P.J. O'Rouke

All the Trouble in the World

By P.J. O’Rourke

Book Review


By Richard E. Noble



I am very surprised that there are not more reviews panning this book. Since no one thus far has put a review in the single star category, I will take pleasure in being the first.

“Oh how do I dislike thee, let me count the ways.”

This is not a funny book. This is a vicious hard hitting rightwing diatribe – couched in sarcasm disguised as humor. Most of what the author disparages as ridiculous has already come about since the publication of this book of dystopian, mental lethargy.

Unless you are of the opinion that all is right with the world and nothing can change it; that poverty is Devine Wisdom with regards punishing the lazy; that wealth to any degree is God’s way of rewarding his “chosen people”; that sickness is the problem of the diseased and under the purview of Providence and not man; that education is meant for those who can afford it; that protecting the wealth and property of the rich and famous is the sole purpose of government and so forth and so on, you will find nothing endearing in this book – and nothing new. It is the same old same old, page after page after page.

The author is most definitely making the attempt to appear obnoxious. The picture on the cover should be enough to substantiate that claim. Being obnoxious clearly wins applause by other folks who also are of the opinion that this is the best of all possible worlds and any attempt to make it better is pure folly.

I had intended to close this review by making the disparaging remark that P.J. O’Rourke was nothing more than a sophisticated Rush Limbaugh. But I have decided against that. This book is really not that sophisticated either.

I picked up this book exiting a goodwill store. It was in a basket marked “free.” I often return books to the goodwill when I’ve finished with them but not this one. This one is going directly into my trash can. Unfortunately, this has not been a case of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure. This is more like: one man’s trash being another man’s trash.