The bestselling author of Parliament of Whores now dismantles victims ranging from backpack liberals to Lee Iacocca and surveys the collapse of communism, celebrity, and liberalism. "Whatever your political persuasion, you would have to be totally humorless not to feel like chuckling when he (O'Rourke) starts hacking away."--New York Times Book Review.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Political humorist O'Rourke is even more clever abroad than on the home front, as these sparkling dispatches reveal. A 12-week PW bestseller in cloth.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The politically incorrect O'Rourke will likely hit best-sellerdom again in this follow-up to Parliament of Whores ( LJ 6/1/91). The Gulf War, the death throes of communism, drug testing, the Middle East, and the Nicaraguan elections receive O'Rourke's often hilarious conservative/gonzo analysis, as seen in Rolling Stone , American Spectator , and other magazines. Somewhat less successful, because they border on the mean-spirited, are pieces on the Kennedys, the Carters, Lee Iacocca, and other liberal lights. Even if you reject his conclusions regarding these issues and individuals, you can't help but laugh at O'Rourke's deflating of some sacred cows along the way.
- Pamela R. Daubenspeck, Warren-Trumbull Cty. P.L., Warren, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Pamela R. Daubenspeck, Warren-Trumbull Cty. P.L., Warren, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a big fan of O'Rourke, it's hard to choose one best book but, if I had to, it would be this one. Will provide a great introduction to his work for those unfamiliar with it and a lot of fun for those who already know him. O'Rourke is known as a conservative yet you won't find him proselytizing here (well, not much and never directly). Rather, he brings his capacious wit and remarkable ability to entertain and inform at the same time to a variety of topics. The reader will laugh out loud and learn a few things at the same time.
16 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I brought this book to a weekend getaway with a rather affluent and leftward leaning family I once knew. As I read it upon the veranda, the patriarch of this family spied the title and, assuming my outlook to be just slightly shy of fascism (I didn't inherit wealth), took the main title, "Give War a Chance", quite literally. Of course, Olympia Snowe is a fascist to these folks, so it was with no small amount of amusement that I unveiled the true meaning of the title to my inquisitor. Sarcasm, an O'Rourke mainstay, is apparently lost on the Leftist without elucidation.
O'Rourke blends his libertarian tendencies with his wry sense of humor to produce yet another uproarious look at the human condition. Give War a Chance is on par with earlier stellar O'Rourke attempts such as Parliament of Whores or Eat the Rich. You don't need to agree with the man to laugh with him and there is the added edification one may glean from political counterpoint. For Libertarians, there is no commentator more enjoyable or satire more cutting. O'Rourke has an eye for irony.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
P.J. O'Rourke is a humorist and one of the most eloquent mainstream advocates of Libertarianism around. O'Rourke believes the Jefforsonian axiom that government is best that governs least. In pursuit of that truth, he travels around the world looking for examples that prove his point. All of that, however, is secondary to the fact that he's a damn funny writer who enjoys tweaking liberals, which he does with the very title of this book. Regardless of your polictical opinion on the Gulf War, you will find O'Rourke's take amusing and informative. And as for the alcohol free beer? Well, some things are better left unsaid.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Funny and insightful
This was a fun book to read, which is odd for a book on war. O'Rourke describes, in his unique way, the first Gulf War (and various other subjects). Read more
Published on June 30, 2005 by G. Walt Murray
Yes, liberals can dig P.J. too
For those of you who say that liberals are too starchy for O'Roarke's satire, well, let me say this. Read more
Published on February 10, 2004 by mark twain
give war a chance!
"Give war a chance!" Get it? The title is a rebuke to the John Lennon song "give peace a chance!" And that is as funny as this book gets. Read more
Published on December 21, 2003
A Sober Perspective
Having been in many parts of the world which O'Rourke describes, I find his conclusions very accurate and worthy of reading over and over. Read more
Published on February 6, 2003
Funny Light Hearted Reading
I got the book as gift and have enjoyed reading it. Not having traveled abroad but having lived through the period he describes, I found O'Rouke's various travels to former soviet... Read more
Published on January 24, 2003 by James A., Bretney
just a reply
Just commenting something Brian Cates said: the US Marines only promote world peace if your world is called USA.
Published on September 30, 2002 by dilip mukti
...and PJ just ate 3,000 shares of Enron.
I recently bought this book after hearing that the author lost lots of money on Enron stock, the company that was the darling of the libertarian world. Read more
Published on December 8, 2001 by Sgt. Rock
A Brilliant Depiction of The World
How many ways can bad politics mess up the world? Take a tour of what Liberalism and Communism has done to the world, through the eyes of a Hippie turned Libertarian Reporter, and... Read more
Published on January 8, 2001 by Jason Gonella
A great read!
A great example of how one can use wit and humor to get his political point across. And PJ does this effectively. His arguments are well constructed and compelling.
Published on September 8, 2000 by "frmokehee"
My first introduction to the great man
I bought this book because his previous one had been a best-seller, and as a bookstore employee, I had a discount. Read more
Published on February 24, 2000 by Kevin L. Nenstiel
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
A week after the surprise-party opening of East Germany's borders people were still gathering at the Berlin Wall, smiling at each other, drinking champagne and singing bits of old songs. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
press headquarters, drug tests Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein, United States, New York, Air Force, Northern Ireland, East Berlin, Kuwait City, Balto Cong, East German, Middle East, World War, Abu Dhabi, Avenue Bar, Persian Gulf, Third World, George Bush, Henry Ford, Live Aid, Ambassador Towell, Billy Idol, Checkpoint Charlie, Jesse Jackson, Jimmy Carter New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
A week after the surprise-party opening of East Germany's borders people were still gathering at the Berlin Wall, smiling at each other, drinking champagne and singing bits of old songs. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
press headquarters, drug tests Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein, United States, New York, Air Force, Northern Ireland, East Berlin, Kuwait City, Balto Cong, East German, Middle East, World War, Abu Dhabi, Avenue Bar, Persian Gulf, Third World, George Bush, Henry Ford, Live Aid, Ambassador Towell, Billy Idol, Checkpoint Charlie, Jesse Jackson, Jimmy Carter New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 14
books:
See all 14 books this book cites
- Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life by Jimmy Carter on page 145, page 151, and page 153
- The Jewish War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Flavius Josephus on page 100, page 102, and page 104
- Lawrence of Arabia (Life & Times) by J.Anderson Black on page 169
- Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn on page 73
- Soviet Union (Collins Independent Travellers Guide) by Martin Walker on page 19
See all 14 books this book cites
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