- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Grove Press (Jan 10 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0802139701
- ISBN-13: 978-0802139702
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14 x 1.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #257,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
If satirists are at their best when tussling with something they hate, then this is P.J. O'Rourke's masterpiece. He clearly hates government--and has hated it since before it was cool to do so--and for all the right reasons, too: it's clumsy, inefficient, hypocritical, greedy, and arrogant. In other words, it magnifies the faults of the poor saps who staff it. Parliament of Whores is the humorist's howl of bitter laughter at the entire bloated, numskulled mess. As befits an ex-editor of National Lampoon, nothing is out of bounds for O'Rourke. Speaking of the fabled "football"--that satchel that follows the president around 24/7--the author doubts there are really launch codes in there at all--nothing but "a copy of Penthouse and a pint bottle of Hiram Walker--a Penthouse from back in the seventies, when Penthouse was really dirty, I'll bet."
Parliament of Whores is perfect for anyone who longs to cultivate an entertaining brand of cynicism, to be "a lone voice--not crying in the wilderness, thank you, but chortling in the rec room." O'Rourke is a master at making you laugh in spite of the better angels of your nature, and the only negative thing to be said about this tour de force is that his flamethrower brand of satire leaves nothing in its wake--certainly not the suggestion of an improvement. --Michael Gerber --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Conservative O'Rourke takes no prisoners in this deadly accurate number-one bestseller, which spent 28 weeks on PW 's hardcover list. O'Rourke's latest essay collection, Give War a Chance , will be published by Atlantic Monthly Press in May. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
What is this oozing behemoth, this fibrous tumor, this monster of power and expense hatched from the simple human desire for civic order? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
What is this oozing behemoth, this fibrous tumor, this monster of power and expense hatched from the simple human desire for civic order? Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
No finer civics lesson available,
By Trevor Seigler (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Parliament Of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government (Paperback)
P.J. O'Rourke is hands down the single funniest polticial observer in recent memory and (even though he's a Republican) very good at what he does...which is tell you why the government is so f-ed up. I first read this book a little less than a year ago, and it's been probably my favorite of P.J.'s more cohesive works (of the obvious grab-bag of essays, it's either Rep Party Reptile or Age and Guile). Sure, you won't agree with everything he says (if you are of the Sean Hannity, "I Must Agree With Everything The Repubs Do Because They Are Never Wrong" mindset, this isn't a book for you), but you have a great time reading it. One of the other reviewers called reading this book a "guilty pleasure", and I think that applies well for those of us left-of-center who still like a good laugh every now and then. But there's some serious stuff here too, couched between the wit: I won't repeat the words here, but his analogy concerning the drug war hyperbole is astute and saddingly accurate. The budget chapter strikes out any cash for the National Guard, as O'Rourke had friends at Kent State (in a rather weak-kneed footnote, Peej decides his budget needs revision due to the Gulf War breaking out after he wrote it, it feels tacked-on and possibly a retreat from his earlier stance). Overall, this is P.J.'s best work, one that satirizes everyone in Washington who is wasting space. Written during the first Bush's administration, it's gleefully disrespectful to that era's mindset and makes you savor what bad things P.J. might have to say about the current Dumbass-in-Chief. On some levels, this is a product of its time, but it still holds up well enough to be read long after anyone remembers who the hell any of the leaders were. I have to credit PJ with giving me the desire to write, and while I heartily disagree with him politically the man has common sense, and there's still a streak of libretarianism in me left over from my youth in the Republican-dominated South. This is O'Rourke's best, and it could've been written today and still say the same things. A fantastic read from a fantastic (and funny) voice in American society.
5.0 out of 5 stars
O'Rourke at his best,
By A Customer
This review is from: Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government (Paperback)
I read this book back in the 90's when the book was still somewhat new. I was in college at the time and a proud liberal too. This book really changed my views and challenged many of the beliefs I had held. It really sparked an interest for me in libertarian thought in general. The book may be dated with its references to the gulf war but its still very witty and a good read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
PJ for President,
By Sherilyn Ketchen (Port Credit) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Parliament Of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government (Paperback)
I got a "specialist degree" in politics at University and still found that I learned more from this book than any of the dry tomes they pushed on me in school. It is laugh-out-loud funny, thought-provoking and a fair assessment of the behemoth that is the government. It should be required reading for anybody considering a career in politics.
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