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Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire Paperback – October 10, 2007

by Matt Taibbi (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 227 ratings
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Smells Like Dead Elephants is a brilliant collection from Matt Taibbi, “a political reporter with the gonzo spirit that made Hunter S. Thompson and P. J. O’Rourke so much fun” (The Washington Post). Bringing together Taibbi’s most incisive and hilarious work from his “Road Work” column in Rolling Stone, Smells Like Dead Elephants shines an unflinching spotlight on the corruption, dishonesty, and sheer laziness of our leaders. Taibbi has plenty to say about George W. Bush, Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, and all the rest, but he doesn’t just hit inside the Beltway. He gets involved in the action, infiltrating Senator Conrad Burns’s birthday party under disguise as a lobbyist for a fictional oil firm that wants to drill in the Grand Canyon. He floats into apocalyptic post-Katrina New Orleans in a dinghy with Sean Penn. He goes to Iraq as an embedded reporter, where he witnesses the mind-boggling dysfunction of our occupation and spends three nights in Abu Ghraib prison. And he reports from two of the most bizarre and telling trials in recent memory: California v. Michael Jackson and the evolution-vs.-intelligent-design trial in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Equally funny and shocking, this is excellent work from one of our most entertaining writers.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grove Press, Black Cat
  4. Publication date
    October 10, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    5.52 x 0.72 x 8.18 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0802170412
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802170415
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A political reporter with the gonzo spirit that made Hunter S. Thompson and P.J. O'Rourke so much fun...Taibbi also exhibits a fairly sophisticated knowledge of the inner workings of Congress."

"Certainly the funniest...look at the [2004 presidential] campaign."

"Extremely funny and breathtaking in his ferocity."

"Matt Taibbi is one of the few journalists I read because I want to, not because I have to. His detached contempt is pitch perfect. He'll piss you off and make you laugh out loud, usually within the space of a single paragraph."

"Not so much a campaign diary as it is a compelling, and somewhat chaotic, mix of reporting, anecdote, social commentary, and rant. In each piece, Taibbi's rage and humor bleeds through, making this a vivid and very personal critique of both politics and the mainstream journalists who cover it....It's hard not to be engrossed by the eccentric characters, entertaining scenarios, and rich details that drive [Taibbi's] stories."

"Taibbi may be the only political writer in America that matters."

"The funniest angry book and the angriest funny book since Hunter S. Thompson roared into town."

From "one of the funniest and most honest American political journalists"

About the Author

Matt Taibbi is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press, Black Cat; First Edition (October 10, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802170412
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802170415
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.52 x 0.72 x 8.18 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 227 ratings

About the author

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Matt Taibbi

Matt Taibbi

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Matt Taibbi, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Divide, Griftopia, and The Great Derangement, is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and winner of the 2007 National Magazine Award for Columns and Commentary.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
227 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

anna
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening, funny, acerbic and easy to read
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is worth reading just for the "Katrina" rescue mission chapter, but I enjoyed the entire thing. I especially liked the excerpts of Randy "Duke" Cunningham's letter whining about how nothing was really his fault, and the astute observation by Matt Taibbi that Cunningham is "too stupid to be ashamed."

Until a few years ago, I had assumed that the people who were in charge must be reasonably smart. At the very least, they were educated. They might lack ethics and morals, but they must have done something to deserve the respected positions they're in.

Members of Congress are exposed as not even being able to write a simple letter without irrational capitalizing and nonsensical sentences. It clears up the question of "What the hell is going on?" that people have been asking themselves when they weren't so completely busy struggling to survive that they had a minute to think.

I hope they start requiring this book in high schools in order that kids understand the importance of voting, education, and the consequences of actions (ours and "theirs.") Matt Taibbi takes a normally boring subject and not only makes it interesting, but funny. I laughed out loud at the description of the helicopter dropping him a meal while simultaneously stirring up the disease water of the Katrina flood as he stood in it, begging them to get lost.

If you're interested to know what the people allegedly "helping" us have really been doing, read this book.
10 people found this helpful
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Barbara Frederick
4.0 out of 5 stars Matt is A Favorite of Mine
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2014
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I like Matt Taibbi a lot. Not only is he an intrepid reporter and an excellent writer, but he's a rather hot young man. This is basically a collection of some of his best work for Rolling Stone, dated from April 7, 2005, to November 2, 2006. While most of it is about politics in one way or another, he starts off with "Jacko on Trial," about Michael Jackson. His wit is as acidic as it is brilliant. You can't help thinking about Hunter S. Thompson and H.L. Mencken.

Several of the articles have to do with Matt's extended "embed" with forces in Iraq. A couple are about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast. In both cases, you get the sort of human details you don't get from other reporters. Matt writes like he's your best buddy writing you a letter about his experiences. But funnier than any best buddy I ever had. (No reflection on you, Chuck or Glen, or even Richard.)

It's a little dated, of course, but much is still totally relevant, including the parting shot of the last chapter which is titled "The Worst Congress Ever." "If we have learned nothing else in the Bush years, it's that this Congress cannot be reformed. The only way to change it is to get rid of it. Fortunately, we still get that chance once in a while."
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DG
5.0 out of 5 stars Matt Taibbi is the funniest and best American writer on the scene
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2013
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Taibbi's books are incredible. If his recent Rolling Stone columns seem like more of the same financial calamities, it is because the same people are in charge who caused the various crises, and we will continue to suffer economically while a small oligarchy attempts to consolidate all power and wealth in their hands.

His book Smells Like Dead Elephants, on campaign politics, a different topic than what he is writing about now is hilarious, full of funny stories, real people, and situations that Taibbi tells best I recommend you read everything the man writes.
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent for an early work.
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2020
Verified Purchase
Clearly Taibbi has refined his voice in later books, but this one has plenty of jokes and is packed with info. Good historical work.
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R. L. Olsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Review the Bush/Cheney years
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
I read this book several years ago , but it was good to read it again...we need to be reminded of just how bad the Republicans can get when they have control. Especially with what we can expect in the coming two years..
Matt Taibbi is at his best in this book. It's entertaining and informative and a great read.
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Doug Brunell
4.0 out of 5 stars The Corpse Is Still Rotting
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020
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Written about 13 years ago, Taibbi's take on Congress (and many other things like Katrina and Michael Jackson) are not only great and accurate observations. They are also history lessons that are still being played out today, only in a much broader and more dangerous fashion. I suspect conservatives well say he's biased, and so will the liberals. This means he's right on the mark. I will say, and i stand by this, Taibbi has inherited Hunter S. Thompson's throne. Let's hope it ends better for him and for us.
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Randall Peelen
5.0 out of 5 stars It's 2020, not much has changed
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
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Aside from agreeing with Taibbi's points-of-view, I love his writing. To me, he's exceptional at coming up with appropriate metaphors for describing the ideas he's portraying. That skill helps carry the emotion he puts into his descriptions. Very good writer.

While some of what he's writing about are events around the "Tom Delay years," the Republicans haven't changed. All politicians are a bit dirty, but the Republicans over the last 20 years take the cake.
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LindyLou
5.0 out of 5 stars Read this no matter what your political leanings are
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2014
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Matt Taibbi makes a compelling case for the US being a rotting empire based solidly on reliable data and anecdotes from those on the front lines who experienced them first-hand. The truth is painful and this book is full of truth - it's well worth reading, although depressing when you realize the depth and extent of how far our democracy has fallen.
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Kylwalda
5.0 out of 5 stars Njet
Reviewed in Germany on March 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
ich bewerte keine Bücher mehr. Nachdem ich zahllose Rezensionen hier auf Amazon gelesen habe, weiß ich, dass sie alle so subjektiv sind, dass sie nicht als objektive Bewertung taugen. Lest und bildet Euch Eure Meinung selbst!
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MR RAYMOND FW PHELAN
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2015
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Reliable. Recommended.
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