Rating:  -
P. J. O'Rourke's writing style, when applied to a serious topic like politics and the economy (see On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)), actually works better than it does here when applied in mostly and decidedly non-serious style, to cars. The shock of O'Rourke's ribald and manic humor actually enlivens that potentially dead subject, while here reads too much like a fawning student of the Hunter S. Thompson school of writing.
Not that "Driving Like Crazy" is bad, just that much of it seems too much a product of its time and place--the70s and early 80s when O' Rourke made much of his living writing features for car magazines like Car and Driver. His accounts of running the Baja 1000 in a customized truck with Mike Nesmith (parents: yes, the Monkee's Mike Nesmith. Kids: ask your parents) then later with a couple of company-provided Jeep vehicles take up a big chunk of the book, and serve as a fascinating word-picture of a wrecked (literally) landscape (no actual pictures provided, more's the pity). The tour across India in a pair of Land Rovers is also fun reading, and I wish we had politicians with the moxie and political (and tax) capital to take seriously O'Rourke's call for a drivers' national park: "a road, or network of roads, where we can drive the way we'll be allowed to drive in heaven after we succumb to apoplexy caused by being stuck for six hours on I-95 when a Prius full of vegans swerves in front of a livestock truck and an oil tanker, causing America's least wanted barbecue to be hosted at the off-ramp to the Washington beltway." (p. 229)
But the writing style can be tedious, and the glorification of drugs and drunken driving, even when tongue-in-cheek, just isn't funny any more. Sorry, O'Rourke, I guess I've become one of "them."
Rating:  -
I purchased this book because I saw Mr. O'Rourke on 'Real Time with Bill Maher'. I enjoyed his sense of humor, and, for a Republican, he was well-spoken.
So I ordered his book. The book turns out to be about mostly land vehicles that in some fashion get you from point A to point B. I have never been one to be particularly interested in such vehicles, so the book had little interest for me. I would, however, say it is well-written and holds the reader's attention.
I ended up giving it to my neighbor who is very much into traveling by some sort of motor-driven contraption. He says the book is great. Parenthetically, my neighbor is also a Republican. So I am certain that if he wrote this review, he would give the book 5 stars. Since, however, I am the one doing the writing, the very best I can manage is 2 stars, and I have to stretch to give it that much.
It's not all bad. Mr. O'Rourke managed to appear on TV, advertise his book, and sell a disinterested person such as myself a copy. I think he came out ahead on the transaction.
Rating:  -
Car adventures and humor blend well in DRIVING LIKE CRAZY, a memoir of thirty years of cars celebrating a family history of car enthusiasm. From car haters and America's history of automobile enjoyment to bad and amazing roads and car tours, this is a fun read for any auto buff and any library seeking a general-interest combination of history, travelogue and personal auto enthusiast's memoir.
Rating: -
PJ's a clever writer once you can get past his tirade against Democrats, those who seek to strip him of his fun, New Yorkers, and L.A. movie execs. I became tired of his whining early into the book. I became tired of lame "Fat Clinton" or "Slutty Monica" references. I became tired of his whining about seat belts, head restraints, and Volvos. I notice when it came to HIS kids no concern or expense was spared on safety.
He's also a snob. He can tool around in a Porsche or other hot car, but if a Hollywood movie exec wants one to meet a starlet, he's not living up to the car guy's creed. Note: he was in Hollywood to kiss the [...] of one of those Hollywood movie execs.
Driving drunk? It's cool by PJ. Does he still do it now that he has three kids? I'm guessing not.
If I hadn't taken the book out of the library, I would have asked for a refund, that's how ticked off I was.
Rating: -
"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child;
when I became a man, I did away with childish things." -- 1 Corinthians 13:11 (NAS)
Beware of this book if you don't realize that there's a very large tongue in P.J. O'Rourke's cheek as he recounts these tales of wild youth, middle-aged fantasies, and crazy trips. You'll think that this book is all about encouraging irresponsible behavior. Actually, the book is about the nutty schemes that cars and motorcycles inspire in us, but rarely, if ever, do. Just in case you miss that point, he writes a new essay "How to Drive Fast When the Drugs Are Mostly Lipitor, the Wing-Wang Needs More Squeezing Than It Used to Before It Gets the Idea, and Spilling Your Drink Is No Problem If You Keep the Sippy Cups from When Your Kids Were Toddlers and Leave the Baby Seat in the Back Seat so that When You Get Pulled Over You Look Like a Perfectly Innocent Grandparent" that comments on his semi-famous comic paean to irresponsibility "How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed and Not Spill Your Drink."
But if you are still in touch with the inner fantasies you once had involving tires, gear boxes, big engines, and throbbing exhausts, you'll alternate between feeling excited and laughing out loud. As a reporter, Mr. O'Rourke had a big advantage over the rest of the dreamers: He could occasionally talk someone else into giving him a free pass into car and motorcycle fantasy lands, trips, races, and experiences.
A lot of people will focus on the first two essays. I found them of interest mostly to explain the anthology's purpose, which is to have some fun with car fantasies. Where the rubber began to meet the road (metaphorically) for me was in the descriptions of the three Baja California trips he took. Those were worth the price of admission and then some. I also enjoyed the trip across India very much.
If you don't know old cars, some of the automotive references will be baffling. Don't let that bother you. It's not important. If you do know old cars, those details will bring back many memories of mysterious non-starting cars and weird situations (I still remember having a car that wouldn't go into reverse and having to call for help from the house of a man in whose front yard the car rested).
If you are a Kerouac fan, the obvious plays on that wonderful book will give you a literary perspective on these articles that will keep you thinking for days.
If you don't like broad humor aimed at those who are concerned about the environment, you might not enjoy this book.
Nice wheels, P.J.!
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