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You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You
In her long-awaited new collection, the Colt Peacekeeper of American political
humor draws a bead on targets that range from the Libido-in-Chief to Newt
Gingrich, campaign funny-money to the legislative lunacy of her native Texas--and
hits a bull's-eye every time.
Whether she's writing about Bill Clinton ("The Rodney Dangerfield of
presidents"), Bob Dole ("Dole contributed perhaps the funniest line of the year
with his immortal observation that tobacco is not addictive but that too much
milk might be bad for us. The check from the dairy lobby must have been late
that week"), or cultural trends ("I saw a restaurant in Seattle that specialized
in latte and barbecue. Barbecue and latte. I came home immediately"), Molly
takes on the issues of the day with her trademark good sense and inimitable wit.
humor draws a bead on targets that range from the Libido-in-Chief to Newt
Gingrich, campaign funny-money to the legislative lunacy of her native Texas--and
hits a bull's-eye every time.
Whether she's writing about Bill Clinton ("The Rodney Dangerfield of
presidents"), Bob Dole ("Dole contributed perhaps the funniest line of the year
with his immortal observation that tobacco is not addictive but that too much
milk might be bad for us. The check from the dairy lobby must have been late
that week"), or cultural trends ("I saw a restaurant in Seattle that specialized
in latte and barbecue. Barbecue and latte. I came home immediately"), Molly
takes on the issues of the day with her trademark good sense and inimitable wit.
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
30 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Molly Ivins
37 books148 followersAmerican newspaper columnist, political commentator, and best-selling author from Austin, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 17, 2017
I absolutely adored Molly Ivins columns during my brief time living in Austin in the 90s and this collection of essays is spectacular. No one describes the disaster that poses as politics in Texas better than veteran reporter Molly Ivins. The only regret is that she passed away too early to give us her insights into Drumpf!
July 21, 2011
Love Molly Ivins and miss her terribly. As to the content of the book? These editorials were written in the Clinton years after the radical right took over the congress and threatened to shut down the government. There wasn't a single essay that couldn't be written with a couple of name changes in today's political climate. Deja vu all over again!
December 10, 2010
The more of her stuff I read, the more I fall in love with Molly. You were took from us before your time, kid. Our loss.
August 20, 2017
"It's been five years since Molly Ivins' last book, which is probably too long a time in the opinion of her many fans. But the intervening years have given the bestselling author and syndicated columnist some of the best raw material a political writer could ask for. The Republicans staged a revolution, Clinton was reelected, welfare 'deform' swept the country, and the militia movement came out of the bunker: in short, it's been a banner time for Molly's brand of shoot-from-the-hip commentary and uproarious anecdotes.
"You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You brings together a first-class collection of smart, spirited, and fiercely funny writings. From the wild and woolly politics of her native Texas to the waffling in the Oval Office, Molly exposes the fatuous and hypocritical at all levels of public life. Whether she's writing about the 1996 presidential candidates ("Dole contributed perhaps the funniest line of the year with his immortal observation that tobacco is not addictive but that too much milk might be bad for us. The check from the dairy lobby must have been late that week"), conspiracy theorists ("Twenty-five years in the newspaper bidness have given me a fairly strong faith in the proposition that if you haven't read about it in The Daily Disappointment or seen it on the network news, it's probably not true") or cultural trends ("I saw a restaurant in Seattle that specialized in latte and barbecue. Barbecue and latte. I came home immediately"), Molly takes on the issues of the day with her trademark good sense and inimitable wit.
" 'I can think of few causes more important than keeping free voices alive in a world of corporate media,' Molly writes. She is one of those voices and a national treasure; as the Los Angeles Times puts it, she is 'H.L. Mencken without the cruelty, Will Rogers with an agenda.' Whatever your political persuasion, you're bound to agree that Molly Ivins is one of the sharpest and most original commentators on the American scene today."
~~front & back flaps
Just to keep things out in the open, let me announce now that I am a huge Molly Ivins fan, so this review might possibly be unobjective ...
She's incredible. And funny. Laugh-out-loud hysterically funny, like P.G. Wodehouse, Robert
Benchley, James Thurber or any other author who can make you hoot and howl with laughter so easily that you dare not read their books in public.
For example: she wrote about a "community chicken-killing festival" in New Mexico and called it a "gang-pluck" ... I dare you to read that in public without embarrassing yourself by roaring out loud!
"For example, in her 1993 essay "Taking a Stab at Our Infatuation with Guns", she begins by saying:
"Let me start this discussion by pointing out that I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife.
" In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.
" As a civil libertarian, I of course support the Second Amendment. And I believe it means exactly what it says: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well-regulated militia. Members of wacky religious cults are not part of a well-regulated militia. Permitting unregulated citizens to have guns is destroying the security of this free state.
" I am intrigued by the arguments of those who claim to follow the judicial doctrine of original intent. How do they know it was the dearest wish of Thomas Jefferson's heart that teen-age drug dealers should cruise the cities of this nation perforating their fellow citizens with assault rifles? Channelling?" [Wikipedia]
For example: "On James M. Collins, U.S. Representative, R-Dallas: 'If his IQ slips any lower we'll have to water him twice a day.' Collins had said that the current energy crisis could be averted if 'we didn't use all that gas on school busing....' "
I could go on for pages. Molly's trademark was withering criticism of public stupidity, in language guaranteed to make the reader laugh, and thereby guaranteeing that the reader would remember the quote, and the foolishness of whoever or whatever she was against.
And one of the most politically astute objective observers of American politics. Clear-eyed, concise and pungently on target.
Molly died in 1993 of breast cancer. Paul Krugman (https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...) and I think the world is a poorer place since she's been gone.
Molly, where are you now when we need you?
"You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You brings together a first-class collection of smart, spirited, and fiercely funny writings. From the wild and woolly politics of her native Texas to the waffling in the Oval Office, Molly exposes the fatuous and hypocritical at all levels of public life. Whether she's writing about the 1996 presidential candidates ("Dole contributed perhaps the funniest line of the year with his immortal observation that tobacco is not addictive but that too much milk might be bad for us. The check from the dairy lobby must have been late that week"), conspiracy theorists ("Twenty-five years in the newspaper bidness have given me a fairly strong faith in the proposition that if you haven't read about it in The Daily Disappointment or seen it on the network news, it's probably not true") or cultural trends ("I saw a restaurant in Seattle that specialized in latte and barbecue. Barbecue and latte. I came home immediately"), Molly takes on the issues of the day with her trademark good sense and inimitable wit.
" 'I can think of few causes more important than keeping free voices alive in a world of corporate media,' Molly writes. She is one of those voices and a national treasure; as the Los Angeles Times puts it, she is 'H.L. Mencken without the cruelty, Will Rogers with an agenda.' Whatever your political persuasion, you're bound to agree that Molly Ivins is one of the sharpest and most original commentators on the American scene today."
~~front & back flaps
Just to keep things out in the open, let me announce now that I am a huge Molly Ivins fan, so this review might possibly be unobjective ...
She's incredible. And funny. Laugh-out-loud hysterically funny, like P.G. Wodehouse, Robert
Benchley, James Thurber or any other author who can make you hoot and howl with laughter so easily that you dare not read their books in public.
For example: she wrote about a "community chicken-killing festival" in New Mexico and called it a "gang-pluck" ... I dare you to read that in public without embarrassing yourself by roaring out loud!
"For example, in her 1993 essay "Taking a Stab at Our Infatuation with Guns", she begins by saying:
"Let me start this discussion by pointing out that I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife.
" In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives.
" As a civil libertarian, I of course support the Second Amendment. And I believe it means exactly what it says: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well-regulated militia. Members of wacky religious cults are not part of a well-regulated militia. Permitting unregulated citizens to have guns is destroying the security of this free state.
" I am intrigued by the arguments of those who claim to follow the judicial doctrine of original intent. How do they know it was the dearest wish of Thomas Jefferson's heart that teen-age drug dealers should cruise the cities of this nation perforating their fellow citizens with assault rifles? Channelling?" [Wikipedia]
For example: "On James M. Collins, U.S. Representative, R-Dallas: 'If his IQ slips any lower we'll have to water him twice a day.' Collins had said that the current energy crisis could be averted if 'we didn't use all that gas on school busing....' "
I could go on for pages. Molly's trademark was withering criticism of public stupidity, in language guaranteed to make the reader laugh, and thereby guaranteeing that the reader would remember the quote, and the foolishness of whoever or whatever she was against.
And one of the most politically astute objective observers of American politics. Clear-eyed, concise and pungently on target.
Molly died in 1993 of breast cancer. Paul Krugman (https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...) and I think the world is a poorer place since she's been gone.
Molly, where are you now when we need you?
August 16, 2017
Columns from the Clinton era. Some could be republished today with only a few name changes to reflect current conditions. Others are clearly historic, such as her tributes to Ann Richards, Bob Bullock, and Barbara Jordan.
As I've said before, I miss Molly's insight and wit and in many ways wish we still had her around to comment on today's political circus.
As I've said before, I miss Molly's insight and wit and in many ways wish we still had her around to comment on today's political circus.
September 24, 2007
One of America's most underrated humorists. Molly had a keen eye towards politics and human nature. Folksy funny but with intelligence.
October 4, 2016
call it like you see it, Molly I miss you.
July 5, 2009
Ah, this book brought back memories of those golden days of yore--the graft, corruption, name-calling, scandel ridden Clinton years. Molly Ivins, the Pulitzer prize winning political columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has been called a human oxymoron--a Texas liberal. While I grew a tad tired of the down-home talk, this collection of political columns and magazine articles was both entertaining and preachy about politics during the Clinton years. It also took aim at and took a direct hit on some of Ivins favorite targets--"blue-bellied, wall-eyed, lithium-deprived Texas lunatics." It was a humor filled trip down memory lane. I must find other books by her.
February 6, 2017
I first read Molly Ivins when I came across her book titled "Shrub". Damn funny and insightful I wish more people had read it before the 2000 election. Well, to late, and unfortunately she wasn't around for the election in 2016. But, after reading "You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You" I'll bet it would have been funny, satiric, and have the Donald in the corner, crying! Yeah, a lot of us would have loved it! If you haven't yet, read her books and see for yourself. ( )
July 3, 2011
Her insight in to the political Bigwigs in the 90s was right on target and eerily true to reflect what continues to go on today. Wish it wasn't so that the political climate is so toxic and continually so. What to do? While she's no longer with us to provide us her wit and humor, I hope her spirit lives on.
March 20, 2016
This is a realistically chilling book. It ends about 1998, with the death of Nixon and the end of the Clinton administration. But it foretells the incredible gridlock of the Obama years and the intransigence of the Congress towards the executive.. Molly has a perspective that cannot be denied. Guidance is not in her pervay.
July 5, 2015
Her usual funny take on the political world, including an interesting reasoning for why Clinton is such a compromiser on EVERYthing! And a nice, heartfelt tribute to her mother. Good selection (of her columns?)
August 8, 2016
It's Molly Ivins-what can you say. Down to earth intellectualism from a Texas liberal with prescient observations that could easily be columns that fit today's politics. She was a national treasure. Loved this anthology of her work.
July 10, 2008
Hilarious!
October 13, 2008
973.929 The dry Texan's take on politics during the Clinton years. Fairly funny as well as insightful.
Read
July 24, 2011A fascinating collection of columns written during the Clinton years. They still resonate and I still miss Molly.
November 27, 2011
I like Molly. She values humor to illustrate liberal politics. Emphasis on humor. Apparently, she can't live long outside of Texas, because she encounters so much good story material there.
January 1, 2012
A compendium of Molly Ivins columns from the mid-1990's. Some good stuff, but mostly very dated.
August 26, 2012
The great strength of his book are the obituaries she writes about the dying lions of liberalism and her parents. Much meaning to take from all that.
May 16, 2013
She was definitely a national treasure.
April 6, 2015
refreshing and depressing
February 17, 2016
Molly Ivins could make the most boring political maneuvers hysterically funny. RIP Molly.
February 17, 2019
Texas humor , poke fun at obvious.
Great!
Great!
October 5, 2020
More than 25 years ago, Molly Ivins published these commentaries. I hadn’t read them before in a collection and the book was on my TBR pile, so… Most of Ms. Ivins’ comments are in the political arena. They are witty, astute, and entertaining. They remind readers of a certain age of characters or past events. The heartbreaking part is that the flaws in the system then are the same as those we have today. Not a bit has improved. Most have gotten worse. In fact, some of her villainous types illustrate how we got where we are. An entertaining and woe inspiring read. Recommended even if past their prime.
Readalikes:
Stephen Colbert – I am America (and So Can You); Greg Gutfield – The Joy of Hate; Bob Dole – Great Political Wit of the 20th Century; Jon Stewart – America: The Book; Denis Leary – Why We Suck; Keith Olbermann – The Worst Person in the World and 202 Strong Contenders.
Readalikes:
Stephen Colbert – I am America (and So Can You); Greg Gutfield – The Joy of Hate; Bob Dole – Great Political Wit of the 20th Century; Jon Stewart – America: The Book; Denis Leary – Why We Suck; Keith Olbermann – The Worst Person in the World and 202 Strong Contenders.
February 23, 2021
It's Molly Ivins. Nothing more need be said.
April 20, 2022
I read this in conjunction with a few others which is why it took so long to get through. Not quite as good as her other books, but insightful and entertaining as always.
June 19, 2022
The inimitable Ivins does not disappoint - her wit lives on far beyond her years.
June 19, 2009
I think this is her best.
July 11, 2011
Some of Molly Ivins best columns during the Clinton era.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews