Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined

At the beginning of Dirty Jokes and Beer, Drew Carey comes right out and says, "Maybe I should have hired a ghostwriter, but I wanted to write the book myself." Forthrightness is one of the best qualities of Carey's collection, which is sure to satisfy fans of his eponymous sitcom. In any event, there's little likelihood of the book falling into the wrong hands. Don't think penis jokes are funny? Don't buy it. Don't want to know what the censors wouldn't let Drew put in the show? Ditto. What makes Carey's no-nonsense attitude even more attractive is the fact that he often turns the spotlight on himself, like so:

I know that I make a lot of jokes about it, but I'm not really happy with the way I look lately. My dream of finally being able to make it with an eighteen-year-old cheerleader is slipping through my fingers.
So, I'm going to lose the weight.
I'm going to lose the weight, get a light tan, and get my back waxed. And, I'm going to buy a cheerleader outfit for the next girl I start dating. A cheerleader outfit and a riding crop. Why hold back?

There's an unexpected edge of dissatisfaction, of unprocessed anger, that seeps between the lines. Sometimes Carey ventures into boneheadedness--as in a pointless rant against the sexual harassment policy at Warner Brothers and how it makes his life hard. More often, though, he comes across as a drinking buddy on a particularly funny night. That's what Carey set out to do--and there's room on many bookshelves for that.