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P. J. O'Rourke
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All the Trouble in the World: The Lighter Side of Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred, Plague, and Poverty Hardcover – January 1, 1994

by P. J. O'Rourke (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 173 ratings
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In ALL THE TROUBLE IN THE WORLD, best-selling humorist P. J. O'Rourke tackles the "fashionable worries"--the enormous global problems that are endlessly in the news and constantly on our minds but about which we mostly don't have a clue.

O'Rourke crisscrosses the globe asking not just "What's the answer?" but "What the hell's the question?" In his chapter on overpopulation (titled "Just Enough of Me, Way Too Much of You") he visits first Bangladesh, then Fremont, California. The two places have the same number of people per square mile. Is the problem really that Bangladesh is too crowded? If so, how come George Harrison never held a concert to benefit suburban Californians?

For his chapter on famine ("All Guns, No Butter") O'Rourke goes to Somalia and discovers that there's plenty of food, you just have to be armed to get it. He dismisses the self-righteous "anti-hunger" types back home, saying that they "cannot resist a dig at us gluttonous bourgeoisie who've climbed way up on the food chain where we don't belong. I guess they believe that if I don't eat this steak, the cow will come back to life, vomit its corn and silage, and these can be fed to people in Chad."

The author travels to the Earth Summit in Rio and lets the hot air out of global warming theorists. He tours the old Communist bloc to ponder why, if government regulation is the answer to pollution, the most government-regulated countries were the most polluted. And while hiking in the Amazon, inspecting our deteriorating environment, he discovers that rain forests are such horrible places that all we have to do to preserve them is give everyone who lives there a chance to drive a New York City cab.

O'Rourke examines the faddish issue of multiculturalism by returning to his old college campus, where the air is full of such ideas, and then by going to Bosnia, where minority empowerment has reached its logical conclusion and the air is full of something else entirely.
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  1. Print length
    341 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The Atlantic Monthly Press
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1994
  5. ISBN-10
    0871135809
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0871135803
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003DEHXC8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Atlantic Monthly Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1994
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 341 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0871135809
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0871135803
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 173 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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4.4 out of 5 stars
173 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book humorous, with one noting its serious philosophy underlying the humor. Moreover, the information quality receives positive feedback, with one customer highlighting its impressive research. Additionally, the writing style is praised for being great.

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HumorInformation qualityWriting style
7 customers mention "Humor"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, describing it as one of the funniest books they've read, with many chuckles throughout. One customer notes that the humor is underpinned by serious philosophy, while another appreciates its daring irreverence.

"...in writing this book - he did serious work and has a serious philosophy underlying his humor...." Read more

"...Great writing style, daring irreverance, healthy self-deprecation...." Read more

"Extremely entertaining as well as very informative. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time...." Read more

"One of the funniest books I have ever read in all the world! Super impressive research to cover the varied topics i.e. all the troubles of the world...." Read more

6 customers mention "Information quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, with one customer highlighting its impressive research and another appreciating its glass-half-full perspective.

"Enjoyed the glass half full analysis of the arc of human progress. Great writing style, daring irreverance, healthy self-deprecation...." Read more

"Extremely entertaining as well as very informative. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time...." Read more

"One of the funniest books I have ever read in all the world! Super impressive research to cover the varied topics i.e. all the troubles of the world...." Read more

"O'Rourke's collection of articles is full of hilarious lines and acerbic analyses of various scenes of human misery in the world...." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, with one noting that it reads lightly.

"...The book reads lightly, but O'Rourke traveled to Somalia, Haiti, the Amazon, Vietnam and other hot spots in writing this book - he did serious work..." Read more

"...Great writing style, daring irreverance, healthy self-deprecation...." Read more

"Brilliantly written..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • M. Strong
    5.0 out of 5 stars Humor and logic... two great tastes that taste great together.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2005
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Even those who disagree with P.J. O'Rourke's conclusions will usually tell you that his manner of expressing those conclusions is highly entertaining. O'Rourke's dry wit and bizarely appropriate analogies are absolutely hysterical. I listened to this book at the gym and had several of those "weird guy laughing at nothing" moments that can make you an outcast in a hurry.

    But besides being funny, O'Rourke applies sound fundamentals of economics and history to a very logical dissection of the world around us. Being written in 1993, some of this book's examples are dated, but the logic used to analyze them is just as instructive today as it was then, and most of today's issues possess close parrallels in O'Rourke's 90s examples.

    The book reads lightly, but O'Rourke traveled to Somalia, Haiti, the Amazon, Vietnam and other hot spots in writing this book - he did serious work and has a serious philosophy underlying his humor.

    Give this one a read and see the world the way the politicians would rather we didn't.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Matzbravo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but serious points may get lost in the frivolity.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Enjoyed the glass half full analysis of the arc of human progress. Great writing style, daring irreverance, healthy self-deprecation.

    The book is also a generous contribution of insightful experiences in places I am unlikely to visit.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Allen
    5.0 out of 5 stars I've bought 4 copies now.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    If you judge yourself a good person just because you give the beggar on street corner a dollar and that the UN can do no evil then you will hate this book.

    This book was published in 1995 and not a single one of the issues discussed has been made better despite billions of dollars spent.

    Makes it easier to understand why people like Bill gates pulled out of so many 'charities' and created his own systems of giving in order to achieve real results.

    Friends I've loaned the book to have reloaded it to their friends, looks like I may need to find a way to get a bulk discount on a case of these.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Andrew in Brisbane
    5.0 out of 5 stars fun-suckers and narrow-mouthed nosybodies beware
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    PJ is up to his usual very high (and humorous) standard.

    But, people who hand knit their own yoghurt, who believe that all meat comes on styrofoam plastic wrapped trays from the meat shelves at the supermarket, or anybody who was ever offended by the concept that a citizen has the right to have an opinion, and to be responsible for the consequences of that opinion, will NOT like this book.

    but then, they probably did not like any of his other fifteen books either.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    My daughter needed this book for her AP class. Did it's job!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Andrew C Harrington
    5.0 out of 5 stars I recommend this book to friends and family on any side ...
    Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2016
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I recommend this book to friends and family on any side of the political spectrum. If you're a libertarian/Republican, you probably already agree with many of the points and will enjoy the humor. If you're a Democrat, as I am, you'll enjoy the humor and probably reflect upon some core beliefs about the economy, the environment, and what part government plays in both. It ultimately didn't change my opinions, but it made me appreciate another perspective.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • J. Jaeger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly written
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Extremely entertaining as well as very informative. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.
    If you're successful and have common sense, this is the book for you. If on the other hand you're ignorant, hateful, or worship Barack Obama, do not buy this book. Instead, go to the nearest protest station and badmouth America, with other socialists who need a bath.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • James Hatch
    4.0 out of 5 stars O'Rourke's Travels
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A cynic's view of troubled countries twenty years ago but no less relevant today. Plenty of excellent quotes to quote
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • bbrio
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on September 24, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Hilarious and at the same time illuminating
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  • Lithoman
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good writing style
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Related a lot of life experience with humourous and considered opinion. Enjoyable and sadly now out of print. Pick it up, read a bit, put it down, magic.
    Report
  • Hedgehog
    3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 13, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This would have been a great read at the turn of the century but things have changed so much, it's no longer fun to read! First page referred to the fact that the nuclear threat was now gone. Well, last news I heard Putin might be using atomic weapons again if the war in Ukraine doesn't go his way! That's when I stopped reading. Not the author's fault, I should have read the preview!
    Report