"I shagged your dog and spit in your purse. . ."

Everyone's got that stereotypical "Uncle Lou" or "Cousin Jimmy" who drinks beer, farts at the dinner table, and tells dirty jokes. Carey is everyone's "Uncle Drew," but with a measure of intelligence that is rare in showbiz these days (he's a comedian, though; maybe that explains it).

Dirty Jokes and Beer is a fun read. In it, the ever-lovable Drew tells "101 Big-Dick Jokes," sounds off about sexual harassment, recounts a recent Mardi Gras celebration (Hard Copy-style), and shares some of his short stories. The stories, while unpolished, are hilarious, and feature a main character named Drew (although Carey says they aren't true); one tells about a twenty-year-old Drew "winning" $5,000 in a wild Vegas poker game, and another is about Drew's alcoholic "friend" Larry tackling a legendary football player.

There's a Q&A section about his popular sitcom, "The Drew Carey Show." While I never really watched the show myself, fans of his show would doubtless find it interesting.

Drew also gives the reader some insight into his young life: his experience as "Brut man," how hard it was for him to pick up girls, and his family life. There are some pictures of him. He actually used to be skinny and cute. And if that's not enough of a reason to buy the book, let me give you another one:

Drew Carey wrote this book himself. No ghost writers.

He doesn't pull that stunt that comics-turned-writers so often use: taking their stand-up acts and marketing it as a book. Drew is the real deal. And he is a surprisingly good writer. He makes some good points, especially in his diatribe about sexual harassment; his points come across clearly and intelligently (unlike many of mine, sadly).

There are objectionable words and phrases in Dirty Jokes; the author explains why he uses "f*cked" instead of "blew" in the Introduction, but if you can handle off-color jokes ("What does a tightrope walker have in common with a guy getting a BJ from Whoopi Goldberg? They're both afraid to look down.") and rude sarcasm, this is the book for you. And if you do have an Uncle Lou or Cousin Jimmy, this would make a great gift.