P.J. O'Rourke's books are not single, large works, per se, but are collections of his magazine pieces compiled and bound by mirthful publishers; sort of a Xeroxing For Dollars scheme. Anecdotal by nature, O'Rourke casts his sarcastic eye upon the middle east in this collection, traveling through Egypt, Iraq etc. Part historical drinkalogue, part chumming with the local populace fiesta, O'Rourke's observations make us smile, wince, sometimes guffaw (although not nearly as much in this collection in comparison to previous tales) and provide a man-on-the-street glimpse of daily life in regions normally presented only by a scandal-drooling press corps. ( )

I own, or have at least read, nearly every book PJ O'Rourke has published, up to and including the original American Spectator "Enemies List." So it was disappointing to read "The CEO of the Sofa," which I considered a failed, if admirable, experiment. "Peace Kills," however, is much closer to the classic PJ his fans know and love, and a worthy successor to "Holidays in Hell" and "All the Trouble in the World."

Over the years, PJ's writing has come to rely less on the wisecrack and one-liner, and more on shrewd observation and memorable reporting. His chapters here on Israel and Egypt, especially, are both entertaining and insightful. But I've always thought PJ's greatest strength was his ability to see through and deflate the hypocrisy and BS of the Left. His brief chapter "Nobel Pretensions" and his reporting on Leftist demonstrations in Washington, D.C., are fine examples of this. (I have to note, though, that reporting on Leftist demonstrations in D.C. seems to be a staple of PJ's repertoire, and so this article may bear some similarities to ones you've seen before. But then, that's true of Leftist demonstrations, too.)

But PJ has more than one club in his golf bag, as his recounting of a trip to Iwo Jima shows. He can be funny, but he can also be moving, and sometimes almost poetic. And nearly always, of course, memorable and worth re-reading. This may not be PJ's Best Book Ever, but it's still a fine addition to the shelf. Fans will enjoy it, and people interesting in well-written and original viewpoints on the world's trouble spots will find it worth picking up. ( )

Very funny and very insightful on Current Affairs. ( )

Larkin wrote a poem in 1969 "Next year we are to bring the soldiers home. For lack of money and it is all right. ...All we can hope to leave them now is money". This is especially meaningful right now during this presidental election which will in part be about bringing the soldiers home,

This is a collection of O'Rourke's writing published in various journals/magazines, but despite the timeframe (from Kosovo to Iraq) and different original publications, all of these pieces contain the same sarky wit and cunning insights that are O'Rourke's trademarks. The lens through which he sees the world is both warped by cynicism and acutely clear - he sees things as they really are, despite his bias (which he always wears clearly and proudly) against liberal ideas and bombast from any end of the political spectrum.

P J O'Rourke knows his own limitations and never takes himself too seriously, which means that the reader can take his insights more seriously than writing from self-important pompous pundits. A worthy addition to the civilian view of military and foreign policy escapades. ( )