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The CEO of the Sofa
The Barnes & Noble Review
In his bestselling Eat the Rich, smart-mouthed Republican commentator P. J. O'Rourke gave a slap in the face to the American economy. In Parliament of Whores, he took a long, hard look at our government, wagging his finger at its inadequacies. Now fans and foes alike can find out what it's like to live with a self-proclaimed "political nut," in...more
In his bestselling Eat the Rich, smart-mouthed Republican commentator P. J. O'Rourke gave a slap in the face to the American economy. In Parliament of Whores, he took a long, hard look at our government, wagging his finger at its inadequacies. Now fans and foes alike can find out what it's like to live with a self-proclaimed "political nut," in...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
July 23rd 2002
by Grove Press
(first published January 1st 2001)
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Jan 18, 2009
Greg
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
someone with wobbly furniture in need of a shim
Shelves:
little-city-book-sale-2008
Three chapters and DONE.
Man, PJ O'Rourke used to be somebody. His work at National Lampoon was great, and the "High School Yearbook Parody" he helmed there is a high point in American humor. As a proto-neocon pundit, even when he was completely disagreeable, he remained a wit. Here he's going for Oliver Wendell Holmes but comes off as an open-mic comic crossed with Andy Rooney ("I hate cell phones! And people who use earpieces with their cellphones look like crazy people talking to themselves!"...more
Man, PJ O'Rourke used to be somebody. His work at National Lampoon was great, and the "High School Yearbook Parody" he helmed there is a high point in American humor. As a proto-neocon pundit, even when he was completely disagreeable, he remained a wit. Here he's going for Oliver Wendell Holmes but comes off as an open-mic comic crossed with Andy Rooney ("I hate cell phones! And people who use earpieces with their cellphones look like crazy people talking to themselves!"...more
P.J. O'Rourke is simply one of the funniest writers out there and this book is no exception. It had me laughing aloud in quite a bit of it.
It's mostly shorter pieces, presented like a month-by-month diary, with little related. O'Rourke is relatively conservative and rants and raves about Democrats, but doesn't spare Republicans, either.
His cast includes his neighbor, named The Political Nut, who is even loonier than him, his wife who is the voice of reason to remind him when his rants go too fa...more
It's mostly shorter pieces, presented like a month-by-month diary, with little related. O'Rourke is relatively conservative and rants and raves about Democrats, but doesn't spare Republicans, either.
His cast includes his neighbor, named The Political Nut, who is even loonier than him, his wife who is the voice of reason to remind him when his rants go too fa...more
I remember seeing PJ O'Rourke's name on the cover of Rolling Stone all the time when I was a teenager, but I never read the articles because I hate politics and was always looking for something about Prince instead. I came across this in a used bookstore recently though and thought I'd give it a whirl.
This is a super funny book, kind of stream-of-consciousness, pointlessly divided into 12 sections, one for each month of a year. It ends in August 2001, which sucks, because I would really have lik...more
This is a super funny book, kind of stream-of-consciousness, pointlessly divided into 12 sections, one for each month of a year. It ends in August 2001, which sucks, because I would really have lik...more
I am "somewhere to the left" of Mr. O'Rourke, having come from a Republican family, myself. However I find his writing incredibly funny as hell, especially when he is attacking sacred cows. I feel there is nothing in politics worthy of sacred cowdom. Especially these days.
An added bonus is his description of a trip to India which, you might presuppose, would be full of nothing but the usual conservative snark. (If conservative snark is your bag, then you would be better off reading Ann Coulter....more
An added bonus is his description of a trip to India which, you might presuppose, would be full of nothing but the usual conservative snark. (If conservative snark is your bag, then you would be better off reading Ann Coulter....more
I grew up convinced that it was impossible for an American right-winger to be amusing, then I read Holidays in Hell by P.J. O'Rourke. A hippy turned yuppy, the worst kind of turncoat in many ways, but one who embraced the credo of greed wholesale, poking fun at his previous beliefs whilst singing the praises of excess and the free market with an arrogance that was impossible to resist.
Essentially he is a magazine writer, with his books being attempts of varying conviction to resale already publi...more
Essentially he is a magazine writer, with his books being attempts of varying conviction to resale already publi...more
PJ O Rourke is a tosser, an American tosser and a yankee republican tosser to boot. In a world of smug pricks, he has collected all the discarded smucks, sewn them together and made a sleeping bag so he can be a smug prick inside a snug prick. He's funny because he's no holds barred poisonous. I'd wear disposable rubber gloves to read this shit, just to remind myou that right-wing sleight of hand agit-prop is at work. He's an ardent free-marketeer and this book of satire throws light on the rece...more
May 22, 2007
CJ
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
personal_essay
PJ's books were a lot better when he was still drinking heavily and snorting a lot of coke. This whole "I'm a dad, and gosh, that makes me ponder things" was done better by Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry.
As funny as anything O'Rourke writes, and as he concentrates less on politics and foreign policy and more on family and everyday life, it's probably more accessible to more people. It's written in a style meant to riff off The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.), and in such a way that the style itself makes for some hilarity. I love O'Rourke; if you don't, you probably won't like it, but it's the book of his you have the best chance of liking, I think.
Not as good as PJ's other work. It is mostly a rehash of previous articles and columns strung together with a bit of a narrative that tends to distract from rather than compliment his musings.
Also, it is based on his writings in 2001, but ends in August. So many of his opinions look uninformed in light of 9/11. So again, it is not as enjoyable as his other works.
Also, it is based on his writings in 2001, but ends in August. So many of his opinions look uninformed in light of 9/11. So again, it is not as enjoyable as his other works.
PJ is intelligent though disputable. His predispositions about political parties are apparent, yet also cleverly disguised wide open as polemical diatribe (in other words his character is Republican and stuck up about it, though the criticisms accross all parties are laugh inside, as opposed to laugh out loud...)
So currently I'm about a 1/2 the way into the audio book 4 and a half hours...
The book begins with a survey of the UN and a typical Republican conservative critique which is obviously co...more
So currently I'm about a 1/2 the way into the audio book 4 and a half hours...
The book begins with a survey of the UN and a typical Republican conservative critique which is obviously co...more
PJ O'Rourke i had only heard in passing on any number of occasions. I thought he was clever but after reading this offering it seems that he is just a boorish aging white guy who is past his prime and apparently past anything worth saying.
The only one of his books that I have not really enjoyed. A grab bag of articles from around 2000. Nothing staler than reading the "Clintons are evil" rants in 2011. Most of the rest forgettable soon after reading. No focus and no punch.
Excellent. A usual I disagreed with an awful lot that he said but loved the way that he said it. The sections on the UN and a drive through India were particularly good as is the section describing a number of modern celebrities.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11497745
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11497745
A little dated now since it reflects current events when it was written (mid 90s), but the "blind (drunk) wine tasting" is worth the price of the book. ;)
I really enjoy PJ's humor, and found most of this book very interesting. (Especially his commentary on "It Takes A Village")
Pick this book up if you have say some 4 hours of free time - a good time pass and a pure O'Rourke magic.
Sep 12, 2010
Andrea
is currently reading it
I shouldn't contemplate ever going back to India
Quite good.
Could not get interested in it.
Went to Strand Books looking for those YA series on Flying Teens pursued by flying Wolf-teens, but fell into the Non-Fiction gap again. O'Rourke has always been a solid writer with Rolling Stone magazine and I should've sought out some of his books much sooner. Only just started, but bound to be full of great political and social commentaries on the lighter side.
Corny at first, makes you wonder - is this the same PJ O'Rourke who wrote that excellent travel bit about India? Sure enough it is, but where in a magazine article a manageable dose of cynicism and cleverness (an undesirable trait) is all right, in a book it'll either make you give up after page 5 or keep plodding on. We'll see how this one turns out.
Amusing bits, but not one of his best
wish there were more like this
I love reading P.J. O'Rourke! This was his worst written and/or worst edited book to date. Unlike any of the other books (all of them?) I have read. Strange.
P.J. takes a look at contemporary society from the vbiewpoint of a mature white, conservative, male, with his usual appreciation for the absurd.
O' Rourke trying to replicate Oliver Wendell Holmes' writings in the Breakfast Table. A bit forced and less funny than the others.
Apr 12, 2008
Amanda
marked it as to-read
I love PJ O'Rourke...haven't read this one yet, but the rest of his books are pretty good
good updating of Holmes' Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.
a let down compared to his other works
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Patrick Jake O'Rourke is an American political satirist, journalist, and writer. O'Rourke is the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute and is a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, and frequent panelist on National Public Radio's game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He is perhaps best known in the United Kingdom as the face...more
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