P. J. O’Rourke says we’ve worked ourselves into a state of anger and perplexity, and it’s no surprise because perplexed and angry is what America has always been all about. This uproarious look at the current state of the United States includes essays like ‘The New Puritanism – and Welcome to It,’ about the upside of being ‘woke’ (and unable to get back to sleep); ‘Sympathy vs. Empathy,’ which considers whether it’s better to have an idea of how people feel or to bust their skulls to get inside their heads; ‘A Brief Digression on the Additional Hell of the Internet of Things’ because your juicer is sending fake news to your FitBit about what’s in your refrigerator; and many more. A couple of extra perks include a quiz to determine where you stand on the spectrum of ‘Coastals vs. Heartlanders’ and a ‘An Inauguration Speech I’d Like To Hear:’ ask not what your country can do for you. Ask me how I can get the hell out of here. Featuring extensive coverage from the 2020 campaign trail, this is P. J. at his acerbic best.
