First published 2008
Michael Kinsley takes apart the political circus that defined America from 1995 through the Bush years. His editorial writing from Slate and other publications cuts through the noise of Monica Lewinsky, presidential impeachment, September 11th, the War on Terror, and the Iraq invasion. Kinsley writes from personal experience as he moved from Washington to Seattle, launched Slate magazine, served as opinion editor at the Los Angeles Times, and underwent brain surgery for Parkinson's disease. Beyond politics, he tackles the newspaper industry's future, questions about God's existence, and explains why powerful women watch Law and Order. Kinsley wields humor as his primary tool, turning even grim topics into sharp commentary that exposes the absurdities of public figures and political theater.
Genres: essays, american-fiction, humor, biography-memoir, 21st-century, journalism
Vibes: intimate, sharp-commentary, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-experience, social-commentary
Setting: Washington, Seattle, Los Angeles
Period: 1995, Bush Years
368 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company