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Summary: humorous accound of global poverty
Review: P.J. O'Rourke has delievered another funny but accurate account about the state of affairs in the world. He looks at the problems of global poverty. He deals some basic economi theories and looks at the histories of several countries such as successuful Sweeden or Hong Kong and poor Cuba and Albania looking at what made these countries be where they are today. Eat the Rich provides a pretty short account of the global economic setting.
Rating: 
Summary: Never read a book like this!
Review: You should never read a book like this unless you care only about yourself. I agree it is nice living in a country that beats the poor intot the ground so that good ole' PJ can sit in first class and have a glass of his favorite chardonay!
Rating: 
Summary: Repeat Theme
Review: The sub-title of this book by O'Rourke is "A Treatise on Economics". I suppose that, being O'Rourke, this could have been tongue-in-cheek - having said that, there are a few chapters in which PJ does try (by his own admission) some halting attempts at analysing economic theory. One musn't take the subtitle too seriously though (O'Rourke doesn't), because "Eat the Rich" is really another collection of PJ's impressions of the countries he visits. As ever, some of the pieces are better than others - I thought that the essays on Hong Kong and Shanghai were very poor, sub-standard O'Rourke and as a result dragged down the rest of the book. By the way, in the introduction PJ confesses his own embarrassment at the Hong Kong piece. There were highlights, such as the airstrip in Tanzania somewhat disconcertingly haunted by vultures, but on the whole I felt that the formula used in this collection is becoming rather tired.
Rating: 
Summary: One of his best works
Review: In addition to being very funny, this book contains some very useful theories and teachings on economics. Its main premise should be taken to heart by everyone - let's all agree to limit the government, and its vast interference in our lives, as much as possible.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Enjoyable
Review: P. J. O'rourke is hilarious. He has the unique gift of being able to entertain while writing about a serious subject. Now of course you cannot take what he writes as a serious thesis, but most certainly you will enjoy reading his book, and learn interesting tidbits through his narration of many of the many places he visited. An interesting experience of reading O'rourke is that even though his writings are full of humor and hyperbole, you are never confused about what the facts are. Another thing is that by scrutinizing what he wrote about one particular place that I happen to know very well, I can say that he captured the essence of the place quite masterfully in a dozen pages or so. And I feel quite comfortable that he would do a similarly good job for me for the places that I don't know. O'rourke offers his insights as he narrates his experience and observations. They are quite instructive and succinct. Overall, the few evenings I spend reading his book have been among the most enjoyable and educational ones I have had.
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Summary: Economic and Comedic Samplings
Review: O'Rourke once again brings us a very serious topic, money and prosperity, in an easy to read and pretty funny format. This book takes you through places of different economic prosperity and tries to analyze "What went wrong?" or "What's making this work?" After reading this you might find yourself enlightened by O'Rourke's commentary on economics, but you will definitely find yourself smiling and sometimes laughing out loud at seeing the world through the eyes of the very funny J. P. O'Rourke.
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Summary: Irreverent entertainment, but with useful tidbits.
Review: This is an irreverent look at capitalism in various forms, as much a (not uninteresting) travelogue as an economic critique as he describes his impressions of Wall Street, Albania, Sweden, Cuba, Russia, Tanzania, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. For most of the book O'Rourke sounds flippant and seems to be writing more to hear himself talk than to educate the rest of us.
He brings it together in the last chapter, however, which has the same title as the book. He admits that capitalism (free market economies) can work. What differentiates good capitalism from bad is the wisdom in "the clumsy set-piece speech our parents made in the heart-to-hearts they'd spring on us when we were really high. It's what we heard in capital letters when we brought home grades that looked more like a collection of Baywatch bra cup sizes..." That is,
· Hard work.
· Education
· Responsibility.
· Property rights.
· Rule of law.
· Democratic government.
Works for me.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but nowhere near what it claims
Review: A funny, witty and well-written book but lacks the incisiveness it claims. Obviously you are not expecting a treatise on economics. But unless you share the cultural and ideological background of the author, some of his conclusions will appear pretty shallow, even from the point of view of humour. Overall though a good read, that provides you with some memorable anecdotes.
Rating:
Summary: Potboiler
Review: Save your money. This book is so boring and foolish that I couldn't finish reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Economics Made Interesting
Review: P. J. O'Rourke makes economics interesting...by citing real life examples from his travels rather than engaging in a boring exercise of describing some economic theory. The pages of the book spring to life. I read this book prior to visiting Tanzania, one of the countries visited by O'Rourke, and have reread it many times since my visit. The details covered are well-researched. I picked up things after rereading the chapter that I had missed before. I recently attended a conference on global affairs hosted by the World Affairs Council in Monterey. The conference was dull in comparison to this book. For those who might find O'Rourke's conservative conclusions a bit extreme, I would suggest skipping his concluding chapter and focusing in on his case studies. The facts, as they say, speak for themselves.
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