Give War a Chance (Paperback)

~ (Author) "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..." (more)
Key Phrases: press headquarters, drug tests, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Saddam Hussein (more...)

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.

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Books ed edition (April 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679742018
• ISBN-13: 978-0679742012
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,146,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hoot.........., May 29, 2001

By	nto62 (Corona, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars O'Rourke's Funniest Book, November 25, 1999

By	CD Harris "Amuk" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give P.J. a Chance, May 18, 2000

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.