People in Glass Houses

by Shirley Hazzard

Book Overview

Only those who keep their wit and affections about them will survive the mass conditioning of the Organization, where confusion solemnly rules and conformity is king. As in our world itself, humanity... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312424221
• ISBN13: 9780312424220
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

A Terrific Marriage of Kafka and Waugh

Anyone who has worked with the United Nations will recognize "the Organization" immediately. Ms. Hazzard worked there for ten years back in the 50s and it doesn't seem to have changed at all. But this book is more than a satire of the UN, it is a commentary on bureaucracy in general and great fun to read. Some of the humor is broad (a meeting attended by someone from the Section on Forceful Implementation of Peace Treaties and someone from the Section on Peaceful Uses for Atomic Weapons) but most of it is in that subtle area of humor which is almost indistinguishable from tragedy. This should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in any form of government or humanitarian work.