The Recommended Starting Point
Al Franken’s books do not follow a continuous storyline, so you can read them in almost any order. However, depending on what you want out of his writing, we recommend starting with one of these two books:
- For Memoir and Political Insiders: Start with Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (2017). This memoir is Franken’s most mature and reflective work, detailing his transition from Saturday Night Live (SNL) satirist to working U.S. Senator. It retains his signature humor while providing a fascinating, earnest behind-the-scenes look at modern congressional politics.
- For Classic Satire and Media Takedowns: Start with Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (1996) or Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (2003). These books represent the height of Franken's media watchdog era, exposing political hypocrisy using meticulously researched arguments wrapped in sharp, biting comedy.
The Real Al Franken Bibliography in Publication Order
While online book databases often list hundreds of local history and landmark books under Al Franken's name, his actual body of work is much smaller and focused. Here is the chronological order of his real publications:
The Humor and Stuart Smalley Era
- I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me! Daily Affirmations by Stuart Smalley (1992) – Franken's first book, written entirely in the voice of his beloved, self-help-obsessed Saturday Night Live character, Stuart Smalley.
- Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or, Failing That, Happiness (2002) – Written in Franken's own voice, this book acts as a satirical spoof of self-help and advice literature, offering mock guidance on career, relationships, and finance.
Political Satire and Media Critiques
- Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (1996) – The bestseller that established Franken as a formidable political commentator. It targeted the rising wave of conservative talk radio with facts and humor.
- Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (2003) – A detailed critique of right-wing media outlets and pundits, combining heavy factual research by a team of Harvard students (dubbed "Team Franken") with satirical commentary.
- The Truth (With Jokes) (2005) – A follow-up to Lies, covering the 2004 presidential election, media bias, and political policies of the era.
Satirical Fiction
- Why Not Me? The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency (1999) – Franken's sole novel, a mock campaign memoir detailing his fictional run for the U.S. presidency on a single-issue platform (eliminating ATM fees), his landslide victory, and his subsequent psychological collapse and resignation after 144 days.
Memoir
- Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (2017) – A mixture of personal memoir, political commentary, and reflections on his Senate campaign and career representing Minnesota.
Decoding the "Landmarks Books" Database Glitch
If you look up Al Franken on automated book listing sites, you will see a massive list of regional history books in the "Landmarks" series (such as A History of Camp Cory, Virginia State Penitentiary, or Salem's Witch House). Al Franken did not write these books.
This is a classic database aggregation error. In 2015, Arcadia Publishing released a book titled Brave New Workshop: Promiscuous Hostility and Laughs in the Land of Loons, written by journalist Rob Hubbard. The book documents the history of Minneapolis's famous satirical theater, the Brave New Workshop, where Al Franken got his start. Franken contributed the foreword to this book. Because Arcadia Publishing frequently markets this title alongside their regional "Landmarks" series, library and cataloging software cataloged the entire series under Franken's name. You can safely ignore these titles when searching for Franken's actual bibliography.
Anthologies, Audiobooks, and Radio Companions
Franken has also contributed to several collaborative projects that often get listed as part of his core bibliography:
- The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (2002) – Written by investigative journalist Greg Palast. Franken did not write this book, but he co-narrated the abridged audiobook version alongside Janeane Garofalo.
- Air America: The Playbook (2006) – A print companion to the progressive radio network Air America. Franken was a headline host on the network and wrote the introduction and multiple essays for this collection.
What to Know Before You Start
Al Franken's books are deeply rooted in the political climate of their time. Reading Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot or Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them today serves as a time capsule of the mid-1990s and early-2000s media landscape. Despite the dated political references, the books remain popular for their conversational, friendly tone and the sharp, analytical way Franken breaks down public policy and media spin.
For readers who want a lighter, less partisan experience, his Stuart Smalley affirmations book and Oh, the Things I Know! focus purely on humor and self-improvement satire. Meanwhile, his satirical novel Why Not Me? remains one of the most clever presidential mock-campaign diaries ever written, blending real-life political figures (such as policy analyst Norm Ornstein) with surreal comedy.