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A “hair-raisingly hilarious” journey through danger zones from Belfast to Gaza, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author (Vanity Fair).
 
“Tired of making bad jokes” and believing that “the world outside seemed a much worse joke than anything I could conjure,” journalist and political satirist P. J. O’Rourke decided to traverse the globe on a fun-finding mission, investigating the way of life in the most desperate places on the planet, including Warsaw, Managua, and Belfast.
 
The result is Holidays in Hell—a full-tilt, no-holds-barred romp through politics, culture, and ideology. The author’s adventures include storming student protesters’ barricades with riot police in South Korea, interviewing communist insurrectionists in the Philippines, and going undercover dressed in Arab garb in the Gaza Strip. He also takes a look at America’s homegrown horrors as he braves the media frenzy surrounding the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Washington DC, uncovers the mortifying banality behind the white-bread kitsch of Jerry Falwell’s Heritage USA, and survives the stultifying boredom of Harvard’s 350th anniversary celebration.
 
Packed with classic riffs on everything from Polish nightlife under communism to Third World driving tips, Holidays in Hell is one of the best-loved books by “one of America’s most hilarious writers” (Time).
 
“Wickedly amusing.” —The Baltimore Sun
 
“Funny, outrageous, perceptive.” —The Washington Post Book World

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Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars

672

4.4 out of 5 stars

336

4.3 out of 5 stars

282

4.3 out of 5 stars

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4.4 out of 5 stars

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ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008X5Y87A
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press (December 1, 2007)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2007
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 10132 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
Reviewer: Canman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A PJ O'Rourke Classic
Review: I've been a big fan of PJ O'Rourke since I first found his work in Car and Driver magazine. I found that he'd been an editor at National Lampoon and also contributed to an obscure (at the time) opinion magazine called the American Spectator. I was thrilled when I started seeing him write books. While this was not his first book, it was the first one where I saw him doing interviews with major media figures like Larry King. It's one of his best books and it's great to see it at a discount price (currently $2.99). I hope they will do the same with his other great classic, Parliament of Whores.This book has special significance to me because he visited Disney's EPCOT Center the same year I did. I was chagrined to find him pan the EXXON ride and praise the China pavilion. I was impressed with the moving theater sections and animatronic dinosaurs at the EXXON exhibit and put off by the slick China propaganda movie.

Reviewer: Yelena P. Francis
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful bitter truth
Review: This book is a very healthy product of a healthy type of thinking. It is a good sign that this country is "in good shape" as long as it can produce intelligent opposition to some weird or unhealthy world and domestic events (for example, "The Simpsons" and "South Park" as well as "Politically Incorrect Guide to..." book series). It is a good sigh of the "society health" when there are native writers like O'Rourke, who can give an objective view (presented wittily and with humor slightly ironical and often with subtle sarcasm) on some present or recently powerful political movements, events and tendencies. I myself from the former Soviet Union, and the article about socialist Poland was probably the most interesting from the point of view that it was almost the same what I saw in Russia. It is not so important how pathetic the picture of everyday life was seen by the American , but the final conclusion a reader should come to (and O'Rourke makes it obvious) - how sick the idea of an artificial social structure based on an approach is, "to take everything away form the haves and then share with everybody" (it is what Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov's character Sharikov said in his "Heart of a Dog").Almost without exceptions the stories in the book cut trough propaganda and bare the truth behind the facades. The "Among the Euro-Weenies", although written some time ago is more and more relevant today.Moreover, O'Rourke dialogues are short, immensely interesting and compressed, giving points difficult not to accept.

Reviewer: Virginia V. Simpson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Nice read in the safety of your own home.
Review: Whee! If I were inclined to travel to any of the places the author has gone to; I hope I would have his matchless sense of humor. Humor is the only thing that would get me to venture into Libya, Mali or any other turbulent country. Common sense keeps me home with this very funny and friendly book.

Reviewer: Keith D. Kall
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Ok
Review: It's dated and an ok read... but quite honestly, a bit boring, which is surprising because I like a lot of PJ O'Rouke's writings. Maybe, it was just my mood, but I tried hard but could not get into it. Given the exotic locations, I was expecting better story telling.

Reviewer: S. A. Spencer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Funny!
Review: I lent my copy of this book to a friend a couple of decades ago and haven't seen it since. When I heard about the author's untimely death I felt the urge to reread it, so I ordered a new one. Just as good as I remembered. I won't be lending this one out.

Reviewer: Secret Agent
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A History Lesson From Before We Were So Partisan!
Review: I enjoyed this look back in time to what was mainly (but not entirely) about conflict regions around the world. A bit reminiscent of Fear and Loathing . . .. Back when these articles were written we just believed all politicians were evil and incompetent, rather than thinking that about only half of them and worshiping the other half. A good read from different times.

Reviewer: Book Hoarder
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Book review
Review: It was a beautiful read

Reviewer: Rizuj
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hilarious
Review: Written in the 80's, it's really interesting to read now in light of what has happened in these countries since. Always hilarious, always insightful.

Reviewer: AK
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: P.J. O'Rourke, is in my opinion one of those authors, who deserve a disclaimer. If you take things literally, he is likely to offend and mincing words or trying to appear a happy go lucky 'we are all special in our own ways' is clearly not his forte. Most of the time he is over the top, and not just slightly so.At the same time, I found this book very well observed and in many ways not as extreme as some of his other writing (the opening story in the car focused Driving Like Crazy: Thirty Years of Vehicular Hell-bending, Celebrating America the Way It's Supposed To Be -- With an Oil Well in Every Backyard, a Cadillac ... of the Federal Reserve Mowing Our Lawn comes to mind).Sure, if destinations chosen include Lebanon in 1984, El Salvador and Cold War Poland, there is unpleasantness to be expected and his take on things may very well be way beyond the politically correct. The fact that the stories are all from the 1980s will also make this only remotely useful as a tourist guide (even if in some cases the detail and helpfulness of advice would shame a modern day Lonely Planet guide).If, on the other hand, you are looking for a very alternative take on places and events, which would never make it into conventional travel writing, can laugh at things, which are extremely non-PC and find hyperbole appealing, the book is an excellent, funny and insightful way to spend time. Also, if you like Alan Coren (for instance 69 for 1) but always wondered what a Frankie Boyle cover version of him would look like, you will not go far wrong with P.J. O'Rourke.

Reviewer: Daniel Welsch
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This strange travel book takes O'Rourke to many of the hot spots of the 1980s, where he jokingly explains what the problem is and how things have gotten to that point. It's a lot of fun and the descriptions are brilliant.

Reviewer: Brendan Flynn
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: P J O'Rourke is not slow to put forward his views on the state of the world. It is refreshing to hear someone so Frank and clear and he is right most of the time. He brings to light many of the absurdities and injustices that are going on. Certainly an interesting read especially with the benefit of hindsight .

Reviewer: Bilko
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I was completely satisfied with the O'Rourke book mailed to me. It arrived in a timely fashion and, as a used paperback, was in the condition advertised.Quite happy with the whole process.Bill Casselman

Reviewer: Bob
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I'm a big fan of P.J. and this is one of his best books alongside Parliament of Whores and Eat The Rich.For sure a lot of the political situations are now out of date and a lot of water has since passed under the bridge; for sure P.J. proves he is not an omnipotent soothsayer - many of his predictions and opinions have proven to be woefully out of step. BUT - and it is a big but - his acerbic wit, his unapologetic republican standpoint and his desire to dig beneath the headlines shines through. Nobody can go on a rant quite like P.J. nor document the follies of man with such humour and style.A truly great satirist, he'll make you laugh, he'll make you cry, he'll make you think.