John Oliver's 'better' Marlon Bundo children's book tops Amazon
SAN FRANCISCO -- John Oliver has trolled his way to the top.
The HBO host's spoof of a new picture book by the wife and daughter of Vice President Mike Pence is No. 1 on Amazon.com.
"Marlon Bundo's Day in the Life of a Vice President" is a tribute to the Pence family's beloved rabbit. It was written by the vice president's daughter, Charlotte Pence, and illustrated by his wife, Karen Pence. Oliver's book, which he announced over the weekend, is called "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo." The story is the same, almost: This Marlon Bundo has fallen for a male bunny.
"There are a few small differences between the two books," Oliver said on his show, noting Pence's opposition to gay marriage and other LGBTQ rights. "This is a sweet story about Marlon Bundo falling in love."
Published by Chronicle Books, the parody was written by "Last Week" contributor Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller. Proceeds are being donated to The Trevor Project, a suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth, and AIDS United.
It's not the only current best-seller inspired by the Trump administration. No. 2 on Amazon was James Comey's "A Higher Loyalty," the upcoming memoir by the FBI director fired last year by President Donald Trump. At No. 3 on Monday was "Russian Roulette," in which Michael Isikoff and David Corn investigate Trump's alleged ties to Russia.
The Pence book, meanwhile is a best-seller, too, ranked No. 11 on Amazon.
Chronicle Books is based in San Francisco.
"In our 50 years at the company we've never published a book like this," Chronicle president Tyrrell Mahoney said. "It's truly a standout in our history."
They'd been working on this project for approximately five months.
"This is a very important storyline for us, being part of San Francisco and the culture here," Mahoney said. "And we really did jump at the chance to be part of sending a message like this."
Standing in Marlon Bundo's way, the story's antagonist, the stink bug.
"He does look a little bit like the vice president, but he's just the stink bug," Mahoney said.
The story concludes that while stink bugs are temporary, love is forever.
Chronicle Books printed 40,000 copies to start, not nearly enough just days later. They're now back on press for 400,000 copies.
A portion of proceeds from the Pence's book are also being donated to A21, a nonprofit focused on combating human trafficking and an art therapy program at Riley Hospital for Children.
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