Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
P.J. O'Rourke says we've worked ourselves into a state of anger and perplexity, and it's no surprise because perplexed and angry is what America has always been all about. This uproarious look at the current state of these United States includes essays like "The New Puritanism - and Welcome to It," about the upside of being "woke" (and unable to get back to sleep); "Sympathy vs. Empathy," which considers whether it's better to have an idea of how people feel or to bust their skulls to get inside their heads; "A Brief Digression on the Additional Hell of the Internet of Things" because your juicer is sending fake news to your FitBit about what's in your refrigerator; and many more.
Dotted with a quiz to determine where you stand on the spectrum of "Coastals vs. Heartlanders;" "An Inauguration Speech I'd Like to Hear" (ask not what your country can do for you. Ask me how I can get the hell out of here); and an impassioned argument on licensing politicians (we license doctors, we license dentists, we license beauticians...), this is P.J. at his finest.
Synopsis
Observations on the present political moment, and the discord that defines it, from the best man for the job: bestselling author and acclaimed satirist P.J. O'Rourke
P. J. O'Rourke says we've worked ourselves into a state of anger and perplexity, and it's no surprise because perplexed and angry are what Americans have been since the Roanoke Colony got lost. This astute and entertaining look at the state of these United States includes essays on everything from our fraught history ("Oh Beautiful for . . . Pilgrim Feet?") to the political effects of social media, ("Whose Bright Idea Was It to Make Sure that Every Idiot in the World Is in Touch with Every Other Idiot?"). A plan is advanced to reform federal poverty programs, "Just Give Them the Money." And a rant is made against the "Internet of Things" because your juicer is sending fake news to your Fitbit about what's in your refrigerator.
Included is a quiz to determine whether you're a "Coastal" or a "Heartlander" (you know organic, fair-traded, locavore, and gluten-free, but do you know hay from straw?), an impassioned plea to license politicians (we license beauticians ), and much more. This is P. J. at his finest.