A collection spanning thirty years, chronicling famed humorist and gearhead P. J. O’Rourke’s love affair with the automobile from mid-twentieth century to now—from heyday to sickbay.
Driving Like Crazy
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Humorist O'Rourke shifts gears, covering and combining past pieces on cars (for Automobile, Car and Driver, Esquire and Forbes) with new material to set this auto anthology in motion. Much has been reworked œbecause the writing—how to put this gently to myself—sucked. Starting with car journalism language (œDrop the bottle and grab the throttle), he steers the reader toward California cars: œMany automobiles were purchased to attract members of L.A.'s eight or ten opposite sexes. He writes about a variety of vehicles, from off-road racers to Philippine jeepneys (œa Willys cut in half and lengthened). Accelerating the humor, he updates his 1979 account of a 700-mile weekend trip through Michigan and Indiana: œI can imagine what the farm girls and small town teen angels who looked so longingly at the Harley-Davidson FXE-80 Super Glide would have thought if I had been riding a Segway: 'dork.'Â His early essay œHow to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink is followed by wild road trips, NASCAR nights and selecting œa new grocery hauler, parent trap, Keds sled, family bus. Never in neutral, O'Rourke offers laughter on wheels. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Political satirist O’Rourke grew up in Ohio in a family that owned a car dealership. That’s where and when he first learned to love American cars and appreciate their deep connection to the culture. In this tantalizing book, O’Rourke veers back and forth between essays he wrote for several magazines, including Car and Driver and Esquire, from his youth and more recently. The result is an insightful look not just at the American love affair with cars, but also at one man’s changing outlook on life, all of it fast-paced and over the top. Looking back from the safety and soundness of middle age, O’Rourke takes his younger self to task for excessive skid-marking and sexual escapades. But the older version of O’Rourke is as fun-loving as the younger, with an unabashed appreciation of the bone-rattling fun of speed. His essays recall adventures at the Baja 1000 and NASCAR, with rich detail of assorted characters and their cars and motorcycles. Notwithstanding long-time praise of European and Japanese design, he offers full-throated defense of American car design for American sensibilities and living conditions. Even readers who know nothing about cars and motorcycles will appreciate the joy and hilarity of this book. --Vanessa Bush
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read all of the author's previous books (I think), I am thrilled to find he's back in his element with DRIVING LIKE CRAZY. This book I could not put down, and with every page turn found myself either laughing out loud or muttering some form of "YESSSS !."
I haven't had this much fun since reaing his "ALL THE TROUBLE IN THE WORLD".
P.J. O'Rourke is a master of metaphore and his writing is a sheer pleasure to read. He's what makes me feel good about this country.
I can't wait until he writes his next one. I can't imagine that anyone who has the ability to be intellectually honest cannot relate to most of what he says. It's class-A entertainment.
I haven't had this much fun since reaing his "ALL THE TROUBLE IN THE WORLD".
P.J. O'Rourke is a master of metaphore and his writing is a sheer pleasure to read. He's what makes me feel good about this country.
I can't wait until he writes his next one. I can't imagine that anyone who has the ability to be intellectually honest cannot relate to most of what he says. It's class-A entertainment.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you share a bed with someone, do not bring this book into that bed when your bed mate is sleeping - otherwise you will either wake them with your laughing or choke yourself trying to stifle your laughter.
This is P. J O'Rourke at his funniest. These are reprints, for the most part, of articles O'Rourke wrote for various automotive columns - and every one is simply hilarious.
O'Rourke's adventures are a mixed bag. A drive from Florida to California in a 1956 Buick Special four-door turns into a series of unlikely events that are best read with nothing in your mouth - lest said contents be propelled out of your mouth in a burst of laughter as you come upon the next episode in an insane journey. O'Rourke gets up close and personal with NASCAR, which is not only funny, but interesting. I've never been a NASCAR fan, but O'Rourke has convinced me to at least try watching cars go in a circle at least once. A bunch of middle-aged car enthusiasts ride classic motorcycles across Michigan and a couple of other states. The title merely hints at the contents: "The Rolling Organ Donors Motorcycle Club".
Next is an account of the Baja 1000 road race. Only a masochist with a well honed sense of humor could turn this rolling disaster into something funny. But O'Rourke does - and convinces the reader that sane people do not take part in this race. The amount of effort that goes into preparing machines for this race is astounding - as is the number of things that can go wrong. The backup crew for this race team included two airplanes.
All of the eighteen stories are funny and you don't have to be a car lover to enjoy them, but it helps. One of the funniest stories is about O'Rourke, his wife and their three children taking a trip in a station wagon.
The cover photo of a young man sprawled across the hood of a 60s Mustang is explained in the book - but I'ml not going to give it away here.
All in all, just plain O'Rourkeian fun. Very little in the way of politics - and a lot about cars, motorcycles and trips gone wrong.
Jerry
This is P. J O'Rourke at his funniest. These are reprints, for the most part, of articles O'Rourke wrote for various automotive columns - and every one is simply hilarious.
O'Rourke's adventures are a mixed bag. A drive from Florida to California in a 1956 Buick Special four-door turns into a series of unlikely events that are best read with nothing in your mouth - lest said contents be propelled out of your mouth in a burst of laughter as you come upon the next episode in an insane journey. O'Rourke gets up close and personal with NASCAR, which is not only funny, but interesting. I've never been a NASCAR fan, but O'Rourke has convinced me to at least try watching cars go in a circle at least once. A bunch of middle-aged car enthusiasts ride classic motorcycles across Michigan and a couple of other states. The title merely hints at the contents: "The Rolling Organ Donors Motorcycle Club".
Next is an account of the Baja 1000 road race. Only a masochist with a well honed sense of humor could turn this rolling disaster into something funny. But O'Rourke does - and convinces the reader that sane people do not take part in this race. The amount of effort that goes into preparing machines for this race is astounding - as is the number of things that can go wrong. The backup crew for this race team included two airplanes.
All of the eighteen stories are funny and you don't have to be a car lover to enjoy them, but it helps. One of the funniest stories is about O'Rourke, his wife and their three children taking a trip in a station wagon.
The cover photo of a young man sprawled across the hood of a 60s Mustang is explained in the book - but I'ml not going to give it away here.
All in all, just plain O'Rourkeian fun. Very little in the way of politics - and a lot about cars, motorcycles and trips gone wrong.
Jerry
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
P.J. O'Rourke is a great writer on many things, and this compilation of driving stories is one of his great efforts, even if you already read some of these before. He rivals the best of Hunter Thompson. Up to date and a great read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Varuummmm!!!!!
Love O'Rourke and his great science of irreverent story telling.This reminded me of my first car.A 62 T-bird.Ahhh, those were the days my friend.
Published 6 months ago by Richard Kiene
4.0 out of 5 stars
about driving crazy
Engaging collection of tales about driving. The first one is a general rift about drinking and driving an skanks, pretty dirty. I almost did not think I would continue. Read more
Published 7 months ago by ellison
3.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh out loud and think existentially about your car
Having been a PJ O'Rourke fan for a while, I can't say that "Driving Like Crazy" is his absolute best work, but if you've never read PJ before, it gives you a great dose of his... Read more
Published 8 months ago by jwinterscom
5.0 out of 5 stars
My wife hated me for reading this book...
I saved this book to read while on our travels. After a hard day of trekking about rural Turkey, both of us were exhausted. I, though, always need to "read myself to sleep". Read more
Published 14 months ago by D. D. LeDu
3.0 out of 5 stars
recycled PJ
If you're a fan of PJ O'Rourke, you'll be disappointed as although he's on song and in form, in 2009 this stuff sounds so tired now. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Brian Maitland
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious
Fun read, but be advised that this is a compilation of articles, not a single work. One of the wittiest writers I've come across.
Published on March 11, 2011 by Austin HIll
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Ride of a Read
The subtitle really tells you what you're in for - a wild, rocky - at times wordy - romp through America. O'Rourke is always funny, and this book is no exception.
Published on February 4, 2011 by Jenny George
1.0 out of 5 stars
Can I get my money back?
I thought this would be fun. Boy, was I wrong! This is a poorly written, puerile right wing diatribe against the "fun stealers". Well, Mr. Read more
Published on December 16, 2010
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious!
A great book for any P.J. O'Rourke fan, and a good way for those not familiar with P.J.'s writing style to get hooked.
Published on November 21, 2010 by D. Nuckols
1.0 out of 5 stars
Incomprehensible
What's incomprehensible to me is how somebody could claim to be a lifelong car enthusiast, to have grown up in a "Buick family" (including owing a Buick dealership in the '50s and... Read more
Published on September 22, 2010 by John Doyle
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