Eagerly Awaiting Your Irrational Response: A Dilbert Book

Dilbert #48

by Scott Adams

“The cartoon hero of the workplace” returns to take on simulated worlds, artificial intelligence, employee engagement, and foodies (San Francisco Examiner).The office culture in Dilbert abounds with hazards, from risky re-orgs and ergonomic ball chair disasters to Wally’s flying toenail clippings. After a colleague suggests planning a huddle to ideate around an opportunity, Dilbert suffers an acute bout of jargon poisoning. It’s all part of the delightful drudgery of Eagerly Awaiting Your Irrational Response.“Confined to their cubicles in a company run by idiot bosses, Dilbert and his white-collar colleagues make the dronelike world of Kafka seem congenial..” —The New York Times“Once every decade, America is gifted with an angst-ridden anti-hero, a Nietzschean nebbish, an us-against-the-universe everyperson around whom our insecurities collect like iron shavings to a magnet. Charlie Chaplin. Dagwood Bumstead. Charlie Brown. Cathy. Now, Dilbert..” —The Miami Herald

Genres: Comics, Humor, Fiction, Comic Strips, Cartoon

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.

Reviews

[John of Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice antidote to news networks, office politics, and woke stuff.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny as always!

[David Allen Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes strips get stale as they age, but that's just not true of Dilbert! I have been reading the strip for a long time, and I actually think this new collection may be the best and funniest yet! I found myself literally laughing out loud reading this book, and enjoyed it very much. I also like the fact that Adams keeps current and has not backed down from the "cancel culture" of the liberals controlling so many newspapers now when he takes on the current bullying liberal trends with his brand of humor. This book is simply a delight to read, and any fan of the strip will love it!

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read MANY Dilbert collections, but this is one of my favorites. I laughed out loud frequently while reading this book. I’m amazed how well Scott Adams has the typical office environment pegged 100%!

[karen atkins]

Always love Dilbert.

[Judith Gunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Wally, and I can't get enough of Dilbert. So of course I had to buy this book, which is another super contribution to the series. Now I immediately want another one!

[Ian Higgs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good as always with the Dilbert books

[Another · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dilbert isn't as likeable as he used to be.

[William_Furneaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

dilbert is funny but at a certain point you stop feeling the humor because the feeling of apathy gets too strong

[minmin.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second Dilbert book and I’ve stopped at 51% completion.

[Richard Turmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Dilbert fun

Entertaining as always. It is funnier when it relates to something that I saw or lived in the work environment therefore it will vary from reader to reader.

[LukaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Color strips.

Good color strips in a fine display of sequential art. Two or three have been in Dilbert collections. Get these before college idiots cancel them.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

More current trends mentioned.
But felt a little boring as it goes on, repetitive idea in different ways.
Will probably avoid it for a long time.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

Satirical

I'm definitely needing more Dilbert

Although, sad to say, no Loud Howard

[Srawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So painfully accurate. I would chuckle at these strips once upon, now I only groan and whimper.

[Writemoves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t agree with Scott Adams’s political views but I do enjoy the satire Of Dilbert.

[George Polansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read for stress relief.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dangers of the workplace are constantly unpredictable, throwing the likes of incompetent bosses and idiotic coworkers every which way - and there's no guarantee dodging any of their useless pleas for purpose will lead to any actual progress. Adams writes with witty clarity for employees across the board, promising a good chuckle on every page. Dilbert is certain the lack of direction is bound to be the death of him sooner rather than later...