Books › Parliament of whores
Parliament of whores
First published 1991 · 240 pages
A biting, satirical crash course in the absurdities and expenses of the American political machine.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in the back row of a high school civics class with the sharpest, most cynical student in the room. The pace is brisk and punchy, driven by an exasperated curiosity about where taxpayer money goes and what politicians actually do all day. The mood is steeped in absurdist humor and deep civic disillusionment, framing the American government as a dictatorship of boredom. The prose is sharp and irreverent, adopting the dry structure of an educational textbook only to subvert it with biting commentary on money and television. It will delight readers who appreciate wry, unapologetic political satire and want to laugh at the bureaucratic inefficiencies of the United States government.
- Mood
- exasperated
- absurdist
- cynical
- Tone
- cynical
- satirical
- irreverent
- wry
- humorous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- political absurdity · bureaucratic inefficiency · the cost of government · civic disillusionment
- The writing
- Sharp, satirical, and irreverent, mimicking a civics textbook while delivering punchy, cynical observations.
- The arc
- Moves from a state of exasperated curiosity to a humorous, cynical resignation regarding the absurdities of the American political machine.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy biting political satire and want a humorous, cynical breakdown of how the American government operates.
Content notes
- political cynicism
- strong language
About the book
In 1988 the author moved to Washington to take a long look at our government and to find an answer to the question every American asks: What the hell do these guys do all day, and why does it cost so much money? In his Introduction, he proffers the theory that we are suffering under a dictatorship of boredom. Adopting the manner of a high school civics textbook, he covers the three branches of government -- legislative, executive, judicial -- in a section entitled "Money, Television and Bullshit."
Description from Open Library.
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