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31st out of 135 books
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108 voters
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Holidays in Hell
America's bestselling political humorist finds humor in some of the world's most unlikely places.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
June 1st 2000
by Grove/Atlantic
(first published 1988)
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I'm not sure why I didn't like this book more. It was vividly and humorously written, educational and even important. I think it was just the page after page of diverse suffering and injustice, presented by an author whose considered opinion appears to be that there is no hope for the Third World and so we might as well laugh at it. (Tangentially, I suggest that easily offended readers skip the prologue, which contains a large number of barely-joking generalizations that even in the context o...more
Back in the mid to late '80s when PJ O'Rourke wrote the pieces that make up Holidays in Hell, the world was a much different place: there was war in the Middle East, the threat of nuclear conflict, sectarian violence...alright, so things haven't changed all that much. Which is one reason why, after twenty years, this collection of reportage pieces from Lebanon, Nicaragua, Palestine, Northern Ireland and other conflict hot spots remains worth reading. Another is O'Rourke's gonzo-style, no-sacred-...more
Risking life and limb in such Hellish zones as 1980s Lebanon, El Salvador, and Harvard University, O’Rourke looks “for a good time” amidst the chaos according to the rear cover description… just above the Nixon quote…trippy… While reading this, I assumed he was a journalist that had attempted the objective route during the sundry riots, protests, and Vietnams dotting the sixties and finally said “F**k it! This is all bullsh*t that perpetually repeats itself!” and moved on to a, if you will, more...more
Hilarious dispatches from some of the world's worst places. This guy is so funny I laugh out loud at his stuff when i'm reading it. No wonder he is (apparently, according to wkipedia) the world's most quoted author! Funny stuff!
I enjoyed my second time through this book more than the first because it rings so true to some of my adventures in "trouble tourism.". There are just so many laugh out loud gems that I can't even begin to list all of them. For example, the phrase "covering a story from Mahogany Ridge," which means working on it in a bar. Of course, my hands down favorite is the ending of the Europe (April to May 1986) essay explaining why the USA has never been invaded. Find it in a libra...more
Contains one of the best paragraphs in all the English language... starting with ...."I snapped...."
Peter rock
rated it
Recommends it for:
my freinds at face book and my space and rebecca
Recommended to Peter rock by:
my father vince
this is a very good book i was always disapointed that P J O'rourke did not focus on dangerous hot spots in america go to gangland.net save it to favorites and call me in the morning because i am in love with you earth. People of earth what the fuck ya all upset with each other for in groups where it gets messy for those of us that are not upset at all. p j o'rourke one of my fathers required reading projects. Hey my close personal Friends want to know all the books my large highly lethal family...more
An interesting look at traveling through third-world countries during war-time. I found it especially relevent during our current war, since this book was written 20 years ago and a lot of the dangers are still present, though they may be in a different country now. P.J. O'Rourke has written for The Rolling Stone, from which many of these articles came, and is also on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me. A fun read, though not exactly profound.
Gave up on reading this halfway through. It's actually a great book - the mix of entirely dry humour (belied by its American authorship), smattering of facts, and cultural insight is really fascinating. Unfortunately, reading it I was haunted by a sense of complete irrelevance due to the stories therein being 25 years old. I'll happily continue reading it if I'm ever stuck with nothing else to do, but for now...
My introduction to P.J. O'Rourke.I will always love this book. It made me laugh like no other book had managed and it planted the first seeds of anti-Socialism in my mind. It also made me realise that being un-PC is the way to go. It's okay to laugh at other countries and cultures if they're absolutely mad. Thanks P.J.
've had this book around for a while and have read it in bits and pieces, as it is written in a format that easily allows for that. It's been my bath book, my waiting in lines book, my doctor's office book. I've enjoyed it emmensely. I was a subscriber to Rolling Stone magazine for quite some time and always enjoyed reading O'Rourke's articles, so I had no doubt that I would appriciate a collection of them. (I was correct in that assumption.) I've also lately realized how little I know about his...more
Part of the reason for the high rating is nostalgia value. These essays explore issues that were in the news 25 years ago when I was first "seriously" starting to watch the nightly news.
Nostalgia is a pretty poor choice of words though as many of these issues were the bombing of Libya, Israel/Palestine, and illegal immigration.
O'Rourke has his "persona"--a hard-drinking wise-cracking cynic--but at least tries to ask the big questions, even if there ar...more
Nostalgia is a pretty poor choice of words though as many of these issues were the bombing of Libya, Israel/Palestine, and illegal immigration.
O'Rourke has his "persona"--a hard-drinking wise-cracking cynic--but at least tries to ask the big questions, even if there ar...more
Earle
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone with a well-developed sense of humor and a taste for the offbeat
Shelves:
geopoliticalhumor
If O'Rourke's quirky brand of humor resonates with you, this is as good as it gets. I've read most of his works, and this is my favorite.
O'Rourke was a foreign correspondent for 'Rolling Stone', and was sent to every god-forsaken hellhole in the world. It is from his experiences in these venues that the chapters are drawn.
The chapter on Lebanon begins ...... "Beirut, at a glance, lacks charm." If that doesn't strike you as pure writing genius, then you probably ...more
O'Rourke was a foreign correspondent for 'Rolling Stone', and was sent to every god-forsaken hellhole in the world. It is from his experiences in these venues that the chapters are drawn.
The chapter on Lebanon begins ...... "Beirut, at a glance, lacks charm." If that doesn't strike you as pure writing genius, then you probably ...more
Brilliant. Hilarious. Sad. Poignant. True. Irreverent. And brilliant again. Journalists are a crazy bunch, and O'Rourke is at the head of that class. Originally these were articles he wrote for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other magazines. I read the article "Terror If The Euro-Weenies" (a slightly censored version of it - occasionally the language can be a little rough), published in Rolling Stone in the fall of 1986, to my class the last day before Thanksgiving break. I c...more
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Everything I wanted this book to be can be found in Andrew Mueller's "I Wouldn't Start From Here" -
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18373...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18373...
Hilarious. Some of the best writing I've read recently. Would've given it five stars if the last chapter (his vision of 2013) wasn't so slipshod.
There's this one chapter when he travels to Beirut. In a roundabout way (ask me about it sometime), it's why I'm living in the Middle East now.
Like everything he writes it seems not nearly as funny as it could have been.
A great unparalleled wit is at work with this easy and fun read.
The guy's a jackass, but he can write.
Humorous commentary on the 3rd World.
O'Rourkes best book by far.
PJ is a funny whiner
O'rourke is not half as entertaining as he thinks he is.
Good.
Good shit, though perhaps some of it's a little dated now, having been written in the late 80s. The entry on Fremantle, WA as a part of 'Hell' is particularly interesting for us southern colonial folk I think. Good to see Australia has a town as awful as any in Israel, Northern Island, or Lebanon, though I had a great time in Fremantle myself, and would have chosen Adelaide or Brisbane as far more hellish, but hey, who's the famous right-wing gonzo boy here? Not me, that's for sure.
The premise for this book was great - basically he travels (he's really a foreign correspondent) to some of the least hospitable settings on earth and then recounts his adventures in a typical travel style.
I like P.J. O'Rourke I think he is a funny guy, and this book is hilarious, however, I couldnt help but feel this is a little bit out of date now and so I didnt enjoy it as much as I might had I read it when it was first written.
I like P.J. O'Rourke I think he is a funny guy, and this book is hilarious, however, I couldnt help but feel this is a little bit out of date now and so I didnt enjoy it as much as I might had I read it when it was first written.
I don't consider myself a conservative, but I found out about P.J. O'Rourke during my college years (1980-1984, go Rockhurst!!!). O'Rourke shares tales of his world travels. Check out the one on South Korea, or the one on Poland. What a scream. I still read it sometimes, just for hearty laughs and a shot of great writing. I even got to meet him at a book signing. Great guy.
I think P.J. O'Rourke is really funny. He travels around the world trying to discover the causes of why some places suck and others do not. He's irreverent, he notices and appreciates absurdities and his facts are well researched. Learning about bureaucracy, economics, disasters, famine, etc... has never been so much fun.
OMG! I love this book.
I was just thinking on my drive home yesterday that he needs to make a newer updated version about the current state of Holiday's in Hell. That could be truly funny too. Although maybe not as funny since the United States is currently really embroiled in the whole mess!
I was just thinking on my drive home yesterday that he needs to make a newer updated version about the current state of Holiday's in Hell. That could be truly funny too. Although maybe not as funny since the United States is currently really embroiled in the whole mess!
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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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“It’s important to understand that in the Third World most driving is done with the horn, or “Egyptian Brake Pedal,” as it is known. There is a precise and complicated etiquette of horn use. Honk your horn only under the following circumstances:
1. When anything blocks the road
2. When anything doesn’t.
3. When anything might.
4. At red lights
5. At green lights.
6. At all other times.”
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2 people liked it
More quotes…
1. When anything blocks the road
2. When anything doesn’t.
3. When anything might.
4. At red lights
5. At green lights.
6. At all other times.”
