Give War a Chance

by P.J. O'Rourke

Book Overview

The bestselling author of Parliament of Whores now dismantles victims ranging from backpack liberals to Lee Iacocca and surveys the collapse of communism, celebrity, and liberalism. "Whatever your political persuasion, you would have to be totally humorless not to feel like chuckling when he (O'Rourke) starts hacking away."--New York Times Book Review.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871135205
• ISBN13: 9780871135209
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 233 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

P. J. is my favorite author

I've been a fan of P. J. for several years. I think he would make a great president!

A Funny look back in time

A solid and very funny look at the crazy folks of the 3rd world. I really enjoyed this man's work and his wickly funny observations about this crazy old world of ours.

I laughed out loud!

This book is insightful, witty, and hilarious. O'Rourke certainly has a biased point of view and glosses over any argument that would say he's wrong (while insulting his opponents, often personally and unfairly), but he makes a strong case for war, capitalism, and freedom.Some of his comments during the 1991 Gulf War regarding the differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims seem out of date given September 11, but are interesting nonetheless. I wouldn't have expected someone in the Gulf at that time to see what was coming.He does a great job of exposing the evils of communism and extolling the virtues of fighting against tyranny. Enjoy!

A Sober Perspective

Having been in many parts of the world which O'Rourke describes, I find his conclusions very accurate and worthy of reading over and over. He has been to these places, participated in their activities, and spoken to individuals from opposing sides. He is funny (though sometimes too vulgar for some people's taste) and his humor is not bitter. Though the reader may be unfamiliar with some of the names of people and events in history O'Rourke uses to illustrate things, the author is still able to make his points. His writing style with rich vocabulary is refreshing in a time when political writings read like children's essays. Overall, a very educational read.

A hoot..........

I brought this book to a weekend getaway with a rather affluent and leftward leaning family I once knew. As I read it upon the veranda, the patriarch of this family spied the title and, assuming my outlook to be just slightly shy of fascism (I didn't inherit wealth), took the main title, "Give War a Chance", quite literally. Of course, Olympia Snowe is a fascist to these folks, so it was with no small amount of amusement that I unveiled the true meaning of the title to my inquisitor. Sarcasm, an O'Rourke mainstay, is apparently lost on the Leftist without elucidation. O'Rourke blends his libertarian tendencies with his wry sense of humor to produce yet another uproarious look at the human condition. Give War a Chance is on par with earlier stellar O'Rourke attempts such as Parliament of Whores or Eat the Rich. You don't need to agree with the man to laugh with him and there is the added edification one may glean from political counterpoint. For Libertarians, there is no commentator more enjoyable or satire more cutting. O'Rourke has an eye for irony.

I Laughed Out Loud

Conservative political writers (and their liberal colleagues) tend to be shrill and vitriolic. O'Rourke in contrast uses humor and the results are devastating to his targets. He has a gift for stripping away the self-importance and pomposity of his political opponents and exposing their laugable essence. My favorite pieces in this book are his review of Iaccoca's autobiography and his recounting of the Nicaraguan election in 1990. No political writer is as funny as O'Rourke and this book contains some of his best work.