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Holidays in Hell
No doubt about it: P. J. O'Rourke has a bizarre sense of fun. "What I've ... been," he writes in his introduction to Holidays in Hell, "is a Trouble Tourist--going to see insurrections, stupidities, political crises, civil disturbances and other human folly because ... because it's fun." Forget Hawaii or the Poconos--O'Rourke gets his jollies in places like war-torn Lebanon where he is greeted at the border by a gun barrel in his face, or Seoul, just in time for election-day violence. Wherever he goes, however, O'Rourke takes his quirky sense of humor, laser eye for detail, and artful way with words: a Philippine army officer is "powerful-looking in a short, compressed way, like an attack hamster," and the Syrian army is described as having "dozens of silly hats, mostly berets in yellow, orange and shocking pink, but also tiny pillbox chapeaux.... The paratroopers wear shiny gold jumpsuits and crack commando units have skin-tight fatigues in a camouflage pattern of violet, peach, flesh tone and vermilion on a background of vivid purple. This must give excellent protective coloration in, say, a room full of Palm Beach divorcees in Lily Pulitzer dresses."
O'Rourke's flip, sarcastic style isn't for everyone, of course; the concept that anyone could find sightseeing in the Beirut or El Salvador of the 1980s fun might prove offensive to more than a few readers right off the bat. But love him or hate him, P. J. O'Rourke knows how to tell a good story, and if you like your travel writing laced with more than a little cynicism, Holidays in Hell could be just the book you've been looking for.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
P.J. O'Rourke
192 books522 followersPatrick Jake "P. J." O'Rourke is an American political satirist, journalist, writer, and author. 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!. Since 2011 O'Rourke has been a columnist at The Daily Beast. In the United Kingdom, he is known as the face of a long-running series of television advertisements for British Airways in the 1990s.
He is the author of 20 books, of which his latest, The Baby Boom: How It Got That Way (And It Wasn’t My Fault) (And I’ll Never Do It Again), was released January 2014. This was preceded on September 21, 2010, by Don't Vote! – It Just Encourages the Bastards, and on September 1, 2009, Driving Like Crazy with a reprint edition published on May 11, 2010. According to a 60 Minutes profile, he is also the most quoted living man in The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations.
He is the author of 20 books, of which his latest, The Baby Boom: How It Got That Way (And It Wasn’t My Fault) (And I’ll Never Do It Again), was released January 2014. This was preceded on September 21, 2010, by Don't Vote! – It Just Encourages the Bastards, and on September 1, 2009, Driving Like Crazy with a reprint edition published on May 11, 2010. According to a 60 Minutes profile, he is also the most quoted living man in The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
July 8, 2022
The 80's had some ideal hotspots for a rogue journalist like PJ O'Rourke. Somehow he managed to convince the editors of magazines he worked for that they required stories from these largely untravelled (at the time - not necessarily before or after), largely dangerous places where he was able to ignore sensible advice, and live to write about it.
He visits many - El-Salvador, Ireland, Israel, South Korea, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Panama, The Philippines, Poland, Russia and South-Africa are the main spots, and there are also a few stories based in the USA and one in Australia (which is generally not known as a hot-spot, for good reason). His Australian story was about the America's Cup in Fremantle, and was largely a piss-take of the 'sport' for millionaires.
O'Rourke is about as far from a politically correct, culturally sensitive, ego massaging journalist as you can get. He is deliberately controversial, throwing up generalisations and stereotypes and mocking cultures as he sees fit, and so long as you are not easily offended - pretty funny while he does it.
Has it aged well? This was published in 1988, and the individual stories range from 1984 to 1988. In many ways it hasn't aged well - there are references to people and events that I am a bit dusty on, (to be fair the 80's were still my school years, so political events were not really high priorities), so for younger persons - perhaps hard to reconcile some of the references. To be honest, it was probably funnier when the troubles were more topical. However in general, the writing does hold appeal and interest now. It is, of course snapshots of the time, but all Journalism is. I felt a couple of the chapters rolled on a few pages too long, and I found myself looking forward to the end, but in general they are short enough to read in a sitting (or less).
There were some very funny (and likely highly insulting) quotes in the book, but I neglected to mark them as I read, so having had a 30 second flick through, I couldn't locate anything worthwhile to share, but there are a few quotes in other reviews, and listed on the book page. To me these didn't seem the best of them.
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
He visits many - El-Salvador, Ireland, Israel, South Korea, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Panama, The Philippines, Poland, Russia and South-Africa are the main spots, and there are also a few stories based in the USA and one in Australia (which is generally not known as a hot-spot, for good reason). His Australian story was about the America's Cup in Fremantle, and was largely a piss-take of the 'sport' for millionaires.
O'Rourke is about as far from a politically correct, culturally sensitive, ego massaging journalist as you can get. He is deliberately controversial, throwing up generalisations and stereotypes and mocking cultures as he sees fit, and so long as you are not easily offended - pretty funny while he does it.
Has it aged well? This was published in 1988, and the individual stories range from 1984 to 1988. In many ways it hasn't aged well - there are references to people and events that I am a bit dusty on, (to be fair the 80's were still my school years, so political events were not really high priorities), so for younger persons - perhaps hard to reconcile some of the references. To be honest, it was probably funnier when the troubles were more topical. However in general, the writing does hold appeal and interest now. It is, of course snapshots of the time, but all Journalism is. I felt a couple of the chapters rolled on a few pages too long, and I found myself looking forward to the end, but in general they are short enough to read in a sitting (or less).
There were some very funny (and likely highly insulting) quotes in the book, but I neglected to mark them as I read, so having had a 30 second flick through, I couldn't locate anything worthwhile to share, but there are a few quotes in other reviews, and listed on the book page. To me these didn't seem the best of them.
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
June 1, 2009
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-cows approach--as a conservative (or conservative-libertarian) who believes, a la Winston Churchill, that Western-style democracy is the worst form of government except all others, he has little time for sentimental hand-wringing over the so-called third world. Yet only the most humourless Leftist could really be critical of O'Rourke who's nothing if not an equal-opportunity commentator--he rubbishes his own country when he gets the chance, too. A stirring and very funny read.
November 17, 2021
Re-read 11/15/21: Very few of P.J. O'Rourke's books are available in audio, something I discovered on my quest to find audio versions of books I've read before. I was hoping for All the Trouble in the World or Give War a Chance, both of which are more mature (if I dare use that adjective to describe O'Rourke's writing) and have essays I really like, but this one was acceptable.
Read 9/21/20: This was published in 1988 and contains essays from as much as five years before that. So reading it is a trip to the past. I was too young to be politically aware in the '80s, but I remember many of the global crises O'Rourke was present for and writes about here. I've always enjoyed his travel writing, even sauced with political commentary as it is, and this is an earlier selection than I've read before. I was particularly interested in his accounts of Berlin, because that's the only place he writes about in this book I have actually been, and that after the Wall came down. In fact, one of the more unintentionally funny parts of the book is the epilogue, in which O'Rourke writes tongue-in-cheek predictions for the future. None of them came true, but it amused me to see him talking about the Soviet Union and what it would be like in 2018. Funny and heartbreaking by turns, this is one I think I'll read again someday.
Read 9/21/20: This was published in 1988 and contains essays from as much as five years before that. So reading it is a trip to the past. I was too young to be politically aware in the '80s, but I remember many of the global crises O'Rourke was present for and writes about here. I've always enjoyed his travel writing, even sauced with political commentary as it is, and this is an earlier selection than I've read before. I was particularly interested in his accounts of Berlin, because that's the only place he writes about in this book I have actually been, and that after the Wall came down. In fact, one of the more unintentionally funny parts of the book is the epilogue, in which O'Rourke writes tongue-in-cheek predictions for the future. None of them came true, but it amused me to see him talking about the Soviet Union and what it would be like in 2018. Funny and heartbreaking by turns, this is one I think I'll read again someday.
August 11, 2009
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 of a well-informed humor book border on racism.) I'd much rather read Mr. O'Rourke's accounts of Third World privations than go there and see for myself, but it's still difficult to plow through so much despair and anomie.
The two most interesting aspects of this book were the clear and telling delineations O'Rourke draws between otherwise similar Third World countries; and the changes that have taken place (or, more often, not taken place) since the essays were written in the mid-1980s.
The two most interesting aspects of this book were the clear and telling delineations O'Rourke draws between otherwise similar Third World countries; and the changes that have taken place (or, more often, not taken place) since the essays were written in the mid-1980s.
January 4, 2008
Contains one of the best paragraphs in all the English language... starting with ...."I snapped...."
August 10, 2013
My good friend Amy is an honors student in journalism. She’s about to start her Senior Year as editor-in-chief of her college newspaper.
Anyway, something she mentioned in a recent blog post was that she’d left for college, certain that her dream was to blast through her four years, then become a foreign correspondent, traveling the world and filing stories from exotic trouble-spots.
My mind flashed back on P.J. O’Rourke’s “Holidays in Hell,” a book that bridges a gap between where Amy is in her life and I am in mine.
“Holidays in Hell” was originally published in 1988, as I was starting my Senior Year (I was only a freelance features writer on my college paper, though). This book is cobbled together from stories O’Rourke wrote for magazines, most of them for Rolling Stone.
Worse still—as far as making me feel old—is that I remember most of these stories when they were originally published in Rolling Stone, back in the mid-to-late 1980’s, back when I was young enough to subscribe to (or give a shit about) Rolling Stone.
P.J. O’Rourke showed me a style of writing that shaped my own, and probably pissed-off a number of my English professors. What O’Rourke did was infuse serious journalism with irreverent humor.
The journalism is very real. The stories gathered here are not puff-pieces or travelogues. The author visited Lebanon when it was a hotbed of strife, South Africa under Apartheid, Korea during violent election protests. He saw where various death squads dumped their bodies in Central America and The Philippines, and he was hit with pepper spray, tear gas, and—nearly—a bullet or two.
The humor is what separates P.J. O’Rourke from other journalists. His prose thrums with life. As impassioned as he is describing Korean student riots, he describes the Koreans predilection for spicy food hysterically (“After lunch, our breath could clean your oven,” e.g.).
The humor still got me—I laughed my ass off in probably the exact same parts I did back in 1988—but what struck me was how much things have changed since then. He toured Poland behind the Iron Curtain; Poland is free, now. He toured South Africa under Apartheid; Apartheid is no more. He describes his 1986 attempt to get to Libya after U.S. Fighters bombed there; Libya is under new management.
So much of the world has changed, now. I certainly don’t mean this in an old-fartish way like, “These damn kids today don’t know what a riot is,” but as a simple observation. In 1988, there’s no way anyone could have predicted the Arab Spring revolutions, powered by Twitter. There was no Twitter. There was no email. The only mention of computer use in “Holidays from Hell” is where O’Rourke laments the lack of a “brief summation” button on his Apple II.
This was a time when magazines and newspapers still shelled-out big money for a correspondent to provide in-depth, first-hand coverage of a major world crisis. Today, the print news media is on life-support.
These “Holidays in Hell” are beautifully preserved memories of a completely different global community. I remember Iran-Contra, Reagan-Gorbachev summits, the anti-Apartheid protests—I even remember Fawn Hall and Ollie North (good thing, too, because there are a few oblique references to them here). The point is that I remember when these historical events were current events (I got details from the world’s only 24-hour news channel, CNN (how many of THOSE are there now??)).
Amy starts her Senior Year in a couple weeks, just like I was when first I read this excellent book in 1988. When I read her piece about how she’d wanted to be a foreign correspondent, I got on the then-unheard-of Internet, and sent a copy to her then-unheard-of Kindle. Having reread “Holidays in Hell” tonight, I imagine the stories will probably seem like irrelevant history to her. I can only wonder at how dated today’s “big stories” will seem to her a quarter-century hence, and what kind of technology will have blown-past what we have today.
If I’m here in 25 years, I’m reasonably certain Amy will be running a medium-sized country (we joke that I’ll be her Leo McGarry, because I’m crotchety that way), or—more likely—that she’ll have been one of the sharper reporters covering and analyzing The World: 2014 to 2039.
Also, I have no doubt that I’ll be able to read “Holidays in Hell,” and still crack-up at “…a miasma of eyeglass-fogging kimchi breath, throat-searing kimchi belches, and terrible, pants-splitting kimchi farts.”
(Some part of me will never grow up)
Highly Recommended
Anyway, something she mentioned in a recent blog post was that she’d left for college, certain that her dream was to blast through her four years, then become a foreign correspondent, traveling the world and filing stories from exotic trouble-spots.
My mind flashed back on P.J. O’Rourke’s “Holidays in Hell,” a book that bridges a gap between where Amy is in her life and I am in mine.
“Holidays in Hell” was originally published in 1988, as I was starting my Senior Year (I was only a freelance features writer on my college paper, though). This book is cobbled together from stories O’Rourke wrote for magazines, most of them for Rolling Stone.
Worse still—as far as making me feel old—is that I remember most of these stories when they were originally published in Rolling Stone, back in the mid-to-late 1980’s, back when I was young enough to subscribe to (or give a shit about) Rolling Stone.
P.J. O’Rourke showed me a style of writing that shaped my own, and probably pissed-off a number of my English professors. What O’Rourke did was infuse serious journalism with irreverent humor.
The journalism is very real. The stories gathered here are not puff-pieces or travelogues. The author visited Lebanon when it was a hotbed of strife, South Africa under Apartheid, Korea during violent election protests. He saw where various death squads dumped their bodies in Central America and The Philippines, and he was hit with pepper spray, tear gas, and—nearly—a bullet or two.
The humor is what separates P.J. O’Rourke from other journalists. His prose thrums with life. As impassioned as he is describing Korean student riots, he describes the Koreans predilection for spicy food hysterically (“After lunch, our breath could clean your oven,” e.g.).
The humor still got me—I laughed my ass off in probably the exact same parts I did back in 1988—but what struck me was how much things have changed since then. He toured Poland behind the Iron Curtain; Poland is free, now. He toured South Africa under Apartheid; Apartheid is no more. He describes his 1986 attempt to get to Libya after U.S. Fighters bombed there; Libya is under new management.
So much of the world has changed, now. I certainly don’t mean this in an old-fartish way like, “These damn kids today don’t know what a riot is,” but as a simple observation. In 1988, there’s no way anyone could have predicted the Arab Spring revolutions, powered by Twitter. There was no Twitter. There was no email. The only mention of computer use in “Holidays from Hell” is where O’Rourke laments the lack of a “brief summation” button on his Apple II.
This was a time when magazines and newspapers still shelled-out big money for a correspondent to provide in-depth, first-hand coverage of a major world crisis. Today, the print news media is on life-support.
These “Holidays in Hell” are beautifully preserved memories of a completely different global community. I remember Iran-Contra, Reagan-Gorbachev summits, the anti-Apartheid protests—I even remember Fawn Hall and Ollie North (good thing, too, because there are a few oblique references to them here). The point is that I remember when these historical events were current events (I got details from the world’s only 24-hour news channel, CNN (how many of THOSE are there now??)).
Amy starts her Senior Year in a couple weeks, just like I was when first I read this excellent book in 1988. When I read her piece about how she’d wanted to be a foreign correspondent, I got on the then-unheard-of Internet, and sent a copy to her then-unheard-of Kindle. Having reread “Holidays in Hell” tonight, I imagine the stories will probably seem like irrelevant history to her. I can only wonder at how dated today’s “big stories” will seem to her a quarter-century hence, and what kind of technology will have blown-past what we have today.
If I’m here in 25 years, I’m reasonably certain Amy will be running a medium-sized country (we joke that I’ll be her Leo McGarry, because I’m crotchety that way), or—more likely—that she’ll have been one of the sharper reporters covering and analyzing The World: 2014 to 2039.
Also, I have no doubt that I’ll be able to read “Holidays in Hell,” and still crack-up at “…a miasma of eyeglass-fogging kimchi breath, throat-searing kimchi belches, and terrible, pants-splitting kimchi farts.”
(Some part of me will never grow up)
Highly Recommended
December 13, 2010
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.
June 13, 2019
2.5 Stars!
Granted there is a fine line between so called “gonzo” journalism and a structureless, self-indulgent mess. O’Rourke finds himself on both sides of that line in this collection. In one sense this takes a fairly original take on travel, certainly for the time, in that it challenges the myths, lies and BS that surrounded the vast majority of travel related books that were coming out. He clearly has his tongue firmly in his cheek much of the time but then that can only take you so far before it too becomes stale and monotonous.
I‘m not sure how well this collection was received when it first came out back in 1988, but the vast majority of the attempted humour falls deafeningly flat, though a little still gets through now and then. O’Rourke gets to some interesting places, Eastern Bloc Poland, Seoul in the midst of student riots, post Marcos Philippines, Fremantle, WA and Harvard and with hugely varying results. There is one article where he goes to France and is trying to get to Libya and it’s here in particular where he seems to embody the very negative stereotype that Americans have earned when travelling abroad, that of the brash, dumb, over bearing, loud mouth, blabbering on about how much bigger and better they think they do everything. Overall I’d say that there were three or four good to strong stories in here and the rest fall somewhere between dull, bad and mediocre.
September 28, 2016
Given that the writer had such a short period of time in the places he visited, he seemed to grasp the core of things pretty well. Pity that this accuracy is wasted on him as all he uses it for is to pass mean judgement on all, whether good or bad (apart from when it came to the occupied lands. As far as I'm concerned, he tried too hard to make both sides seem responsible, when we all clearly know the truth).
He also draws similes and makes references to events, people, and things that may have been current during his time and/or only relevant to Americans - whichever, it was lost on me, and made reading a tad confusing.
Basically, this travel journal is interesting, but mostly repulsive due to the disrespect the writer has to just about everybody.
[Edit: Concerning the paragraph starting with 'I snapped...' - it only displays a very obvious inferiority complex to Europeans. Not classy at all.]
He also draws similes and makes references to events, people, and things that may have been current during his time and/or only relevant to Americans - whichever, it was lost on me, and made reading a tad confusing.
Basically, this travel journal is interesting, but mostly repulsive due to the disrespect the writer has to just about everybody.
[Edit: Concerning the paragraph starting with 'I snapped...' - it only displays a very obvious inferiority complex to Europeans. Not classy at all.]
April 1, 2014
It was ok. A bit dated (set in 1980's, some interesting points/facts
Also author was really quite racist.
I wouldn't recommend this. I picked it up in a charity shop and should have saved my £1.50 to be honest.
I didn't bother finishing it (I got to the last 3 chapters, so gave it a good go)
How has this racist man got so many good reviews?
I was repeatedly shocked by his racist, ill informed and arrogant (American (white)-centric)comments.
Also author was really quite racist.
I wouldn't recommend this. I picked it up in a charity shop and should have saved my £1.50 to be honest.
I didn't bother finishing it (I got to the last 3 chapters, so gave it a good go)
How has this racist man got so many good reviews?
I was repeatedly shocked by his racist, ill informed and arrogant (American (white)-centric)comments.
January 31, 2008
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.
November 25, 2014
Despicable politics but a great sense of humour.
October 25, 2011
'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 history in general and therefore I really learned a lot from this. O'Rourke is an excellent writer with an eye for humor and flair and never hesitates to give his opinion about anything. As the quote on the back cover says, you may not agree with him, but he writes a helluva piece. Definitely recommended.
February 11, 2018
Disappointing. This is not a book that has stood the test of time; it was probably funnier while it was topical. What's the point of reading about a South Africa on the brink of democracy, or about a war-torn Beirut when the author does not offer a lasting impression of the countries but rather an account of his own experience at that precise moment in history? Change the circumstances and the accounts become inconsequential. As both did.
The biggest disappointment though, came from the little xenophobic comments O'Rourke lets slip here and there. A real sad thing to see so much intellectual talent wasted on passing disparaging comments about the Third World. Unnecessary, really, but he probably couldn't help it. Or see it.
The biggest disappointment though, came from the little xenophobic comments O'Rourke lets slip here and there. A real sad thing to see so much intellectual talent wasted on passing disparaging comments about the Third World. Unnecessary, really, but he probably couldn't help it. Or see it.
August 11, 2014
I am sure there are many opinions on P.J O'Rourke so I am not going to go into that in this review.
The book is a series of articles mainly from Rolling Stone magazine of O'Rourke's travels both in the US and to foreign countries. Everyone gets a lashing from his acid tongue and I did find it funny even though I did not agree with everything he wrote. It is very interesting going back to the 80's and reading about the countries in crisis at that point.
If you want a quick read round war-torn countries including Disneyworld in the US and don't mind being offended then go for it.
The book is a series of articles mainly from Rolling Stone magazine of O'Rourke's travels both in the US and to foreign countries. Everyone gets a lashing from his acid tongue and I did find it funny even though I did not agree with everything he wrote. It is very interesting going back to the 80's and reading about the countries in crisis at that point.
If you want a quick read round war-torn countries including Disneyworld in the US and don't mind being offended then go for it.
February 6, 2016
This book is a riot. P.J. O'Rourke travels to the bombed-out, cholera-ridden, impoverished hellholes of the world to check out the hotel service and whether the ice cubes in the drinks are as big as the ones you get in America. An occasional totally serious moment does not keep the author from coming across in his usual let's-make-fun-of-everything style. While all this is going on he manages to fill the reader in on things they might not have known about El Slavador, the Phillipines, South Africa, and -- gulp! -- Harvard University. Highly recommended.
March 30, 2012
This book is a rapid-fire series of witty one-liners, but the gross exaggerations lose their novelty and get tiresome fast. So many absurdities piled on one after the other made be put down the book half-way through feeling I knew exactly what was coming in the second half, and made me hungry for something different. Doubt I'll pick it up again, even though P.J. is a genius, but he's much better in smaller doses.
May 9, 2010
The guy's a jackass, but he can write.
November 8, 2010
O'Rourkes best book by far.
April 17, 2022
Would be 3.5 stars if I was actually technically gifted and could figure out Goodreads’ mobile app and its official way of allocating half a star. Who has the time though.
Although I disagree with PJ O’Rourke and his Libertarian brotherhood on most political issues and viewpoints, I cannot deny the man’s knack for comedic writing. Every few pages got an out loud laugh from me as a passenger on this globe-trotting adventure with O’Rourke. Being the “Foreign Affairs Correspondent” for Rolling Stone Magazine, O’Rourke somehow convinced editors and corporate heads to fund his journalism in the same vein of Hunter S. Thompson’s cerebral, sarcastic, somewhat unhinged, yet sometimes sincerely insightful gonzo journalism. O’Rourke has the guts to write some thoughts we all may possibly have but keep to ourselves for we might not want to embrace a dark reality. He goes a little far with the irreverence at times, so it might be off putting if dark humor is not a style of comedy you particularly enjoy.
Due to taking place in the 80s, some of the destination observations come across harsh and maybe a little too sardonic. Take for instance El Salvador in which O’Rourke observes the national issues that Kirkpatrick and Reagan were reinforcing at the time by acting as if El Salvador (and the rest of Central America for that matter) were their personal playthings in their holy war against supposed expanded communism. Makes one start to feel sick with our current knowledge and hindsight of those repercussions. Other takes though have still held up after 30 years. Take for example O’Rourke’s takedown review of Polish nightlife under the curtain of communism and realize he’s still somewhat spot on even after the steel curtain’s fall. A girl I was close with from Poland let me know that she found the American midwest nightlife to be the most exhilarating experience she had ever had during a night out compared to her homeland of Poland. If that doesn’t scream reinforcement of just how dull Polish nightlife can be, I don’t know what possibly could.
However, O’Rourke dishes this all out somewhat evenly and some of the most hilarious takedowns and digs come at the expense of his beloved home country, the United States of America. Take these two passages for example:
O’Rourke on Walt Disney’s futuristic promises and vision written while PJ was visiting Epcot:
“Alas, it’s not to be. Walt is dead. And, after a couple of hours at Epcot, you’ll wish you were, too.”
Or try out O’Rourke on being at Harvard’s 350th anniversary celebration and wanting to possibly be in the alumni group:
“Or so I thought. I’m cured now. I just came back from Harvard’s monster gala 350th Anniversary celebration, and thank you, God, for making me born dumb. I went to a state college in Ohio. Therefore, I will never have to listen to dozens of puff buckets jaw for hours about how my alma mater is the first cause, mother lode and prime mover of all deep thought in the U.S.A.”
One last, random favorite quote example from him on sailing’s biggest event, the Americas Cup:
“Everything on a boat has a different name than it would have if it weren’t on a boat. Either this is ancient seafaring tradition or it’s how people who mess around with boats try to impress the rest of us who actually finished college.”
While somewhat frenetic and uneven, it’s still a recommended read. I’ll definitely check out another collection of his.
Although I disagree with PJ O’Rourke and his Libertarian brotherhood on most political issues and viewpoints, I cannot deny the man’s knack for comedic writing. Every few pages got an out loud laugh from me as a passenger on this globe-trotting adventure with O’Rourke. Being the “Foreign Affairs Correspondent” for Rolling Stone Magazine, O’Rourke somehow convinced editors and corporate heads to fund his journalism in the same vein of Hunter S. Thompson’s cerebral, sarcastic, somewhat unhinged, yet sometimes sincerely insightful gonzo journalism. O’Rourke has the guts to write some thoughts we all may possibly have but keep to ourselves for we might not want to embrace a dark reality. He goes a little far with the irreverence at times, so it might be off putting if dark humor is not a style of comedy you particularly enjoy.
Due to taking place in the 80s, some of the destination observations come across harsh and maybe a little too sardonic. Take for instance El Salvador in which O’Rourke observes the national issues that Kirkpatrick and Reagan were reinforcing at the time by acting as if El Salvador (and the rest of Central America for that matter) were their personal playthings in their holy war against supposed expanded communism. Makes one start to feel sick with our current knowledge and hindsight of those repercussions. Other takes though have still held up after 30 years. Take for example O’Rourke’s takedown review of Polish nightlife under the curtain of communism and realize he’s still somewhat spot on even after the steel curtain’s fall. A girl I was close with from Poland let me know that she found the American midwest nightlife to be the most exhilarating experience she had ever had during a night out compared to her homeland of Poland. If that doesn’t scream reinforcement of just how dull Polish nightlife can be, I don’t know what possibly could.
However, O’Rourke dishes this all out somewhat evenly and some of the most hilarious takedowns and digs come at the expense of his beloved home country, the United States of America. Take these two passages for example:
O’Rourke on Walt Disney’s futuristic promises and vision written while PJ was visiting Epcot:
“Alas, it’s not to be. Walt is dead. And, after a couple of hours at Epcot, you’ll wish you were, too.”
Or try out O’Rourke on being at Harvard’s 350th anniversary celebration and wanting to possibly be in the alumni group:
“Or so I thought. I’m cured now. I just came back from Harvard’s monster gala 350th Anniversary celebration, and thank you, God, for making me born dumb. I went to a state college in Ohio. Therefore, I will never have to listen to dozens of puff buckets jaw for hours about how my alma mater is the first cause, mother lode and prime mover of all deep thought in the U.S.A.”
One last, random favorite quote example from him on sailing’s biggest event, the Americas Cup:
“Everything on a boat has a different name than it would have if it weren’t on a boat. Either this is ancient seafaring tradition or it’s how people who mess around with boats try to impress the rest of us who actually finished college.”
While somewhat frenetic and uneven, it’s still a recommended read. I’ll definitely check out another collection of his.
June 9, 2010
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 subjective approach to covering contentious situations. Apparently he’s always been a satirist/smart ass and this is certainly well-conveyed with these hilarious essays.
Beyond apparently consuming massive quantities of booze, O’Rourke’s “holidays” aren’t about vacationy stuff like awkwardly parasailing in Beirut during the latest bombing campaign. He’s there like “real” journalists, under fire, seeking out key interviews, and doing whatever else real journalists do in troubled zones (apparently consume massive quantities of booze). The difference is O’Rourke takes it all with a grain of salt and a long ton of cynicism.
Compiled throughout the eighties, this is obviously dated in a same-damn-thing manner. Problems in and around the Holy Land? Mexican border issues? Slimy evangelists? I’m so glad we’re in a more advanced millennium. South Africa gets a big soccer tournament in our brave new world, though I hear Epcot is still charging admission for awe-inspiring exposure to the prowess that is General Motors. Can’t win them all. Don’t sell that gas mask on EBAY just yet.
Beyond apparently consuming massive quantities of booze, O’Rourke’s “holidays” aren’t about vacationy stuff like awkwardly parasailing in Beirut during the latest bombing campaign. He’s there like “real” journalists, under fire, seeking out key interviews, and doing whatever else real journalists do in troubled zones (apparently consume massive quantities of booze). The difference is O’Rourke takes it all with a grain of salt and a long ton of cynicism.
Compiled throughout the eighties, this is obviously dated in a same-damn-thing manner. Problems in and around the Holy Land? Mexican border issues? Slimy evangelists? I’m so glad we’re in a more advanced millennium. South Africa gets a big soccer tournament in our brave new world, though I hear Epcot is still charging admission for awe-inspiring exposure to the prowess that is General Motors. Can’t win them all. Don’t sell that gas mask on EBAY just yet.
February 13, 2016
This was an enjoyable book on a certain level; I say this because the overall effect on the reader may be positive but the content is also depressing. In it are showcased some of the worst situations available on the globe about 30 years ago and the reader is repeatedly shown the impossibility of any solution to major problems involving governance, religion and culture.
P.J.'s wit concerning them is acidic and, of course, funny. This book has been called a classic but I would prefer the term 'dated'. The events he has written of took place mainly in the late 80's, so many current readers will have no familiarity with the situations he reported on. This is a weakness, but the book is still an interesting read under that limitation.
The title may have been selected for its appeal instead of its accuracy. P.J. was not vacationing; he went to the destinations to find stories involving large human conflicts and to report on them.
P.J.'s wit concerning them is acidic and, of course, funny. This book has been called a classic but I would prefer the term 'dated'. The events he has written of took place mainly in the late 80's, so many current readers will have no familiarity with the situations he reported on. This is a weakness, but the book is still an interesting read under that limitation.
The title may have been selected for its appeal instead of its accuracy. P.J. was not vacationing; he went to the destinations to find stories involving large human conflicts and to report on them.
November 18, 2017
My college roommate and I read these essays when they came out in The Rolling Stone in the 1980's.
Mr. O'Rourke has always had a keen eye to find the humor in bad situations. Ironically, he got his start back in the stately National Lampoon magazine, the finest purveyors of bathroom humor in the 70's and 80's. Later, he moved on to be the Foreign Correspondent with The Rolling Stone (I know, this seems as logical as The Jamaican Bobsled team, but it happened). Finally, years later, he is writing politcal commentary in The National Review. I know there has got to be a road map of how he got from there to here, but I am damned if I can figure out how.
I think this is some of his best work. His essays paint his observations of ludicrous events, people and places with a solid coat of common sense. It is as if he foresaw the three-ring circus that the media would become 30 years ago.
Mr. O'Rourke has always had a keen eye to find the humor in bad situations. Ironically, he got his start back in the stately National Lampoon magazine, the finest purveyors of bathroom humor in the 70's and 80's. Later, he moved on to be the Foreign Correspondent with The Rolling Stone (I know, this seems as logical as The Jamaican Bobsled team, but it happened). Finally, years later, he is writing politcal commentary in The National Review. I know there has got to be a road map of how he got from there to here, but I am damned if I can figure out how.
I think this is some of his best work. His essays paint his observations of ludicrous events, people and places with a solid coat of common sense. It is as if he foresaw the three-ring circus that the media would become 30 years ago.
April 2, 2013
This is the only travel book i've ever liked. What I love about PJ is the fact that he has absolutely no illusions about the way the world works. Most left wingers tend to believe that all of the worlds problems can be solved and that the rich are to blame for it all. If you're looking for a genuine, insightful and funny book about how messed up the world is, then this is the book for you. PJ is completely remorseless about his views and doesn't try and offer any well meaning advice about how to change things, just has fun pointing out life's shortcomings. Hilarious.
The only negative i found was, that it is divided into several small chapters about different events/countries, and they don't flow into each other that well. I ended up reading a chapter here or there in between other books, rather than reading it all at once.
The only negative i found was, that it is divided into several small chapters about different events/countries, and they don't flow into each other that well. I ended up reading a chapter here or there in between other books, rather than reading it all at once.
September 9, 2007
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 won't enjoy this book (or other of O'Rourke's books).
O'Rourke did a very short stint as a commentator on television, where he bombed in grand fashion. It was hard for me to watch. His medium is clearly the written word, not the spoken word.
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 won't enjoy this book (or other of O'Rourke's books).
O'Rourke did a very short stint as a commentator on television, where he bombed in grand fashion. It was hard for me to watch. His medium is clearly the written word, not the spoken word.
September 30, 2011
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 could barely get through it, I was laughing so hard. Can't remember my students' reactions. Probably thought I had gone tropo. It's still my favorite essay and the one I recommend everyone read first.
August 27, 2008
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.
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May 7, 2007Wow, I'm the first to add this book? I should get some kind something for that!! This book is classic PJ O'Rourke. Vacationing in Beriut and Lebanon might not be for everyone, but you too can experience it through his writings!!
June 28, 2008
Probably O' Rourke's best, along with Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence and a Bad Haircut.
March 30, 2013
The self-effacing conservative humorist travels to some of the world's hot spots and makes his typically trenchant comments on the culture and geopolitics of the areas. Laugh-out-loud funny, well-informed, highly cynical.
[read twice]
[read twice]
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