I have a confession: my name is Drew, and I'm a Simpsons fanatic. By that, I don't mean I really like the show… I mean I love it to the point of having seen every episode, most of them multiple times. I've adored it since the day it premiered, when I was 8 and Bart was 9, and I've been so obsessive that my parents actually told me to stop watching reruns for a while in my teenage years, probably fearing for my sanity. But at the same time, what I consider one of the greatest compliments my father has ever paid me occurred a few years back; when, after a particularly painful episode, he turned to me and said, "Drew, they need you." And while that's something more than a stretch, it's a token of my love affair with the show that those four words meant as much to me as they did.

So when a book comes along professing to explain "How a cartoon masterpiece defined a generation," you can imagine I sit up and take notice. You may also imagine that I immediately buy and read through it so I can inform my fellow Simpsons lovers whether it's worth checking out. What you might not imagine is that doing so was… well, kind of boring. It's true, Planet Simpson contains lots of detailed analysis and trivia that even I didn't know. It also contains about 2-3 times more words than it needs, and that's a generous estimate. Clocking in at 438 pages, the book could easily convey all the relevant information in about 200… which is not a good thing.

It's certainly not all bad — the book showcases lots of info about the creation of The Simpsons, the show's evolution, and what makes it such a cultural milestone. It's neither a history nor a philosophy book, but both those elements are touched upon in examining the show's impact on modern society. And honestly, author Chris Turner delivers some truly insightful thoughts about the genesis of certain characters… everyone considers Dennis the Menace a precursor of Bart, of course, but would you have pegged Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols? No less intriguing is Turner's research into the writers' intent behind certain episodes. Like many fans, I love the episode focusing on Homer's enemy Frank Grimes, but I didn't know the creators were trying to satirize how Americans claim to admire hardworking, determined self-made men… but when one finally comes along, we dislike him and root for the fat, lazy slob instead — in other words, everything we profess to hate.

And yet, those insights tie directly into Planet Simpson's biggest flaw: the author's supreme sense of self-importance. Two clear facts emerge upon reading the book: 1) Turner is clearly smart; and 2) he is way, way too aware of how smart he is… and wants to be sure you are too. More than anyone I've ever read, he inserts his own voice into his writing: he's wordy, he wears his politics on his sleeve, and he takes particular joy in mocking other shows that, while not of the same caliber as The Simpsons, were innovative in their own way, like The Drew Carey Show and Married… with Children. (At one point, Turner even mentions how pretentious he was as a teen, making you wonder how insufferable he was then if this is considered progress.) In fact, the most unintentionally hilarious part of the book occurs when he lauds the show for making fun of overeducated, pompous twits in "They Saved Lisa's Brain," an episode where Springfield's MENSA members — Lisa, Comic Book Guy, Professor Frink, etc. — decide their intelligence makes them best equipped to lead the town. They attempt to transform Springfield into a utopia… but before long, as guest star (and avowed Simpsons fan) Stephen Hawking points out, it degenerates into more of a Fruitopia.

The lesson of the episode is one we all should remember: that intellectuals can be (and frequently are) every bit as petty, arrogant, and bullying as their sports-watching, beer-swilling brethren, and intelligence doesn't make one more moral or better equipped to lead. Good advice… so why didn't Turner heed it? Here's a scenario that crops up far too often in the book: "In episode 3F64, Homer decides to shop exclusively at Springfield's new mega-mart, despite Lisa's insistence that such stores are killing small business owners." [Cue 8-page diatribe about corporate hegemony and the death of free enterprise. Also, why Phish rules.] "And so, as we ultimately see in episode 3F64, Lisa is vindicated and Homer learns an important lesson. 'Woohoo!' indeed." Now, I actually agree with Turner in certain areas, particularly that both liberals and conservatives concern themselves too much with What Should Be — be that hippie communes or Rockwellian nuclear families — instead of focusing on What Is. And yet… didn't I buy this book to read about The Simpsons, not your personal politics? If you want to write about the dangers of globalization, great, do that; but don't trick Simpsons fans into reading it.

So I can't wholeheartedly recommend Planet Simpson to you, fair readers. But allow me to clarify — I wouldn't advise against it so much as simply suggest you know what you're getting into. Don't be fooled into anticipating a quick read full of fun Simpsons trivia… this is pretty heavy stuff. I actually do feel a bit smarter for having slogged through it, which I guess is a plus; however, I'm also left feeling that if I ever meet the author at a cocktail party, I'll have to fight the urge to kick him in the jimmies. And while I truly believe The Simpsons is the funniest, most intelligent show ever aired on television, even I don't think Matt Groening and his terrific writers and producers intended all of the incredibly subtle nuances Turner postulates. Still, I'm sure plenty of it was planned, and Planet Simpson brings a lot of those things to light, subtle gags that even hardcore fans might have missed, hand-in-hand with the more serious rationale that lies behind them.

Bottom line, I certainly don't have the encyclopedic knowledge of everything from societal theory to the history of counter-culture to be able to write this book myself, so more power to Turner for making it a mostly interesting (if remarkably self-indulgent) read. A 7-page discussion on how Kurt Cobain and Nirvana tie into the character philosophy of Bart Simpson may seem a bit much… and it is… but whether you buy into it or not, it's at least intriguing. The greatest compliment I can give Planet Simpson is to say that, while it irritates at times, it reminds you of why you fell in love with the show in the first place, and why it's still the best - in a world where Family Guy is frequently clever, The Simpsons is smart. There's a difference, and it's what separates a good show from one that opens your eyes and changes the way you think, even if only a little. When it comes down to it, the true "Planet Simpson" may be nothing more than a state of mind; but if so, it's one we could all stand to adopt a bit more often.