Please Don't Remain Calm: Provocations and Commentaries

by Michael Kinsley

A lucid deconstruction of the politics and public figures shaping the social, financial, and military disasters of our times. This selection of Michael Kinsley's trenchant editorial writing in Slate (and elsewhere) since 1995 covers the end of the Clinton era (Monica, impeachment, etc.) and two terms of George W. Bush (9/11, the War on Terror, Iraq, etc.).During this time Kinsley left Washington for Seattle and founded Slate , was opinion editor of the Los Angeles Times , underwent brain surgery for Parkinson's disease, and had other adventures that are reflected here. Although mostly about politics, there are articles and essays about other things, such as the future of newspapers, the existence of God, and why power women love Law and Order .This is the work of a writer at the top of his form. Kinsley's wit is a weapon that any talk-show host or elected blowhard should envy and fear, and the reader will cherish his sense of humor, which enlivens even the toughest subject matter.

Genres: Essays, Politics, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2008

About the author

Michael Kinsley is a columnist for Time and a past editor of The New Republic, Harper's, and Slate. His writing has also appeared in The Economist, The New Yorker, and many other publications.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've known of Michael Kinsley for a long time. When I was a kid, we used to watch Crossfire on CNN, which at that time featured Kinsley and Patrick Buchanan as well as such teen-pleasing reparté as "Pat, you think a capital gains tax cut would cure leprosy." I began to be familiar with his outlook long before it occurred to me to seek out his work myself.

Please Don't Remain Calm is a collection of his columns, mostly from Slate but also from the Washington Post and elsewhere, from the late '90s through about 2006, but the bulk of them are from about '99 through '06. It's not a period I'm nostalgic for, but Kinsley makes the walk down memory lane a bit more rewarding with his scathing and frank style. (He even has a whole column about politicians misusing the word "frank"!)

He has some great one-liners:

Bush's advisors deliver ideas to him like a pizza. His stove has never been lit. [Or] The New York Times has started quietly, nervously backing away from [Judith] Miller, like hikers trying to escape a rattlesnake.

...And is great at taking the stuffing out of multiple people in one go, as in this sentence which simultaneously skewers Ron Suskind, the self-congratulatory Paul O'Neill, and, for good measure, Nixon:

According to The Price of Loyalty (written by journalist Ron Suskind, but entirely from O'Neill's point of view), he preferred life at his "tasteful, sprawling colonial" in Pittsburgh, and he felt that Washington had become infested with politics and corruption since he first worked there in the prelapsarian innocence of the Nixon administration.

...but what he's best at is writing short columns that totally unpack and demolish the self-serving illogic of politicians. His excellent use of unexpected words results in a style that reminds me of Sam Harris, only Kinsley's anger is fond where Harris's is desperate.

There's a NYT review of the book that covers it pretty well. If you enjoy politics qua politics, taking it seriously but not as a life-and-death matter every moment of the day, you'd likely enjoy this collection.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a collection of essays/columns from a brilliant political journalist who also happens to suffer from Parkinson's Disease. almost every piece is one that had me nodding my head in agreement. he says what i would think, if i could think that articulately. my only criticism and it is very minor, is that the book contains columns from 2000-2007, so i found some of them to be outdated.

[Eric Fritz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely was a fun book to read. The first half, in my opinion, was more enjoyable. He had a ton of satirical humor and clever articles about a variety of topic. The second half seemed to just focus on Bush and took a more serious tone. Still would recommend reading it.

[Danielle]

I adore Michael Kinsley and his collection of columns "Big Babies" that came out in 1995 made a huge impact on me. I didn't realize he had another collection available. Must Read!!

[haetmonger · Rating 4 out of 5]

we need more michael kinsleys. not a lot more, maybe just two or three.

[Cat. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dated. Did not finish.