A Comprehensive Guide to Federal Criminal Activity: An Illustrated Handbook for Aspiring Offenders

lil dave: Hilarious. Well done 👏

United States on Sep 06, 2023

Amazon Customer: I bought this to be a troll Christmas gift for my son later this year. He is oppositional to law-and-order when it negatively affects him. However, he is the first to call the authorities if he thinks he has been wronged. And he has an unrealistic view of how much effort the authorities should apply to his petty complaints. I have read part of the book and it is so going to get him.

United States on Jun 30, 2023

A. Nonymous: It's informative and somewhat entertaining, but it's no page-burner. It makes a nice bathroom book.

United States on Mar 27, 2021

mikemike: @CrimeADay on twitter is an entertaining project that was intended to describe at least one absurd federal crime each day. There were not enough days in the year, probably in our lifetimes.

Now Mike Chase provides us this book which is not a summary of that project, but a Law Book like manual on the many absurd ways one can run afoul of federal criminal statutes. The writing is incisive and hilarious, and the many illustrations are even better. You can read it cover to cover or, like the Holy Scriptures, just open to a random page and be inspired.

After laughing to the point of tears, your tears will run from the well of despair as you discover the parlous state of our criminal laws and the excess of government regulation. And if you think that is an exaggeration, just read about the Laws on Fruit Cocktail content, pp. 118-19, fig. 4-17.

This would be just a book of humor if it were not for the fact that thousands of people get snared by these ridiculous traps.

Mike Chase deserves a Medal of Honor for so skillfully displaying the absurd state of government and especially the criminal laws in these days. But that might only encourage the...

United States on Jun 06, 2019

camcas5: What an interesting book. It is a very funny one -- laugh-out-loud in many spots, as much for the illustrations as for the text -- and yet is so uniquely thought-provoking as well. There is a dry wit at work, clearly, and what elevates the overall content again and again is its thoughtful approach to the topic at large, our federal judicial system and those who shape it (or may suffer from it). Chase doesn't descend into outright silliness or mean-spiritedness at all, which is quite unique in a book like this. Another thing that strikes me is that often enough with books like this (political or historical humor, with pictures) is that once they've been read or just enjoyed through a few skims is that they are inevitably tossed aside. However, "How to Become a Federal Criminal" is clearly a keeper and it is enjoyed most thoroughly when read with full attention. Its structure and links between topics are quite adept and take provocative turns. And, yes, it's genuinely hilarious again and again. To me, this book is a no-brainer to give to anyone interested in our judicial and political systems and seeking out fresh and sharp observations related to these arenas.

United States on Jun 06, 2019