Book tip

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

After he became a U.S. senator in 2009, Al Franken had to curb the comedy instincts he honed at humor meccas like “Saturday Night Live.” Fortunately, now that he’s taken seriously as a politician, he has brought back some of The Funny. He offers up some gems in this new book, about his run for and work as part of Congress. Even more vital, he provides a fascinating look inside grassroots politics (bean feeds in Minnesota!) and inside the D.C. legislative world. Franken possesses a real talent for storytelling, which makes this a great read.