Rating: 
Summary: Parliament of Whores goes abroad
Review: (...) [In] this very funny book by P. J. O'Rourke, he sets out to test
big government liberalism by seeing how it is playing out in the real world, on a series of issues : overpopulation, famine, ecological
disaster, ethnic hatred, plague and poverty. For making this effort to scientifically test the ideology of the Left, in the laboratory of
reality, he has been accused of practically fabricating the issues in order to shoot down their solutions. If only....It is all enjoyable and a ringing vindication of free markets, limited government and American culture (circa 1950), but far and away the
best chapter is the overpopulation one where he compares that perennial favorite of the Paul Ehrlich crowd, Bangladesh, with Fremont,
CA. Why Fremont? How about, because they have roughly the same population density. By the time Mr. O'Rourke is done, the very
notion that population growth, in the abstract, is something that we have to be terrified of has been rendered utterly laughable (and laugh
you will). Also worth the price of admission, before its author totally fades into obscurity, is the evisceration of Al Gore's deranged
magnum opus, Earth in the Balance. Mr. O'Rourke delivers Mr. Gore a well deserved drubbing. The book makes a fine companion piece to Parliament of Whores, sort of a foreign affairs version of the same tale. Taken together, they
stand as one of the best and certainly the funniest defenses of liberty you are likely to find. GRADE : A-
Rating: 
Summary: the great man may be losing his edge...
Review: ...but his points remain as relevant and as punchy as ever. He seems to have begun recognizing some sacred cows in the Libertarian position where once he skewered all positions with equal panache, but it's true you learn more while laughing, and I learned a lot while reading (and laughing at) this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful reading!
Review: A great book, I can't remember the last time a book was so entertaining. I also learned quite a bit from the many facts and statistics in this book. The author is not only a funny guy, but a wealth of important information.
Rating:
Summary: Scholarly, yet funny
Review: As a huge fan of P.J. O'Rourke and having read almost everything he has ever penned, I can say without hesitation that this is his finest work yet. If anybody is hoping to acquire some verbal ammunition to fire back at their squishy liberal friends while debating social issues such as overpoulation and the environment, this book is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny...but not convincing.
Review: Before I go on: Yes, I'm a liberal--I had to read this book in a English Comp II class taught by a libertarian professor. O'Rourke's analysis, while scathingly funny, falls short of the mark due to sheer lack of evidence. His essay skewering environmentalism, for instance, provides NO scientific evidence for his claims (which was also a criticism levied by my professor). The pollution essay provides merely circumstancial evidence, and O'Rourke even admits he gave up trying to write about plague in Hatiti, and goes to talk about his visit to the black market and a voodoo shrine (which, I will admit, is terribly interesting). Look, I think O'Rourke is hysterical. His one-liners are great, and yeah, he makes a few points. But the guy doesn't offer solid evidence, and the way he treats EVERY SINGLE liberal as a communist sympathizer is annoying. Of course, if you do lean to the libertarian/fringe Republican side of the political spectrum then this review won't matter. For the rest of us, I give you fair warning. It is fair to note that the book was last published in 1994, so it is rather out of date, if you are interested in purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: Funny...but not convincing.
Review: Before I go on: Yes, I'm a liberal--I had to read this book in a English Comp II class taught by a libertarian professor. O'Rourke's analysis, while scathingly funny, falls short of the mark due to sheer lack of evidence. His essay skewering environmentalism, for instance, provides NO scientific evidence for his claims (which was also a criticism levied by my professor). The pollution essay provides merely circumstancial evidence, and O'Rourke even admits he gave up trying to write about plague in Hatiti, and goes to talk about his visit to the black market and a voodoo shrine (which, I will admit, is terribly interesting). Look, I think O'Rourke is hysterical. His one-liners are great, and yeah, he makes a few points. But the guy doesn't offer solid evidence, and the way he treats EVERY SINGLE liberal as a communist sympathizer is annoying. Of course, if you do lean to the libertarian/fringe Republican side of the political spectrum then this review won't matter. For the rest of us, I give you fair warning. It is fair to note that the book was last published in 1994, so it is rather out of date, if you are interested in purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: Cutting through the rhetoric with humor
Review: Entertaining, and educational- but not lecturing. PJ's brilliance lies in his talent for cutting though to the heart of a matter in a way that entertains and convinces. For instance, "Latin America will never advance until the Left stops killing the businessment and the Right stops killing the intellectuals". Or describing Marxist Eastern Europe as "living with your parents...forever". Or, upon touring a Lada plant in the USSR: "Suddenly I realized that the most advanced, up-to-date factory in the entire USSR....was built by Italians..." There's no moral posturing to be found here- just thr truth as PJ sees. it. Read it, laugh, and learn.
Rating:
Summary: Let's Get Moderate!
Review: Even though P.J. O'Rourke is totally a Republican, that doesn't stop me from thinking he's hilarious in a very useful way. The good thing about him is that he's a clear-thinking and rational centrist, only a little bit to the right; and since I'm a little bit to the left and try to be clear-thinking and rational, there's plenty of room for everybody with a levelheaded view. The true unheralded battle is now between extremists and moderates (forget the archaic liberal vs. conservative battle), and moderates of all stripes can enjoy O'Rourke's politics even if you disagree with some of the specifics. You don't get these kinds of insights from modern politicians, who are either extreme-right Republicans or Democrats who are amazed by the dimness of their ideas. At one point in this book, in chapter 7, he calls left-wingers "nitwits" and right-wingers "peabrains" in the same paragraph, so you know he's no extremist or stiff ideologue. He cares about both the environment and private property rights, and favors both profiteering and universal education. This book is basically a curmudgeon's guide to the problems around the world that the politically correct care about. O'Rourke has some great insights, such as the fact that all famines are caused by politics, and that the Endangered Species Act has never saved a single species. There are some inconsistencies however, especially in the overly preachy chapters concerning the environment. O'Rourke contends that a lot of American pollution is committed by the government on federally owned lands, and proposes the vague panacea of private property rights as the solution. But later he blames Haiti's poverty on too much private and not enough public property. But his case studies in certain godforsaken locations are very illuminating - Bangladesh for overpopulation, Somalia for famine, and even the former Yugoslavia as a really bad case of multiculturalism. Except for some vague and predictable endorsements for wealth generation and responsible government, O'Rourke doesn't pretend to have the answer to the world's problems, except that they should be tackled by non-extremist minds. That sure is a refreshing viewpoint, especially from a cranky old Republican!
Rating:
Summary: off-sets the chicken littles of the world
Review: Here in Australia, the media gives a very high profile to the environmentalists who proclaim that the world will end in 10 minutes or less. In contrast, P.J. O'Rourke explains why the world is actually improving. The world isn't bursting at the seams and everyone won't die of starvation (supermodels excepted). I highly recommend the book. It's entertaining and informative. I only wish the author had included a David Suzuki dartboard.
Rating:
Summary: Yet again, he comes through
Review: I am a vegetarian. I disapprove of the death penalty. I am a feminist (with a small f). You could even say i am a liberal. Yet, i defy all stereotyping, because i love the writing of P J O'Rourke. Yes, his writing is biased.(show me writing that isn't) Yes, he can be bombastic. But if you want an informed and entertaining read on the important issues facing the world today, you could not go past this man as a great starting point. Love or loathe the individual, you have to admire the writer. Well done again, Mr O'Rourke
| 
