Al Franken: Giant of the Senate
Score Modern
What it's about
Al Franken, the Saturday Night Live writer and comedian, tells the story of how he ran for the Senate in Minnesota, won by 312 votes after a months-long recount, and then learned to be a senator. It's a memoir of a political campaign and of Washington from the inside, written by someone who never stops being funny.
Why it's worth reading
It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's one of the funniest political memoirs ever written, and a sharp look at how the Senate works.
You'll love it if you liked
A Promised Land, The Truth with Jokes or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Good to know
It was published in 2017, before Franken resigned from the Senate. It's openly partisan and openly comic.
Quick answers
Is Al Franken: Giant of the Senate worth reading?
Yes. It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It ranks #913 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Al Franken: Giant of the Senate about?
Al Franken, the Saturday Night Live writer and comedian, tells the story of how he ran for the Senate in Minnesota, won by 312 votes after a months-long recount, and then learned to be a senator. It's a memoir of a political campaign and of Washington from the inside, written by someone who never stops being funny.
How long does it take to read Al Franken: Giant of the Senate?
About 8 hours (304 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Al Franken: Giant of the Senate?
If you liked it, try A Promised Land by Barack Obama, The Truth with Jokes by Al Franken or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.
By the numbers
- Readers81 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller42 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
#1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1).
Where it ranks
- #19 of the 44 politics books we rank
- #149 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #476 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #913 of the 2,819 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1)
- 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2017
Reads as
True story
More by Al Franken
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