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Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen
Paradise Screwed Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen
Author: Carl Hiaasen
"Reminiscent of the snarky, opinionated newspaper articles of the great Mark Twain, Hiaasen's columns are finely crafted little gems." (Booklist) — Carl Hiaasen takes you on a wide-ranging safari, observing south Florida's wildlife in its natural habitat-from fat-cat politicians to migrating mobsters, drowning dolphins to stray chads. Thi...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780813034287
ISBN-10: 0813034280
Publication Date: 9/13/2009
Pages: 424
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1

4 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

majharry avatar reviewed Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Very disappointed. rather than a tightly written story as expected, the book is a series of newspaper columns, whining about south Florida politics.
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kuligowskiandrewt avatar reviewed Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen on + 569 more book reviews
Fans of Carl Hiaasen's novels, which humorously point out some of the foibles of living in southeast Florida, may not realize that the author sharpened his wit (and various spears) by writing about the real-life escapades of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties (with occasional forays into Palm Beach county, Tallahassee and even Washington D.C.).

Paradise Screwed collects some of Hiaasen's columns from the Miami Herald during the late 1980s, the 1990s, and early 2000. Most Americans will not have heard of the politicians, public officials, developers, and other assorted, uh, let's politely say civic leaders rather than the goobers that the author would probably prefer. However, the fact is that everyone can picture a greedy developer who cares more for his bottom line than for the environment or for the laws designed to protect the latter. Everyone has an image of a low-paid politician who has managed to stretch his income to allow for custom-made suits, luxury automobiles, and exclusive housing. And everyone in the country of a certain age remembers the fiascos of not being able to determine who won the 2000 Presidential election due to a confusing ballot think hanging chads - in Palm Beach county.

Fans of Hiaasen's fiction will likely enjoy his take on the events of the day even if the day occurred 20 years ago. However, I found that I needed to read this book in short doses there's only so many short stories about corrupt politicians I could absorb without diverting my attention in another direction. At 418 pages, and columns taking about 1 1/2 pages each, it did take me quite awhile in real-time to reach the final column in the book.

RATING: 4 1/2 stars, rounded up to 5 stars (which is rare for me to give to a collection of reprinted materials).