This is a heavily-edited collection of O’Rourke’s columns over the last
five or so years; the conceit is that he’s pontificating to the various
folks who happen to pass through his house, and they get to make
smart-aleck remarks back at him. It works fairly well, and the material
is typical P.J.: serious subjects treated humorously, irreverently and
sometimes profanely–but only after considerable thought. He’s
undeniably flippant, but it’s still Humor from Knowledge rather than
Humor from Ignorance. It’s funny, thought-provoking, and occasionally
chilling, as when he says, “Smoking crack is a way for people who
couldn’t afford college to study the works of Charles Darwin.”

The only discordant note isn’t really O’Rourke’s fault. The essays span
the end of Clinton’s presidency and the beginning of Bush’s, but the book
was published prior to 9/11/2001. As a result, he spends a certain
amount of time fulminating about topics that no longer seem quite so
important, and ignoring others that now seem crucial.

But anyway, I liked it.