P.J. O’Rourke says we’ve worked ourselves into a state of anger and perplexity, and it’s no surprise because perplexed and angry is what Americans have been since the Roanoke Colony got lost. This astute and entertaining look at the current state of these United States includes essays on everything form our fraught history (“Oh Beautiful for… Pilgrim Feet?”) to the political effects of social media (“Whose Bright Idea Was It to Make Sure that Every Idiot in the World is in Touch with Every Other Idiot?”). A plan is advanced to reform federal poverty programs, “Just Give Them the Money.” And a rant is made against the “Internet of Things” because your juicer is sending fake news to your FitBit about what’s in your refrigerator.

Included is a quiz to determine whether you’re a “Coastal” or a “Heartlander” (you know organic, fair-traded, locavore, and gluten-free, but do you know hay from straw?), a plea to license politicians (we license beauticians!), and much more. This is P.J. at his finest.

Praise for P.J. O’Rourke:

“Whether you agree with him or not, P.J. writes a helluva piece.”—Richard Nixon

“P. J. O’Rourke is like S.J. Perelman on acid.”—Chris Buckley

“[P. J. O’Rourke] was able to yank conservatives out of the hands of the humorless and shrill, and make such writing accessible … He changed my life.”—Greg Gutfeld

“[P. J. O’Rourke] occupies a rare place among the laughing class: He has somehow avoided the orifice obsession that captivates many of its members; he identifies as Republican; and he is no mere thumb-sucker, having visited more than 40 countries to report on wars, regime changes, economic revolutions and the experience of drinking cocktails garnished with the poison sacs of cobras.”—Wall Street Journal

“Outspoken conservatives have long been a minority in comedy, particularly in the mainstream media, which provided an opportunity for P.J. O’Rourke, who for decades cornered the market for prominent right-wing humorists… If his wry essays have a mission statement… it’s this: Starchy Republicanism is really, really fun.”—New York Times Book Review