"No one is as good as Wolfe on the contradictions between cushy class and angry consciousness . There essays . offer a lively picture of the surface of our society' one wishes life were this interesting." -- Jack Beatty, The Nation "This book serves as a reminder of how often Wolfe's refusal to be respectful toward any subject has produced both illumination and laughter." -- Time "Mr. Wolfe tackles all sorts of subjects ranging from life on an aircraft carrier (brilliantly described) to the goings-on at a convention of National Enquirer freelance writers . The master of trivia also offers an underlying theme in his essays and stories: the enormous gap (as he perceives it) between the intellectuals' negative view of America and the positive reality." -- Roger Ricklefs, The Wall Street Journal "It's all right here! Again! The wicked maestro has done it again!" -- Tom Nolan, The Los Angeles Times Book Review.