Humor is a rather peculiar genre of art. Literally speaking, the term ?humor? is defined as a quality to evoke amusement. A very true fact regarding this is that not every brand of humor is for everyone or in other words a particular situation that is amusing for one can be utterly disgusting for another. Such is the case with people like Rowan Atkinson, Verne Troyer or Sacha Baron Cohen practice. Mostly with them things are either black or white; you either love them or hate them?its hard to hold a middle ground when it comes to Mr. Beans, Austin Powers or Borat. If you have had the chance of watching movies featuring any of these gentlemen, you would know what I mean.



Sacha Cohen is the man behind the characters of Ali G, Borat and Bruno, but most people know him by his pseudo names better than his real name. A London born, orthodox Jew, it is hard to argue about the man's genius. Whatever he does, he does it in a very realistic manner and this has been acknowledged by his nomination for Oscar and Emmy, and the Golden Globe that he did manage to take home for his film ?Borat?. He has amused many with his depiction of a Kazakh reporter and a different type of acknowledgement came in the shape of anger from the Kazakh government, for portraying them as a backward country.

After the hit movie he has now stepped up as a writer and is again causing a stir with his book called ?Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and...Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?. Going by one of Borat's interviews to Reuters, you can be sure that he has come back with another offering laced with his signature flavour.

The book is almost a continuation of Cohen's movie from last year, though it is arguable how successful an attempt it would be to translate his comic genius in to written form. It is said to have some rather graphic sexual images that won't sit very well with all; for in all honestly, here he does not have the advantage of wooing the viewers with the idiosyncratic persona of Borat and without that the images fall under the category of vulgar and gross more than anything else, like the naked, chained woman on page 43.

The book holds a rather cheeky comparison between the two featured countries; his beloved Kazakhstan and U.S and A, in his very own special way. According to Borat his book holds a lot of value for his countrymen traveling to the minor state of U.S. and A, with tips like where to dump their women, places to hunt red Indians or best places to meet women and take their pictures without them noticing; some handy tips for sure. Also it highlights the salient features of his glorious country, showcasing it as a worthwhile destination for prospective visitors. Rumor has it, though, that Kazakhstan is planning a movie of its own to undo the damage done to their country's name.

Cohen uses his usual punch lines like selling women, rape and fearing Jews but it's rather predictable than shocking. The book is featuring amongst the best sellers lists and would be a good read for the people who have the palate for this special brand of humor.