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All the Trouble in the World: The Lighter Side of Overpopulation, Famine, Ecological Disaster, Ethnic Hatred, Plague, and Poverty (O'Rourke, P. J.) Paperback – August 12, 1995
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length340 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherAtlantic Monthly Press
- Publication dateAugust 12, 1995
- Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100871136112
- ISBN-13978-0871136114
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Customer Reviews |
4.3 out of 5 stars 678
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4.4 out of 5 stars 341
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4.3 out of 5 stars 298
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4.3 out of 5 stars 298
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4.3 out of 5 stars 444
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Price | $10.45$10.45 | $10.62$10.62 | $21.09$21.09 | $21.09$21.09 | $11.27$11.27 |
Product details
- Publisher : Atlantic Monthly Press
- Publication date : August 12, 1995
- Edition : Reprint
- Language : English
- Print length : 340 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0871136112
- ISBN-13 : 978-0871136114
- Item Weight : 1.1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #482,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #250 in Political Humor (Books)
- #491 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #2,491 in Fiction Satire
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers 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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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
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
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
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2005Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseEven 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019Format: KindleVerified PurchaseEnjoyed 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2014Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseIf 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2011PJ 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseMy daughter needed this book for her AP class. Did it's job!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2016Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseI 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2011Extremely 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.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013A cynic's view of troubled countries twenty years ago but no less relevant today. Plenty of excellent quotes to quote
Top reviews from other countries
- bbrioReviewed in Canada on September 24, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseHilarious and at the same time illuminating
- LithomanReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2013
4.0 out of 5 stars Good writing style
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseRelated 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.
- HedgehogReviewed in Canada on July 13, 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Outdated!
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis 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!