Dry wit, puns and hyperbole are a lot like salt and hot sauce - great when used in moderation, but when you dump the entire bottle out and cover the dish in them, it tends to detract from the meal being served. That pretty much sums up how I feel about After America. I don't disagree with the author's analysis of the dire economic situation that the United States has put itself into, but this book reads like a 300 page rant. I love Mark Steyn's work - just not this particular one. I tried reading it, and then I even tried listening to the audiobook, and a third of the way in I just can't take it any longer. I really enjoyed Steyn's previous book [b:America Alone|30112|America Alone The End of the World As We Know It|Mark Steyn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316281197s/30112.jpg|30511], but the difference between it and After America is that in America Alone I was learning about a subject I had little knowledge of, whereas I don't need to read a book such as this to be convinced that America has a spending problem that is likely cripple if not completely ruin the nation one day. ( )

Get ready for Armegeddon

The main point I came to recognize from this book is that America is now just like Western Europe. We have huge unsustainable entitlements and a government that is unwilling to cut benefits. We also have a huge military budget on top. Military spending will decrease while entitlement spending will increase. We will not be able to spend money on anything we choose because it has already been promised to entitlements. America is not what it used to be. ( )

I love Mark Steyn, but the reason this book only got 4 stars from me is that it is so depressing. And sadly, that isn't Steyn's fault. ( )

Somehow Mr. Steyn makes serious politics and dire detailed statistics, dare I say it, FUNNY. The startling information is enough to make any liberty- and debt-conscious American/Western European cry in their oatmeal if they could only stop laughing long enough at the take-no-prisoners oneliners. Hated that the information is true and terrifying, loved that he had the heart to tell it to us without a lot of PC doubletalk and jumbled up economics-ese. Although I know many condemn it as such, I hesitate to classify this as a "political" book because it really isn't--he torpedoes people on both sides of the blue/red fence and a bunch of others who fall somewhere between or well outside of it. It's just a wake-up call to the evils of an over-sized government we and our allies can't afford. Frankly, I would have considered giving this book a rare "5" if it hadn't been for the title. C'mon Mr. Steyn--the pic, spot-on analysis, and information were enough. Why did you have to stoop to tacky sensationalism by adding the sub-title? I highly recommend this book. I almost wish it was required reading for registered voters, but that would just add another level of bureaucracy. ( )