Harmon Leon

Harmon Leon is an American journalist and humorist. He is an author of six books, a filmmaker, and has done some stand-up comedy. He has contributed to Esquire, Wired, Salon.com, National Lampoon, Maxim, National Geographic, and NPR. His typical comedic style is to impersonate a character, infiltrate some organization, then write about the experience, thus relating the absurdities of modern American life. His first book, The Harmon Chronicles, was published in 2002, and Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red-State, White-Ass, and Blue-Suit America, was printed in 2005 by Prometheus Books and The Infiltrator: My Undercover Exploits in Right Wing America, which came out in 2006.

Sourced

The American Dream (2008)

Nation Books, 22 September 2008, ISBN 1-56858-352-4

"Adjusting my thick glasses and dropping my half-Chinese Austin Powers accent, I futilely try to defend myself (noting there’s nothing worse in the world than being screamed at by a bunch of female celebrity impersonators)." Harmon Leon from the celebrity impersonator chapter of The American Dream.

"I’m stunned. Is this a trick to steal my shoes? 30-year carnie vet Wayne-o is offering me, ME, a corndog. I think….. I’ve officially been accepted as a fellow carnie! We all want acceptance, and maybe that’s the American dream of the carny life—no matter how big of a fuck up you are in the outside world if you work had enough you can be accepted as a carny. Maybe I’m actually a carny, deep down, at heart?" Harmon Leon from the carny chapter of The American Dream.

"I pull a huge, baby-arm-size bud of Trainwreck from a grocery bag on the floor. Looking at the time, I can’t believe the irony. Expecting a huge reaction, I announce, “Hey everyone, it’s 4:20!” No one cares. No one looks up. On a pot farm, it’s always 4:20." Harmon Leon from the pot farm chapter of the American Dream.

"The curly-haired kid’s eyes’ light up as a rousing chorus of “THIS LAND IS FAGLAND,” breaks out. With the most vigor, even the tiniest join in, big smiles, swaying their heads like it were the Barney the Dinosaur song. The chubby red-haired girl actually jumps while singing—she’s just-that- happy." Harmon Leon from the Bible-thumping chapter of The American Dream.

The Harmon Chronicles (2002)

Ecw Press, October 1, 2002, ISBN 1-55022-527-8

"I think Jean Paul Sarte once said, “Hell is other people’s babies.” At least that’s the lesson I learnt when I went to the 8th annual America’s Most Beautiful Baby Contest in Scottsdale Arizona. Outside it's hot enough to fry babyfood. But inside the bliss of an air-conditioned shopping mall, one baby will be judged far more beautiful than all the other babies, displayed on stage like a little trained monkey."-Harmon Leon from The Harmon Chronicles (ECW Press)

"We sure have a lot of crazy people with guns in America. And what’s the excuse for keeping guns legal: guns don’t kill people kill. Yeah, but the people that kill sure get a lot of help from guns—especially in shooting related incidents!"--Harmon Leon from the Harmon Chronciles (ECW Press)