Thrown Under the Omnibus

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802191401
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 1153

Book Description
An essential collection of career-spanning writings by the political satirist and #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Parliament of Whores. From his early pieces for the National Lampoon, through his classic reporting as Rolling Stone’s International Affairs editor in the 1980s and 1990s, and his brilliant, inimitable political journalism and analysis, P. J. O’Rourke has been entertaining and provoking readers with high octane prose, a gonzo Republican attitude, and a rare ability to make you laugh out loud. Christopher Buckley once described his work as “S. J. Perelman on acid.” Thrown Under the Omnibus brings together his funniest, most outrageous, most controversial, and most loved pieces in the definitive O’Rourke reader. Handpicked and introduced by the humorist himself, Thrown Under the Omnibus is the essential O’Rourke anthology. “The funniest writer in America.” —The Wall Street Journal

Parliament of Whores

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 1555847153
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 268

Book Description
A #1 New York Times bestseller: “An everyman’s guide to Washington” by the savagely funny political humorist and author of How the Hell Did This Happen? (The New York Times). P. J. O’Rourke’s Parliament of Whores has become a classic in understanding the workings of the American political system. Originally written at the end of the Reagan era, this new edition includes an extensive foreword by renowned journalist Andrew Ferguson—showing us that although the names may change, the game stays the same . . . or, occasionally, gets worse. Parliament of Whores is a “gonzo civics book” that takes us through the ethical foibles, pork-barrel flimflam, and Beltway bureaucracy, leaving no sacred cow unskewered and no politically correct sensitivities unscorched (Chicago Tribune). “Insulting, inflammatory, profane, and absolutely great reading.” —The Washington Post Book World

Age and Guile

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 1555847064
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
The political humorist shares his transformation from dirty hippie to conservative middle-aged grouch: “An incorrigible comic gift” (The New York Times Book Review). The #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Give War a Chance was at one time a raving pinko, with scars on his formerly bleeding heart to prove it. In Age and Guile: Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut, P. J. O’Rourke chronicles the remarkable trajectory that took him from the lighthearted fun of the revolutionary barricades to the serious business of the nineteenth hole. How did the O’Rourke of 1970, who summarized the world of “grown-ups” as “materialism, sexual hang-ups, the Republican party, uncomfortable clothes, engagement rings, car accidents, Pat Boone, competition, patriotism, cheating, lying, ranch houses, and TV” come to be in favor of all of those things? What caused his metamorphosis from a beatnik-hippie type comfortable sleeping on dirty mattresses in pot-addled communes during his days as a writer for assorted “underground” papers? Here, O’Rourke shows how his socialist idealism and avant-garde aesthetic tendencies were cured, and how he acquired a healthy and commendable interest in national defense, balanced budgets, Porsches, and Cohiba cigars. From a former editor-in-chief of National Lampoon and frequent NPR guest, this hilarious essay collection shows that there’s hope for all those suffering from acute bohemianism.

Don't Vote

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802196268
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 279

Book Description
“[A] merciless but often humorous look at the shortcomings of American politics” by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Parliament of Whores (Booklist). Don’t Vote: It Just Encourages the Bastards is a brilliant, disturbing, hilarious, and sobering look at why politics and politicians are a necessary evil—but only just barely necessary. Read P. J. O’Rourke on the pathetic nature of our attempts to govern ourselves and laugh through your tears or—what the hell—just laugh. “Whether readers agree with O’Rourke’s politics or not, his style is funny, cutting, and insightful.” —Booklist “P. J. O’Rourke is like S. J. Perelman on acid.” —Christopher Buckley “The funniest writer in America.” —The Wall Street Journal

Holidays in Hell

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 1555847137
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
A “hair-raisingly hilarious” journey through danger zones from Belfast to Gaza, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Vanity Fair). “Tired of making bad jokes” and believing that “the world outside seemed a much worse joke than anything I could conjure,” journalist and political satirist P. J. O’Rourke decided to traverse the globe on a fun-finding mission, investigating the way of life in the most desperate places on the planet, including Warsaw, Managua, and Belfast. The result is Holidays in Hell—a full-tilt, no-holds-barred romp through politics, culture, and ideology. The author’s adventures include storming student protesters’ barricades with riot police in South Korea, interviewing communist insurrectionists in the Philippines, and going undercover dressed in Arab garb in the Gaza Strip. He also takes a look at America’s homegrown horrors as he braves the media frenzy surrounding the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Washington DC, uncovers the mortifying banality behind the white-bread kitsch of Jerry Falwell’s Heritage USA, and survives the stultifying boredom of Harvard’s 350th anniversary celebration. Packed with classic riffs on everything from Polish nightlife under communism to Third World driving tips, Holidays in Hell is one of the best-loved books by “one of America’s most hilarious writers” (Time). “Wickedly amusing.” —The Baltimore Sun “Funny, outrageous, perceptive.” —The Washington Post Book World

Eat the Rich

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 1555847102
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 348

Book Description
A New York Times bestseller: “The funniest writer in America” takes on the global economy (The Wall Street Journal). In this book, renowned political humorist P. J. O’Rourke, author of Parliament of Whores and How the Hell Did This Happen? leads us on a hysterical whirlwind world tour from the “good capitalism” of Wall Street to the “bad socialism” of Cuba in search of the answer to an age-old question: “Why do some places prosper and thrive, while others just suck?” With stops in Albania, Sweden, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Tanzania, O’Rourke takes a look at the complexities of economics with a big dose of the incomparable wit that has made him one of today’s most refreshing commentators. “O’Rourke has done the unthinkable: he’s made money funny.” —Forbes FYI “[O’Rourke is] witty, smart and—though he hides it under a tough coat of cynicism—a fine reporter . . . Delightful.” —The New York Times Book Review

A Cry from the Far Middle

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Grove Atlantic
ISBN: 0802157750
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Book Description
In a time of chaos, the #1 New York Times–bestselling political humorist asks his fellow Americans to take it down a notch. Is there an upside to being woke (and unable to get back to sleep)? If we license dentists, why don’t we license politicians? Is your juicer sending fake news to your FitBit about what’s in your refrigerator? The legendary P. J. O’Rourke addresses these questions and more in this hilarious new collection of essays about our nation’s propensity for anger and perplexity, which includes such gems as “An Inaugural Address I’d Like to Hear” (Ask not what your country can do for you, ask how I can get the hell out of here) and “Sympathy vs. Empathy,” which contemplates whether it’s better to hold people’s hands or bust into their heads. Also included is a handy quiz to find out where you stand on the Coastals-vs.-Heartlanders spectrum. From the author of Parliament of Whores, None of My Business, and other modern classics, this is a smart look at the current state of these United States, and a plea to everyone to take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy a few good laughs. “To say that P. J. O’Rourke is funny is like saying the Rocky Mountains are scenic—accurate but insufficient.” —Chicago Tribune “The funniest writer in America.” —The Wall Street Journal

All the Trouble in the World

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 1555847072
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 372

Book Description
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author takes an “unfailingly funny” look at global problems and offers his own political perspective (The Washington Times). In this volume, the political humorist and former National Lampoon editor-in-chief attacks fashionable worries—all those terrible problems that are constantly on our minds and in the news, but about which most of us have no real clue—and crisscrosses the globe in search of solutions to today’s most vexing issues, including overpopulation, famine, plague, and multiculturalism. In the process, he produces a hilarious and informative book which ensures that the concept of political correctness will never be the same again. “One of the funniest, most insightful, dead-on-the-money books of the year.” —Los Angeles Times “O’Rourke’s best work since Parliament of Whores.” —The Houston Post “Bottom line: Buy the book.” —The Wall Street Journal

Modern Manners

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802199062
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Book Description
An “extremely funny” take on the decline of civility, from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of How the Hell Did This Happen? (The Plain Dealer). In Modern Manners, cultural guru P. J. O’Rourke provides the essential accessory for the truly contemporary man or woman—a rulebook for living in a world without rules. Traditionally, good manners were a means of becoming as bland and invisible as everyone else, thus avoiding calling attention to one’s own awkwardness and stupidity. Today, with everyone wanting to appear special, stupidity is at a premium, and manners—as outrageous and bizarre as possible—are a wonderful way to distinguish ourselves, or at least have a fine time trying. This irreverent and hilarious guide to anti-etiquette offers pointed advice on topics from sex and entertaining to reading habits and death. With the most up-to-date forms of vulgarity, churlishness, and presumption, the latest fashions in discourtesy and barbarous display, O’Rourke is our guide to the art of incivility. “Modern Manners is O’Rourke doing what he has always done: making hilarious, insightful, often vicious fun of the world and all its inhabitants.” —People “A reader who rushes through [Modern Manners] from cover to cover—like I did—will feel like a child who has gorged on chocolate cake: happy, but a bit disappointed that it’s all gone. The reason O’Rourke’s book is so successful, however, is not just his great sense of humor. O’Rourke’s writing has a cutting edge behind it, which makes a reader’s laughter just a bit thought-provoking, and just a bit rueful . . . Very funny.” —Chicago Tribune

None of My Business

Author: P. J. O'Rourke
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
ISBN: 0802146430
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 245

Book Description
The #1 New York Times–bestselling author takes on subjects from banking to bitcoin: “Another winner from an A-list humorist.” ―Booklist Sharp-witted satirist and author of Parliament of Whores P. J. O’Rourke takes on his scariest subjects yet—business, investment, finance, and the political chicanery behind them. Want to get rich overnight for free in three easy steps with no risk? Then don’t buy this book. (Actually, if you believe there’s a book that can do that, you shouldn’t buy any books because you probably can’t read.) P. J. O’Rourke’s approach to business, investment, and finance is different. He takes the risks for you in his chapter “How I Learned Economics by Watching People Try to Kill Each Other.” He proposes “A Way to Raise Taxes That We’ll All Love”—a 200% tax on celebrities. He offers a brief history of economic transitions before exploring the world of high tech innovation with a chapter on “Unnovations,” which asks, “The Internet—whose idea was it to put all the idiots on earth in touch with each other?” He misunderstands bitcoin, which seems “like a weird scam invented by strange geeks with weaponized slide rules in the high school Evil Math Club.” And finally, he offers a fanciful short story about the morning that P. J. wakes up and finds that all the world’s goods and services are free! “The funniest writer in America.” ―The Wall Street Journal