Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays

A stroll down memory lane of the last administration- as I’m reading I’m thinking, “Wait - isn’t it too soon to be doing this?” In between bursts of snort-laughter I am feeling unsettling things I thought I was done feeling only apparently I’m not. Good read.!

These satirical columns, originally from the Washington Post, are products of their specific time, but honestly, nothing has changed much. In 2022 we're still talking about Trump, women's bodily autonomy, sexism, racism, our relationship toward truth, and all the other ground Petri covers in her savage, ironic style.My favorite pieces continue to be where Petri becomes a horror writer, like in the Midwestern Truck Stop piece and the one where Ivanka Trump becomes the Obamas' neighbor. I study those pieces as worthy targets of emulation.Some of the pieces go a little overlong after the humor of the concept is used up, but for the most part, Petri is sharp, funny, and savagely delightful.

Ms Petri is both funny and profound. I am currently in withdrawal since she is on maternity leave from her column in the Washington Post, but this book provided a wonderful fix to tide me over. And some of the pieces revealed a more poignant, angry voice that deepened my appreciation of her.

Mark my words, someday, if there is justice in the publishing awards world, Alexandra Petri will be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Political Humor (or whatever category is appropriate). Her opinion essays for the Washington Post are heirs to Jonathan Swift's satire, sometimes going so far over a few readers heads that they think she is serious. No, just incredibly witty and deft at holding a Fun House mirror up to the absurdities of Washington. Word play is prominent, as are the occasional (and on point) allusions to Greek and Roman classics, as well as Harry Potter. To my mind, the funniest two words in the entire book are simply "See Kyle." (p. 112). As was said about another satire, "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss a few bucks good-bye." Do it. You'll be glad you did. Unless, of course, you think MAGA is the way to go.

Ms. Petri is like Art Buchwald, Gail Collins, Tom Tomorrow and Dave Barry, all rolled into one incredibly intelligent, sharp-witted melange of astute hilarity. A pumpkin spice-flavored melange, of course.This book has a wide variety of Petri's essays. I guess most of them originated in her Washington Post column. I'm not sure, because I only discovered her work when I subscribed to WaPo this Spring. Reading her columns has been the highlight of 2020 for me. I realize that the bar for 2020 highlights has been low, and the year is not yet over. But still. This book is a treat.

I have long enjoyed Ms. Petri's columns in the Washington Post and this collection is a wonderful reminder of her peerless mastery of irony, understatement and sardonic (but not sour) wit. It will make you angry at things you ought to be angry about. It will make your anger feel seen, and remind you that getting angry with the way things are is the necessary first step to making things be some other, better way. It is not afraid to treat the absurd things people do with the utter lack of deference they deserve. What more can one ask for in times like these?

Alexandra Petri looks at the goings on in government and society with a gimlet eye. Her precise observations and language cuts through the mush of political speak and skewers the pompous. Whatever would we do without our humorists to help us make sense of this confusing and contradictory world. Her descriptions of Washington DC are particularly apt. I spend a lot of time giggling and frequently slap my thigh laughing when I read her stuff. She is Punch and The Onion and Spy all wrapped up, our antidote for the stupidity that surrounds us. Buy this book and you'll see. Even better, also read her in the Washington Post and follow her.

There are some really fun, tongue -in -cheek essays in this book. Some make you laugh, many make you cringe. But they do point out the absurdity with which we live daily. I read this is a fairly short time period and think I might have enjoyed it more if I had read one or two at a time.