Following are additional reviews for
"The Average American"
(For 120 previous reviews, please click here)
"As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Kevin O'Keefe has a thing or two to say about the average citizen. The average American... lives within three miles of a McDonald's, has no ambition to be famous and prefers whole milk to other kinds. And O'Keefe, author of 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen,' is just warming up... He went on a quest. After collecting facts from every credible source he could find (government agencies, polling firms, research organizations and other media), O'Keefe began traveling and interviewing his fellow Americans. He crisscrossed the country for more than two years, research book in hand, trying to create a portrait of the average American. As he did so, he made an interesting discovery."
- Brenna Maloney, The Washington Post
"A smart new book from a marketing consultant named Kevin O'Keefe called 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen.' Compare and contrast with your own life."
- T.L. Stanley, The Hollywood Reporter
"Kevin O’Keefe wrote a fascinating study, The Average American, in which he cuts through the endless reams of tracked data to paint a colorful and statistically accurate picture of the average American Joe or Jane. More than just economic statistics, O’Keefe’s study covers real cultural issues as well. His findings will challenge long-held, often even dogmatic views, held by most Americans about the 'average' among them. This book is good reading for anyone who wants to understand the real world in which we operate our lives and businesses."
- The HS Dent Foundation - "Recommended Reading List"
"The American way of life"
- Los Angeles Times
"Kevin O'Keefe... scoured the country in a fascinating search for 'the nation's most ordinary citizen,' a journey that led him to a surprising destination. This fascinating, thought-provoking book debunks a lot of what politicians and the media would have us think about our friends and neighbors, both gay and nongay."
- Donalevan Maines, OutSmart magazine
“If you were asked to define the average American, how would you respond? How would you determine what characteristics to compare, and how would you know where the average lies? Sounds like a daunting task, yet Kevin O’Keefe did just that… He began by considering every person living in the country, eliminated non-citizens, and then began the search in earnest. He visited ordinary folks all over the country, sought out what they felt was important, and returned to the census and other credible statistics to compare how the Average Joe would fit in… In the end, O’Keefe accumulated a list of 140 criteria to determine the nation’s most statistically average person. He comes to grips with his own fear of being average (i.e. he realizes that ‘average’ doesn’t have to mean ‘dull’). He is amazed at where his journey ends, and the person who matches the profile as the average American. As you accompany him on his journey, you will inevitably find yourself comparing how you match up to the statistics… The book is more than just lists and statistics. It’s a slice of everyday
- Irene Labombarde, the Hippo (
"A thoroughly engrossing journey of self-discovery masquerading as a statistics project."
- Jon Tillman, jontillman.com (website developer - London)
"All kinds of facts and figures on - yes, that's right - the average American."
- Mary Meitus, Rocky Mountain News
"Fabulous author, Kevin O'Keefe. The book: 'The Average American'... What a wonderful book."
- Ron Tunick, KTVA-AM's "Coaching Your Business with Ron Tunick" (California)
"[The book's subject] isn't called Joe but is, officially, the Average American."
- Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian (United Kingdom)
"The book isn't just about the Average American. It is also about the SEARCH for the Average American. Each chapter contributes to the journey in some way. The author meets people along the way and talks with them about what he is doing. These are the folks who fit some of his criteria and who offer him more criteria to consider. These people and the information they provide are important to the book, but really it is hard to evaluate any one of them as being more or less important than the others. However, because this book is about a journey, a search, the final destination is important to the heart of the book... The chapters in the middle where he meets people along the way were interesting... I liked the journey and what it discovered along the way... I really liked the statistics"
- Sandra Connelly (assistant professor, reading, Delaware County Community College)
"The Average American by Kevin O'Keefe... affirms that [being] average means having a certain balance in life."
- Gonzalo Vega Sfrasani, El Mercurio (Chile)
"I've just been reading Kevin O'Keefe's The Average American, about his search to find, well, the most average person in America... The author is an overachiever and along his journey, he is discovering that the overachievers, esp those that rely on outside validation such as prizes/fame etc, are much more unhappy than the average Joes/Janes who enjoy their ordinary lives and the love of their family and friends."
- Yang-May Ooi, fusionview.co.uk (writer and social media consultant - United Kingdom)
"How techie is the average American? For his book The Average American, author Kevin O'Keefe conducted hundreds of interviews across the U.S....He learned about the tech products the 'typical' American owns, uses, and buys."
- PC Magazine
"For his research, O’Keefe criss-crossed the country for more than two years and knocked down 'many of the myths about Americans'... He disproves the age old assumption of the average American as someone who lives on a farm in Middle America... O’Keefe initially held high-profile jobs in the sports and entertainment industries, designing countless national marketing and public relations campaigns to reach the average American... We found O’Keefe’s research on the average American interesting as it is so very important for all firms and businesses to target and intimately know their audiences."
- Rachel Fink, The PR Attorney
"Today during lunch, I ran a bunch of errands and during the longest part of the drive, I caught most of an interview with Kevin O'Keefe, author of The Average American
- Laura Blankenship, geekymom.blogspot.com
(senior instructional technologist, Bryn Mawr College)
"Meet the average [American] in The Average American: The Extraodinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen"
- The Detroit News - "Week's talker"
"A picture of the perfect standard American"
- Courrier International (France)
"Kevin O'Keefe... wrote a book called The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen... So did O'Keefe ever find a Mr. or Ms. Average American? Someone who embodies the 140 qualities that constitute aveage-ness? Yes... What does O'Keefe's search prove? That we're all more unique than we think - even the [one] who turned out to be average."
- John Tesh, tesh.com
"I'm blown away by this book titled, 'THE AVERAGE AMERICAN: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's most Ordinary Citizen' by Kevin O'Keefe. His background as a marketing executive drew him to a thoughtful climax when he realised that he cannot influence the voices or americans if he doesnt understand his own spirit so he began this WILDLY creative JOURNEY from stranger to stranger and from double rainbows to single rainbows creating and categorizing the most statistically average citizens."
- Lee Aulson, leeleebee31.livejournal.com (visual artist - Peabody, Massachusetts)
"Is the average American lazy? That certainly doesn't seem to be the case if one looks at most respectable economic measures of industriousness, lazy's bipolar opposite, where the US consistently generates chart topping results in productivity, GDP per capita, and efficiency to name a few… He or she is 38.6 years old, lives in a house valued at between US$100,000 to US$300,000, has an annual income of between US$44,000 and US$70,000, and takes at least a 10-minute shower each day. Now I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like a lazy person to me. These are a few of the observations made by Kevin O'Keefe in his highly readable and thought provoking book, ‘The Average American, the Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen’. Using data gleaned from a wealth of statistics... and a year's worth of interviews with John and Jane Q. Public from coast to coast, O'Keefe paints a vivid and telling picture of the 'average American' today, including the observation that one reason the average American works less harder today than before is he or she doesn't have to, thanks in no small part to the shift in the makeup of our economy. More startling though is the degree to which O'Keefe's work dispels the misguided notion we are a nation of porkers content to live out the rest of our cholesterol-shortened lives propped on a pile of pillows in front of the tube. While there is indeed a little more growth around the midsection than is probably healthy in the long run, the average American is far from the 'super sized' version we are often led to believe. We may be working less hours but it seems the majority of us are making the most of those extra leisure hours after all-spending time with family and community, traveling, exercising and learning new things... Oh sure there are a fair number of terminally lazy deadbeats out there to hold up as examples and more than enough nose-to-the-grindstone workaholics to keep the therapists busy for decades, but the bottom line is that they represent the extremes rather than the norm. The average American is far from lazy and is unlikely to ever be lazy.”
- Lao Ke, Helium
"An extraordinary nationwide search... Whether we call him or her John Q. Public, Plain Jane, or the Average Joe, the Average American enjoys the wholehearted support of every politician, advertiser, and film producer. But where is he?... O'Keefe set forth [to find] the previously hypothetical Average American."
- Barnes & Noble editors
"'The Average American," by Kevin O'Keefe, takes us on the search for the country's most ordinary citizen... This is a lively, fun and thought-provoking read."
- Grand Forks Herald (North Dakota)
"A 2-year search for the most ordinary American citizen guides Kevin O'Keefe across the... United States, from New England to California and Hawaii. This search ends at a most unexpected and unpredictable destination. Armed with the vast reservoir of statistical information... his investigation started with an examination of the demographics of over 281,000,000 Americans... 140 demographics [were] suggested by average citizens with whom the author had personal face-to-face extended interviews. When new demographics were suggested, each was tested by the most credible and reliable statistical sources available and noted for each chapter at the book's conclusion. Throughout this book each suggested average American behavior after statistical verification was labeled as having passed the Mr. Q test, In recognition of Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet… who presented statistical profiles of average people and John Q. Public and to separate fact from fiction (pp 2-3). These suggestions from interviewees were of a sociocultural nature, i.e., eating habits, political, and governmental attitudes and knowledge, community awareness, racial tolerance, personal hygiene, exercise, and intellectual pursuits, to name a few. This book presents a wealth of factual statistics regarding the behavior of average Americans in an interesting and exciting manner. In each interview, Kevin O'Keefe presents a compassionate willingness to hear and understand the ordinary American's views. The author humbly suggests how this research modified his own views toward the ordinary. Since most of our sociocultural heritage has been grounded in competition and doing one's best, even the suggestion that one is average appears not to fit in with the American Dream. The average athlete, CEO, professor, father, mother, employee, politician, or citizen receives little publicity, (outside of an obituary) poor financial reward, and status yet most Americans no matter what their status in life often describe themselves as an ordinary Joe or Jane. This study suggests the ambivalence with which striving Americans must deal, while desiring to excel yet simultaneously denying being anything other than ordinary or normal. Early in his book (p. 99), O'Keefe mentions that one of many eating habits of the average American is the consumption of 3 pounds of smooth peanut butter yearly. One can only guess the reward Kevin gives his newly found most average American. This delightfully conceived and well-written study of American socioeconomic and political behavior was meticulously and painstakingly researched. There is suspense as well as a wealth of information leading to the discovery of the average ordinary American. The Average American will be of interest to anyone fascinated by the behavior and views of 21st Century Americans."
- Dr. Robert Derbyshire, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
"A phenomenal book... A fantastic book... Kevin O'Keefe is the author... This is a man who has done so much with his life in such a short period of time... I have certainly been enlightened listening to Kevin O'Keefe... Read 'The Average American' before you take that step into stardom."
- Scott Chesney, VoiceAmerica's "Maximizing Life with Scott Chesney"
"Who is the average American? O'Keefe, a marketing executive who spent his career referring to the average American, decided to find out. As O'Keefe tracks him or her down, he also shares a lot of interesting stories and statistics."
- Janet Vogel, Messiah College (Pennsylvania) Murray Library - "Staff Favorites"
"The author travels through the United States to find the person who most closely fits the average attributes of an American. The book is full of interesting factoids."
- Krishna Kumar, krishami.com (software company manager - Londonderry,
New Hampshire)
"The 'Average American' Madlibs based on The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen by Kevin O'Keefe"
- Workshop materials, "Rediscovering the U.S.A.: Regional Diversity and Stereotypes,"
United States Embassy - Vienna, Austria
"Really made me proud to be a middle-of-the-road American."
- Robert Tatum, kingoinfo.blogspot.com (capacity planner - Philadelphia)
"O'Keefe starts out on a quest to find the "Average American" based on various statistics (i.e. the majority of Americans live in a single-family home that they own, live in the state in which they were born, etc.) and tours through various cities in America to interview Americans and discover more "average" characteristics not profiled in the U.S. Census. I love statistics so this was a fascinating book for me. I found out I'm way more average than I previously thought--the biggest way I differ from the average is that I don't eat meat. In the end, what this book ultimately proves is that we Americans are all generally the same. Red states, blue states, whatever. And, interestingly, who knew that there are more democrats than republicans?"
- "IrishLibrarian," irishlibrarian.blogspot.com (library assistant - Indiana)
"O'Keefe is a marketing consultant; while making a pitch to Marlon Brando for a charity, O'Keefe was told he was 'out of touch with the average American.' He decided to find the Average American and chronicled his story during this curious journey.... He encountered a host of interesting characters, surprising and familiar."
- Jerry's Midnight Rant, jerrysmidnightrant.blogspot.com (Arlington, Virginia)
"So intriguing... Really moving and very, very affirming... There was an amazing amount of just fascinating information throughout the book, tied in with this personal story and spiritual journey... I was just fascinated by it... I don't want to give away the end of the book because it was like a wonderful mystery... A tremendously fun read."
- Deborah Harper, president, Psychjourney Audio Book Club
"Fascinating story"
- The Humanities Council of South Carolina
"Do you consider yourself to be average? Below average? Above average? There's a new way to find out. Really."
"Kevin O'Keefe, he actually spent more than two years looking for the average American. He wrote it all up in... 'The Average American.'"
- Jenn Burgess and Rick D'Amico, KSAZ-TV's "Fox 10 Arizona Morning" (Phoenix)
"If you want to find out if you are an average American, the book is called 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen.'"
- Beth Adams, WHAM-AM's "WHAM Morning News" (Rochester)
"I have a convergence of two books on my desk right now. Like a sangria swirl, they mix together to form some sort of delightful goodness. One is written by Kevin O'Keefe and entitled The Average American. O'Keefe sets out on a quest to find the most average person in America, using statistics and interviews along the way. The other is Eugene Peterson's new one, Eat This Book, wherein he takes on the topic of spiritual reading... O'Keefe rattles off statistics and draws you in."
- Doug Serven, commongroundsonline.typepad.com
(campus minister, University of Oklahoma / co-author, "TwentySomething")
"'The Average American' [is about] what makes up the Average American; the Average Joe; Plain Jane; John Q Public."
- Mickey Miller, WFTL-AM's "The Mickey Miller Show" (Fort Lauderdale)
"A travel narrative with a winding route aimed directly at the heart of America. Who is the most perfectly average man or woman in the nation, and what does that mean for the rest of us?... Readers will learn... whether it's okay (it is) to be average."
- Amarillo College (Texas) Common Reader program - "Recommended Books List"
"[O'Keefe] spent much of his life striving to be above average, to be extraordinary in one way or another, and then finding some beauty in living an average life."
- Jim Rondeau, KCLU-FM’s “CrossTalk” (
"It's an article of faith to me that the more I know about the average, the better an investor I'll be. Thus, it was with great eagerness that I read The Average American by Kevin O'Keefe... It's interesting to see how many average things he discovers and how many matches different people might have to them."
- Edwin Hiederhoffer, dailyspeculations.com (author, "Education of a Speculator")
"Do you wish you could be above average, or maybe just a little closer to average? Maybe you are. You might think you’re average, but according to a newly released book you’re not. In fact, almost every single person in the country isn’t average, they’re something else. Author of 'The Average American,' Kevin O’Keefe, went on a journey to find the average American. He scoured census data and came up with a list of 140 requirements you would need to be considered average. And there was only one... in the entire country that met all 140 qualifications."
- ksbitv.com (KSBI-TV, Oklahoma City)
"Kevin O'Keefe penned it, after searching for the individual who best represents the average American citizen. The book itself is well-written, O'Keefe's methods are well planned and his end result is nothing short of astonishing."
- franktuary.com (Pittsburgh)
"To be 'average' in
- National Examiner
"If you’d like to know the characteristics of the Average Joe or Jill or determine whether you are among the numbers of John and Jane Q Public, you’ll have to read The Average American."
- Devra Hall, devrahall.com (author, "Men, Women, and Girl Singers")
“I am currently reading Kevin O’Keefe’s book ‘The Average American” which details his quest to find the most statistically average american living today… It's an interesting read since he not only uses statistics, but he also discusses the notion of what is average or ordinary. And, not surprisingly, whether it is good to be.”
- Peter Young, wizsandt.blogspot.com (attorney -
"Just so darn average [is] the star of... 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation’s Most Ordinary Citizen.'"
- Jason Paultz, mental_floss
"If I ever have time to read something not required for a class, I'm going to read Kevin O'Keefe's The Average American. One of the issues that struck me in class was how different of a perception of the 'average American' that I had from many other people in the class."
- Amelia Sheehan, class weblog, Erin O'Connor's "English 73: Nineteenth-Century Literatures in Dialogue," University of Pennsylvania
"The story of an intrepid author who sets himself this task: to find the most perfectly average person in the nation... After years as a successful marketing executive... Kevin O'Keefe got curious. Who actually was the Average American?... The Average American delivers a fascinating, often surprising, look into the idea of what is common, normal, and 'average' in American culture."
- SirReadaLot.org editors
"Family was a high priority among those [O'Keefe] spoke with, and it was on his list of 140 standards for average."
- Tim Unruh,
"This week, thanks mostly to Kevin O'Keefe's new book, The Average American, there's been much talk about the fact that the average-sized consumer, male or female, prefer seeing and relating to average-sized actors - not stick people - on TV and in the movies... Finally! Hollywood has caught on to the fact that women actually like some chunk on their hunk... Why is this revelation so stunning? Any guy with a 'perfect' physique obviously spends way too much time flexing at the gym and the rest of his waking hours looking in the mirror. On the other hand, a fella with some man meat on his bones has probably got a relaxed attitude about his body, knows how to savour life, and doesn't think twice about springing for dessert after dinner. Not to mention that's he's likely appreciative of women with curves (whew!) and not overly critical of himself if his belt happens to move up a notch. It's about time Hollywood celebrated the nicely insulated. They're called love handles for a reason, people... and it's because women love 'em."
- Barbara Chabai, bccreativehouse.blogspot.com
(president, BC Creative House, Inc. - Winnipeg, Manitoba)
"... also believes in God, prefers smooth peanut butter, has fired a gun, and can name all three Stooges. After analyzing 280 million people and publishing his book that shares its two-word title with this distinction, author Kevin O'Keefe was able to single out, for 10 points, what person, the 'nation's most ordinary citizen'?"
- question, Stanford University Quiz Bowl
"I heard about this book... on Michael Feldman's 'Whad'Ya know?' in late January 2008. Like most of the reviews I have read, the emphasis on the show was about the statistics. The statistics are both fun and important. But this book is more about Kevin O'Keefe and discovery. The book has buried tidbits about what life is all about. Kevin really took a journey of self awareness and I found many tidbits about life and what is really important in life buried in the pages of this book. One could read a book about Buddhism and have these points brought across to them. Or they can read this readable book with fun facts that we all know are part of our lives, and learn about ourselves and life along the way. The purpose of this discovery is uncovered by one of the individuals in the book. Most readers will figure this out before this section anyway. And where the book ends makes perfectly logical sense based on who wrote the book. One might call it poetic justice and be careful what you put on a T-shirt. Besides which, I found my self penciling in numbers that depicted my life in the margins near the numbers and values Kevin used to define the average American... I would suggest you buy the book and sharpen your pencil and have a go at it and discover yourself."
- Rich G, Amazon.com (State College, Pennsylvania)
"[O'Keefe's] journey took him all around the United States with a startling discovery at the end... It is an interesting read."
- Diane Logan Kardash, aksunny.blogspot.com
(part-time university instructor - North Pole, Alaska)
"To be [the] perfect... statistically-average American - to be this person - is harder than it might seem... It's good to be average."
- Shelley Irwin, WGVU-AM/FM's "WGVU Morning Show" (
"Through extensive research that took him to a tour all across the US, O'Keefe determined the 140 qualifications that define the Average American... Check out Kevin O'Keefe's commencement address at Eagle [Hill] School to find out what's important about being average."
- Rhon, soulpersuit.blogspot.com (graphic designer - North Carolina)
“Kevin O’Keefe’s book, The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen, tells us that the average American eats peanut butter at least once a week and prefers smooth peanut butter over chunky… Never sings in the shower. Has fired a gun… Believes gambling is an acceptable entertainment option… Is regularly in bed before
- Al Batt, albatt.net (talk-show host, KSMQ-TV - Minnesota)
"While sitting on a mauve couch in a medium sized home in the middle of Omaha on December 25, I began to contemplate the meaning of everyday life. Such thoughts are to be expected when one finds oneself in the midwest and in the middle of a book such as The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen."
- "lithereed," lithereed.blogspot.com (student, University of Missouri-Columbia)
"For his book 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen,' O'Keefe spent two years traveling across the country compiling statistics that would define the average American."
- Arianne Baker, The Tufts Daily (Tufts University)
"Once my friend asked her little boy what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he told her 'average.' We still chuckle over that story, but really, average is a pretty great thing to be, something Kevin O'Keefe discovered as he traveled from the east to west interviewing American citizens and experiencing their everyday lives. No paparazzi, no PR. I'm sure you know some of O'Keefe's average candidates yourself, outstanding people who quietly live a rich and meaningful life, all the while enjoying the process. The book had plenty of droll statistics that caused my eyes to cross and my brain to wander, but I was always brought back in by the endearing 'slice of life' stories. I loved the author's constant reference to literature, popular culture, theater, quotations... this is one well read guy or a fabulously researched book. (I am sure a little of both.) But mostly I loved the people he met and the stories he told along his journey to discover everybody is somebody and averageville is a pretty great place."
- Kelly A., "Cookies and Milk and Yellow Balloons," yellowballoons-kelly.blogspot.com
“The secular New Year… begins with parties, noisemakers, football games, drinking and high expectations. We are frequently given free calendars to plan our lives for the next twelve months. Most us on this planet pray for an end to war, wish for financial security, good health, safety and more opportunities to smile than frown. May we celebrate more Simchas than times of Tzorus (trouble). Take time to live the message of Torah by helping others and making the word Mitzvah a key word in your vocabulary… Kevin O’Keefe collected some fascinating statistics in his book entitled, ‘The Average American’. Frequently, we may wonder how much time was spent performing routine tasks, each day, month, and year.”
- Barry Blum, cbent.org
(rabbi, Congregation Beth El-Ner Tamid -
"Do you fit the profile of the 'average' American? Here are some findings about him/her/us from Kevin O'Keefe's recent book entitled 'The Average American'... Length of shower... Number of dates a person goes on before getting married."
- RE/MAX of Cherry Creek newsletter (Colorado)
"There is much more to learn from the seemingly ordinary and everyday achitectures and places where we reside daily... Kevin O'Keefe has just published his book called The Average Amercan, which documents his quest to find the most statistically average American."
- "doctor," blogonthecity.blogspot.com (architect - Cleveland)
"The Average American: You will find that person in the book."
- Al Lerner, nationally-syndicated "DayBreak USA"
"Critically acclaimed"
- Perspectives magazine (Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts)
"I was rather suprised by just what the 'average American' believes. Interesting and very readable."
- "sheriZ6," gardenweb.com
"Clearly, there is nothing wrong with being the 'Average American'... Kevin O'Keefe, author of The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen found in his research that the average American believes he or she is living the 'American Dream.'"
- Logan Flatt, powerwealth.com (financial analyst - Dallas)
“The Average American describes Kevin O'Keefe's search to understand, well, the average American… In addition to his factual search, this is a spiritual quest for O'Keefe. He counts himself among many who have consciously avoided any tendency toward average. ‘Whenever I had a choice between settling or struggling, I chose B. A, of course, stood for average.’ Sound familiar? Turns out there's another whole set of people who view average as ideal. The thinking goes as follows: the reason certain traits become so common is that they work… It's a fun trip as O'Keefe uncovers one criterion after another and he (and I) can't help comparing ourselves to the hypothetical average person.”
- Mary Ann, fivewells.blogspot.com (blogger - Freeville, New York)
“This is a classic insight by Foucault: people strive to be normal, but no one actually is normal. This insight is humorously explored in Kevin O'Keefe's book The Average American, where the author tries to find the most average person in the country. It takes some work to track down such a person who fits in the 'majority' on a host of categories."
- Kelan Lowney, themisanthropist.blogspot.com (sociologist - San Francisco)
"O'Keefe baptized the average American"
- 30noticias.com editors
"Kookiejar's recommended reading list... The Average American - Kevin O'Keefe"
- "Kookiejar," dreamerslist.blogspot.com (homemaker - Omaha, Nebraska)
"A snapshot of the 'average' American"
- American Association of Interior Designers' "Evironmental Scanning Report 2007"
"Tells a story... This book keeps you interested."
- R. Berryhill, Amazon.com
"Kevin O'Keefe went on a quest to find the average American. His 'extraordinary search for the nation's most ordinary citizen' qualitatively showcases a statistical truth."
- David Touve and Steven Tepper, Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University
(National Arts Strategies and the Getty Leadership Institute presentation at the Getty Center in Los Angeles)
"Fascinating"
- Yvonne Mcclosky, Amazon.com
"Through Amazon.com, I'm ordering The Average American... Yesterday, on Martha Stewart [there were] interesting details... Unfortunately, the book at Barnes & Noble in the mall already sold out. I'm not the only one interested, apparently."
- Kasaka, nederlandseamerikaan.blogspot.com
"Gradually, this became a project to pinpoint exactly who the most ordinary, typical, average person in America was... I don't really know what to make of the news that this person is a resident of my own [former] hometown... I don't know whether to be pleased, or alarmed. I can tell you, though, that I am definitely not surprised... I'm sure [interest from] Oprah is only a matter of time."
- "queencallipygos," queencallipygos.livejournal.com (Brooklyn, New York)
"I'm reading a new book: The Average American... Kevin O'Keefe is the author. I'm three chapters in and I like it a lot, so far. I think it's going to be a good one."
- Michael Danzinger, ziggybackride.blogspot.com (stand-up comedian - Memphis)
"Kevin O'Keefe's travels throughout the United States in his search for the one person who best represents the average American"
- Carmel Public Library (Carmel, Indiana) - "Books for Lunch" selection
"In Kevin O'Keefe's book, we discover an unusal methodology for finding the average American. Using demographic facts and figures, we find through a process of elimination that being average is really only a small percentage of people, which in turn makes them rare and unique. This exercise in exploration shifts your perspective of what average really means, where 'ok' suddently means 'exceptional.' This is most definitely a timely book, as Americans struggle to stand out from the rest. This national obsession has lead to many being the same (although they will claim they are alternative). However, maybe being average is EXACTLY how to go about being different. Last, this is a great book if you enjoy character driven and conversation based books. It is an easy read that keeps you moving and keeps it light. I enjoyed every page of it."
- E. McNeil, Amazon.com
"Pilgrim O'Keefe lands in a lot of different places, and since it's the journey and not the destination that matters, it is OK that ultimately he finds [the ordinary]. Or does he?"
- precomania.com.br (Brazil)
"The author set out to learn more about being average, after a life spent trying to avoid averageness in nearly every way... The topic was interesting, and I do like statistics, so I enjoyed it."
- Susan, "Susan's Musings," susama.blogspot.com (project manager - St. Louis)
"American Snapshot"
- Mike Foxworth, topix-trivia.blogspot.com
"The Averagest American"
- Gary Cruse, gcruse.typepad.com
"Armchair Adventure"
- Canton Public Library (Canton, Michigan)
"Implies Kevin O'Keefe... the media driven culture is about getting ahead and being number '1' which says you need to be above average. The research [in 'The Average American'] supports the notion that leading a balanced life or being average in many ways is much more meaningful than being an over achiever or under achiever. One of the central tendencies of the reformed faith is leading a moderate or balanced life! However, it is very difficult, when we encounter so much in our culture about getting ahead and desiring the latest thing to improve our lives. In the end does it really? The importance of relationships with those we love and being loved by a God who cares about you and the human race as well as all of creation is the leading reason for an average life being possibly desired over an above average life every time. What decisions do you need to reflect on that can make you more average in your life that can lead to moderation or balanced verses being a prime candidate for some reality TV show? What can you do to be living in moderation in this media saturated world?"
- Gregg Hartung, pcusa.org (director, Presbyterian Media Mission - Pittsburgh)
"To be 'average' in America is to be a solid citizen... Marketing consultant Kevin O'Keefe spent more than a year searching for the ultimate traits of the average American. His results are reported in his book, 'The Average American: The Extraordinary Search For The Nation's Most Ordinary Citizen.'"
- Don Jantzen, yourbuzz.thebuzz.com/donjantzen
"A profile of the current American society"
- historiadenuestropueblo.blogspot.com
"The Average American is based on 1.5 billion pages of statistics... It risks to expand your horizons"
- Stan Bromark, sbromark.blogspot.com
"Currently working on The Average American by Kevin O'Keefe which so far has been most excellent... The book is the search for the most statistically average American. As a result, you do get bombarded with some odd numbers... such as the average American penis length... the average love making session... and the average amount of time spent in bed before falling asleep."
- "matt p's blog," Yahoo 360
"Characteristics of the average American"
- Liz Spangler, lizspangler.blogspot.com (New York City)
"Kevin O'Keefe in his book The Average American [answers] How do I fit in here? How do you fit in here... Are you average?"
- patienceinspring.blogspot.com
"O'Keefe painstakingly searched... for facts to find out what makes an ordinary American. And the results are in this book. Over the next few weeks I will be publishing a fact every day from the book just so you can see where you stand."
- omarejaz.com
"A story on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program about one man's search for the 'most-average' American… started a few things bumping around in my alleged mind. Is there a 'most-average' St. Louisan?... It's a hard picture to put toegether… We want to help fill in between the lines. The story of St. Louis is written in its people… Our new Urban Almanac section will spend a bit more time exploring the communities of St. Louis and provide a view into what is likely the not-so 'average' life of the 'average' St. Louisan."
- Matthew Murphy, Arch City Chronicle (St. Louis)
"We're looking for the Average Valley Resident. Inspired by last fall's publication of Kevin O'Keefe's 'The Average American,' we decided to find the one person who typifies what it means to be an AVR, statistically speaking."
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"Forget fame and fortune. When it comes to happiness, 'average' may be best. Barbara Yost, a reporter for the
- Kim Holcomb, KPNX-TV's "12 News Up Front" (
"It is a real treat to read"
- U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut)
"'The Average American.' It sounds like [O'Keefe] had an interesting journey interviewing various folks across the country. I look forward to reading about [O'Keefe's] experiences and discoveries"
- U.S. Sentator and future U.S. President Barack Obama
For sermons featuring "The Average American," please click here
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