Codrescu is a Jewish intellectual -- an expatriate from communist Romania now a naturalized U.S. citizen. Came to America as a young man in the Sixties, grew his hair, smoked a lot of pot while doing the road-trip gig. Now he teaches Lit at LSU and writes a lot of extraordinarily trenchant essays that flash a stellar wit and a keen eye.

Codrescu is an unabashed liberal, which will turn some people off immediately. Not everybody can see past their prejudices, after all. If you're one of those who can, or if you're a liberal like Codrescu, you will enjoy this book. If, on the other hand, you're one of those conservative ideologues (You don't know who you are) who is unashamed to show contempt prior to investigation, you should avoid Codrescu's little book because you won't have any fun with it. ( )