Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism Audiobook

" I'm grateful that I spent only 25 cents on this crap -- in the overstock section of the Lawrenceville library (which is basically just a homeless shelter without any beds). For years, friends have recommended P.J. O'Rourke, and after reading an agreeable Atlantic article (about jumbo-jets), I figured I'd give O'Rourke a shot. However he earned his reputation, it was certainly not for "Peace Kills," a collection of essays (basically) about 9/11 and its aftermath. Libertarian ethos aside, O'Rourke is as smug as his press-photo smile; his mind seems made up before he approaches a topic, and it comes about as an elongated thumbs-up/thumbs-down analysis (Kuwait good, U.S. soldiers good, Bush bad, Clinton bad, government bad, Iraqis selfish, etc.) His analysis is petty and boring (essentially, the Iraqis have failed themselves because they aren't bright or courteous enough to form a line while waiting for aid). Its one redeemer is a first-person essay about an anti-war rally in D.C.; he offers no thesis, but records the signs and costumes sported by the hodgepodge of activists. Anti-war as I am, it was good to hear a conservative perspective -- that the anti-war movement is often anarchic; protesters often use busking and goofy masks to announce their perspective, but the messages are often eerie or conflicting. Signs equating Israelis to Nazis is pointlessly offensive and it makes Leftists look stupid. The Left is generally too anxious, these days, to modify its tack; O'Rourke may be obnoxious, but he has pointed out, with relative gentleness, the weakness of the Left's tactics. In a way, he's doing the Left a favor. "

" P.J. O'Rourke's books are not single, large works, per se, but are collections of his magazine pieces compiled and bound by mirthful publishers; sort of a Xeroxing For Dollars scheme. Anecdotal by nature, O'Rourke casts his sarcastic eye upon the middle east in this collection, traveling through Egypt, Iraq etc. Part historical drinkalogue, part chumming with the local populace fiesta, O'Rourke's observations make us smile, wince, sometimes guffaw (although not nearly as much in this collection in comparison to previous tales) and provide a man-on-the-street glimpse of daily life in regions normally presented only by a scandal-drooling press corps. "

" A struggle to finish. Still didn't quite get the point of the book. Was basically about his experiences in war torn areas. Some satire. Some decent jokes. Ragged on most everyone, both sides of the political aisle. Most of his topics were superficial and lacked in depth analysis. Odd thing to say about a book written by a journalist. Anyway, it didn't have a point. Did I mention that already? I guess that's my point; that he didn't have a point. "

" A must read for the 21st century conservative. O'Rourke takes American rhetoric and ideology and presents it in a way that makes you realize how "we" sound to the world. "

" Parts are funny, but not that funny. Its nice that he is critical of both democrats and republicans. "

" Ho-hum. Another great read from P.J. Luv it. "

" Re-reading now "

" Excellent storeis and very interesting facts. O'Rourke compaers and differntiates the Democrats and Republicans while sharing his stories from his world travels. "

" If you don't feel guilty about reading a funny book about war, you will love this. "

" I should feel better about this book. It is a collection of essays and i admit to a love-hate relationship to o'rourke's writings. one should read it and revel in his descriptions. the sections on iwo jima and the civil affairs reservists are well worth it. "

" This book was pretty annoying. "

" Essays on current events, i.e Iraq war. "

" Not as funny as some of PJ's other works, but a worthwile read. "

" This book sucks! If only O'Rourke was as witty and important as he (apparently) thinks he is. This is the problem with the writing/publishing industry: people think they have something important to say, and bam! there goes a forest. "

" Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism by P. J. O'Rourke (2005) "

" This was my least favorite book by O'Rouke. It was ok, but I have come to expect much more from him. Put a few conflicts into perspective after doing more research ... "

" Most disappointing of all of P.J. O'Rourke's books. "

" Some laugh out loud sections of O'Rourke's travels through Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and the Occupied Territories. He's supposed to be writing from a conservative perspective of some sort, but it's more a study in Absurdism, which is entertaining. "

" no one else can make a chapter called "9/11 Diary" laugh-out-loud funny. "

" no review would do justice to the book, it has to consumed in an appropriate manner "

" This guy is one of my favorite foreign correspondent/opinion editorialists of all time, which makes his recent decline especially painful to watch, and also makes people only familiar with his more contemporary work think that I have bad judgment. "

" Not quite up to the standard of P.J.'s earlier book lauding the shrewd and judicious application of military force, Give War a Chance; in this case he considers the military's role in the post-911 world. "

" Good humorous, non-partisan analysis of Middle East countries in the post 9/11 world, from a perspective that only PJ can deliver. Gets past the political kool-aid, and looks at real situations. "

" A must read for the 21st century conservative. O'Rourke takes American rhetoric and ideology and presents it in a way that makes you realize how "we" sound to the world. "

" Essays on current events, i.e Iraq war. "

" Parts are funny, but not that funny. Its nice that he is critical of both democrats and republicans. "

" Fun new imperialism? With a title like this I expected the book to be funny, but it just doesn't hit the right marks "