Product Description

In Holidays in Hell America's funniest writer takes on the role of tour guide with hilarious results. In this darkly satirical take on the travel writing genre, O'Rourke reports from trouble spots around the world; 'A Ramble through Lebanon' and 'Christmas in El Salvador' may sound unpromising, but when subjected to O'Rourke's blackly comic treatment they become gloriously entertaining inversions of the standard travelogue. The perfect antidote to political correctness, Holidays in Hell is also a clear-eyed look at humanity, or man's lack of it, around the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155308 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
'The first few pages of this book made me laugh so much I dropped it on my month-old baby... Holidays in Hell is a splendid read' EVENING STANDARD

About the Author
P. J. O'Rourke, the best-selling humorist, was born in 1947 in Ohio. A contributor to publications such as Playboy, Harper's and Vanity Fair, he currently writes for Rolling Stone. He is the author of numerous books, including Republican Party Reptile, Eat the Rich and The CEO of the Sofa.

Customer Reviews

Hilarious and heartbreaking
This is a brilliant collection of articles written about some of the world's worst trouble spots, and few spots that are awful without being troubled. Nobody else writes like O'Rourke, only he can vividy convey the awfulness of a place and still be funny as well. The tone of the articles ranges from the harrowing 'Christmas in El Salvador' to the purely comic 'Weekend Getaway; Heritage USA' which describes a visit to a Biblical theme park. His girlfriend attempts to go shopping int he park and returns with "a dazed, perplexed expression, like a starved Ethiopian given a piece of wax fruit" I know the feeling, Disneyland Paris had exactly the same effect on me. 'In Whitest Africa' written a few years before the end of apartheid, is absolutely fascinating, and 'The Holy Land, God's Monkey House' is almost unbearably sad, but still with touches of humour among the horror. 'Among the Euro-Weenies' is painful to read if you are one, but funny all the same. 'The Piece of Ireland that Passeth all Understanding' is perhaps the most brilliant article in the book, though it would be tough to choose, but it's so much better than the banal, ignorant piece by Michael Moore in his last book. Will troulbe ever end? Probably not, as O'Rourke writes in his introcution to this book "It will always be more fun to carry a gun around in the hills and sleep with ideology-addled college girls than to spend life behind a water buffalo or rotting in a slum". Absolutely brilliant. Take advantage of Amazon's special offer and buy this one with 'Give War a Chance' that's wonderful too.

Good writing- very subjective opinions!
There is no doubt that HIH is easy enough to read, funny, frightening and savvy. This all makes it enjoyable enough a past time. What put me off this book was O'Rouke's patent and patronising American-ness. In all the war torn countries he visits he slathers a condescending "these poor people in the third world- aren't we (he presumes all his readership are) American"- which gets quite nauseating. His essays on the Gorbechov and Bush (or is it Reagan) meetings are tediously dull. What really stuck in my mind through is his treatment of Europe (including Britain) which was arrogant and self obsessed with the extreme. Of course living in Europe I'm bound to think that but when he complains about the coffee in this part of the world (obviously having no appreciation of real Italian expresso over Starbucks muck coloured mass produced vomit) and generally creates a huge egotistical tantrum after people are nice to him you womder how important his writings are.
Basically most of the book is good- shame the man shows himself up so badly!

Simply his best
I learned to stop worrying and love PJ through this book. Sure he's a crotchety old rightwinger, but he is still a whole lot more funny and cutting than Michael Moore whose politics I agree with more. Why can't the left have a man as funny? Not really a travel book, but somehow is too. Riots, religion and fornication. What more can you ask for?