A collection of essays and other little bits by the scion of William F. Buckley. You know, Christopher Buckley probably hates the fact that his family connection is constantly brought up in reviews, and I would be a touch more sensitive to his feelings, but, frankly, I think he’s profited from it and why not give credit where it is due? I’ll admit it–I’m envious. Here was a boy born with a golden dictionary in his hand and money to boot. And then he gets to go to Harvard, work on the Harvard Lampoon, be an editor at Forbes (and do a little junket travel as detailed in one of the more nauseatingly sycophantic articles here), write speeches for the Vice-President, and then he becomes a best-selling humorist. I’m so green with envy I’m sitting here looking a bit like the Incredible Hulk.

It wouldn’t be quite so bad except that he even sounds like a nice guy, someone that I could be friends with (if I was wealthy or a politician or a fashion designer or the owner of my own company or you get the picture). Even his politics don’t rub me quite the wrong way as his fellow conservative humorist, P.J. O’Rourke. I liked these little essays so much that I probably won’t be able to resist something else by Buckley, most likely his satire on the tobacco lobby, Thanks for Smoking. Damn–I wish I had written that.

[Finished June 1999]