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Holidays in Hell Paperback – 1 December 2012

by P.J. O'Rourke (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 387 ratings
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A re-issue of the original classic in which P.J. O'Rourke takes on the role of tour guide with hilarious results.

P.J. O'Rourke travels to hellholes around the globe in Holidays in Hell, looking for trouble, the truth, and a good time. After casually sight-seeing in war-torn Lebanon and being pepper-gassed in Korea, P.J. checks out the night life in communist Poland and spends the Christmas holidays in El Salvador.

Taking a long look at Nicaragua, P.J. asks, Is Nicaragua a Bulgaria with marimba bands or just a misunderstood Massachusetts with Cuban military advisors?; has a close encounter with a Philippine army officer he describes as powerful-looking in a short, compressed way, like an attack hamster; and concludes, Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I'm worried about the difference between wrong and fun.
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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Atlantic PBS
  4. Publication date
    1 December 2012
  5. Dimensions
    13 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1611855799
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1611855791
  8. See all details
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Product description

About the Author

P.J. O'Rourke is the author of 13 books, including Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance, both of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. His most recent book is Holidays in Heck.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atlantic PBS; Main edition (1 December 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611855799
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611855791
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13 x 2 x 19.8 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 387 ratings

About the author

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P. J. O'Rourke

P. J. O'Rourke

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P. J. O’Rourke was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, and attended Miami University and Johns Hopkins. He began writing funny things in 1960s “underground” newspapers, became editor-in-chief of National Lampoon, then spent 20 years reporting for Rolling Stone and The Atlantic Monthly as the world’s only trouble-spot humorist, going to wars, riots, rebellions, and other “Holidays in Hell” in more than 40 countries. He’s written 16 books on subjects as diverse as politics and cars and etiquette and economics. His book about Washington, Parliament of Whores, and his book about international conflict and crisis, Give War a Chance, both reached #1 on the New York Times best-seller list. He is a contributing editor at The Weekly Standard, H. L. Mencken fellow at the Cato Institute, a member of the editorial board of World Affairs and a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait… Wait… Don’t Tell Me. He lives with his family in rural New England, as far away from the things he writes about as he can get.

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4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
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Top review from Australia

sally tarbox
4.0 out of 5 stars "A Trouble Tourist- going to see insurrections, stupidities, political crises, civil disturbances... because it's fun"
Reviewed in Australia on 4 May 2017
Laugh-out-loud adventures from the 1980s, as journalist PJ O'Rourke travels the globe. A Ramble through Lebanon ("in Lebanon you'd be crazy not to have a gun. Though, I assure you, all the crazy people have guns too."). A student protest in S Korea, patrolling the US / Mexico border for illegal immigrants, a satirical look at Panamanian, Salvadorian and Filipino government... Nearer to home, he visits Belfast during the troubles in The Piece of Ireland that Passeth all Understanding, investigates fun in Warsaw and is underwhelmed by Europe: "The French are a smallish monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better, on average, than the citizens of Baltimore". He explores Israel, South Africa -and Russia as it begins perestroika.
Some of the funniest episodes are in his native USA, visiting a born-again Christian resort ("Dorothy and I came to scoff - but went away converted. Unfortunately we were converted to Satanism."), the Epcot Centre and the Gorbachev/ Reagan meeting.
Some of the government stuff left a jumbled impression on me - the Central American countriesrun together in my mind. But certainly an entertaining, non-PC account.
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Top reviews from other countries

Canman
5.0 out of 5 stars A PJ O'Rourke Classic
Reviewed in the United States on 27 March 2024
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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.
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AK
5.0 out of 5 stars A clearly over the top but at the same time brilliantly observed series of essays on various holiday locations
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2013
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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.
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Daniel Welsch
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny!
Reviewed in Spain on 29 August 2013
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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.
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Brendan Flynn
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 April 2022
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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 .
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Bilko
4.0 out of 5 stars mailed paperback copyof O'Rourke book
Reviewed in Canada on 28 January 2012
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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
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