, although it does push the envelope with the jokes...." Read more

4 customers mention "Content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative, with one describing it as captivating.

"...The book does provide some useful references and websites, which earns it two stars rather than one, but it would be worse than useless as a tool..." Read more

"...It's too bad they didn't actually write a real book because they piqued my curiosity and I would have loved to read a book on the subject...." Read more

"I liked it. Overall it was fairly funny and very informative. Btw, I'm an agnostic science major if that matters." Read more

"Captivating, very funny..." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the money.

"...if you can get it at a discount (such as through Amazon), it is worth getting." Read more

"...Thanks for this great book." Read more

"too wise and funny..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Stratiotes Doxha Theon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wit and a sense of humor helps the medicine go down
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    If you are a sensitive Christian who is easily insulted, you will not like this book. However, the message, though a little harsh in parts, is the truth we need to hear. For too long the Fundamentalist school of Christian thinking has intimidated fellow Christians into silence and fear of the search for truth. The authors of this work, though implying an agnostic or even atheistic slant, have done well to expose the ludicrous and scandalous methods of the Fundamentalist-dominated far right. The authors' sometimes humorous and always witty approach softens the blow. At times, perhaps, the more extreme atheistic bias comes out in unpleasant rants. But, overall, this is a tasteful and welcome challenge to the Creationist echo chamber. If you are reading it right, it will make you think and ask the difficult questions of your own presuppositions.

    Sadly, the Creationist/Intelligent Design crowd has acted as though any dishonest actions to question evolution are acceptable for the sake of their cause. We have to ask if their approach has any resemblance to the teachings of the Jesus they claim to follow. And, when we 'follow the money', we have to ask if their scheme is truly from spiritual or political motivations. Christians of all traditions should be honest with themselves and always strive to reform their world view to correspond to truth. Do not dismiss this challenge.
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  • Sri Ahimsa
    3.0 out of 5 stars Too loaded with insults
    Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This would have better if all the insults had been omitted. There are many criticisms worth reading but Junior High "humor" takes over and diminishes the overall impact.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kevin Currie-Knight
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Wacky World of Creationism Gets Punk'd.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    "{T]he leaders of the Intelligent Design movement, as we shall see, are so incredibly dishonest that they could cause a veteran heroin addict to blush - not out of any moral objection on the part of the addict, but rather out of embarassment that anyone could be do damned bad at lying." (Kindle Edition, loc. 40)

    Brown and Austin's book, "Flock of Dodos" is a crass and mocking work of rhetoric against creationism and intelligent design. Anyone wanting a scholarly and measured discourse should look elsewhere (there are scores of good anti-ID books at the scholarly level). Anyone wanting a smoking hot and comedic look at lunacy, this is the place for you!

    The book starts off making fun of the most easy to make fun of: the "scientific" creationists like Ken Ham and Henry Morris (oddly, Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind is not mentioned. Maybe its because he is in jail.) Our authors make fun of their (as always) futile attempts to find, much less explain the possibility of, Noah's arc, their ignorance of any type of science, and their explanation of last resort - "then, a miracle happened."

    Next, we go onto another crew, that of intelligent design. These guys are a bit harder to make fun of - they are creationists who wear ties and speak like scientists. That, of course, doesn't keep our authors from trying their dangdest. This chapter is a more funny and condensed version of Forrest and Gross's "Creationism's Trojan Horse," where the ID crowd is rightly accused of double speak. When talking to scientists (rather, yelling to get their attention), they speak of "irreducible complexity." When talking to Christians (as they do constantly!), they speak of Jesus.

    The next several chapters are a humorous but forceful critique of the dangers that creationism in any form poses to science and culture. If a strange brand of Christians can force the courts to demand that a view be taught because it is more friendly to scripture (this has not happened yet), there is no telling what the next move would be. And if Christians can force the courts to decide what is and is not science, then science ceases to be indepenendent.

    The authors conclude that "[r]ather than a new and exciting theory, the Intelligent Design movement is nothing less than an attempted coup by which a contingent of Constantne's hopes to overthrow the legitimacy of the Enlightenment." (loc. 1011)

    If this sounds like an extreme judgment, bordering on caricaturization, that is because - at least to my eyes - it is. Other reviewers have complained that this book is just an empty work of biting and alarmist rhetoric. Okay. It is certainly no worse that Ann Coulter's "Godless," let alone Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," both of which were gobbled up by the ID crowd in droves.

    Rhetoric and humor can be good. It is sometimes fun to laugh at people that deserve to be mocked. This book is proof. (Now, we just need to find that pesky proof of evolution...)
    5 people found this helpful
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  • mrliteral
    5.0 out of 5 stars Shooting fish
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    If you ever needed an example of shooting fish in a barrel, just look to the book Flock of Dodos by Barrett Brown and Jon P. Alston, a brief but amusing look at the world of Creationism. When you're dealing with a group of intellectually limited people like the idea men of the Creationist/Intelligent Design movement, it's not exactly difficult to make fun at them.

    If I had to guess, the primary writer of Flock of Dodos is Brown, whose background is with National Lampoon. Alston, on the other hand, probably provided more of the concepts. Whatever the case, this is a funny book that shows the vast contradictions and fallacies of the so-called Intelligent Design movement.

    Unlike many books on the topic of debunking this pseudoscience, Flock of Dodos does not really rely on the scientific flaws, but dwells more on the political and religious rationale (or should it be irrationale?) of the movement. For example, while Intelligent Design proponents will often pretend that religion plays no part in their "theory", the record shows otherwise. The IDers (or as I've heard them referred to, IDiots) will resort to all sorts of lies and bullying to get their way and fulfill their ultimate agenda of bringing religion (which is to say their religion, a fanatical and disturbing form of Christianity) into the classroom and government. Quoting people out of context and indulging in scare tactics may be part of the game of politics, but in the world of science, it cannot win.

    Flock of Dodos may preach to the choir, but it also provides that choir with some additional tools to appropriately mock Creationists. At just over 150 quick pages, it may be a bit small for the cover price, but if you can get it at a discount (such as through Amazon), it is worth getting.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • marymccutcheon
    5.0 out of 5 stars a reason to buy a kindle
    Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    A new copy of Flock of Dodos costs ... what??? about $150. A used copy costs almost as much. A kindle version is under $10. So that did it for me. I bought a kindle. Now for the book. It was delightful and hit a lot of nails on the head. Everyone should read this ESPECIALLY believers in Intelligent Design and Creationism. Yeah. They might be offended, but they need to see what's wrong with their ideas. Thanks for this great book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Irgendwer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mehr Sachlichkeit hätte dem Buch gut getan
    Reviewed in Germany on June 20, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Zu viel Spott über die Bibel und Menschen, die wie Werwölfe aussehen sollen
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