Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America?s Gilded Cap ital
    Unavailable
    This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America?s Gilded Cap ital
    Unavailable
    This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America?s Gilded Cap ital
    Audiobook11 hours

    This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America?s Gilded Cap ital

    Written by Mark Leibovich

    Narrated by Joe Barrett

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    One of the nation's most acclaimed journalists, the New York Times' Mark Leibovich, presents a blistering, penetrating, controversial--and often hysterical--look at Washington's incestuous "media industrial complex."

    Editor's Note

    Political dysfunction...

    A former “Washington Post” reporter, Leibovich revels in puncturing the inflated egos and ambitions of the American political elite. Essential reading for anyone interested in how politics became so dysfunctional.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 16, 2013
    ISBN9781101605189
    Unavailable
    This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America?s Gilded Cap ital

    Related to This Town

    Related audiobooks

    American Government For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Mont Pèlerin 1947: Transcripts of the Founding Meeting of the Mont Pèlerin Society

      Jan 25, 2023

      Stanford, Calif.: Hoover Institution Press, 2022. Pp. xxi, 222. $34.95 hardcover. In the late 1930s, during the worldwide Great Depression and as the totalitarian threat loomed large, a group of scholars gathered in Paris to discuss the fate of liber

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Death of Newsweek

      Feb 8, 2018

      The Death of Newsweek
      5 min read

    • Article

      Marxist Mechanics

      Jun 19, 2022

      Marxist Mechanics
      2 min read

    • Article

      The City of Ideas

      Jan 3, 2024

      The City of Ideas
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism

      Mar 3, 2023

      Martin Wolf Allen Lane, £30 For those of us old enough to remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, “recent history has been something of a shock”, says The Economist. The “triumph of liberal political and economic systems” that seemed so clear then has

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism

      Mar 3, 2023

      Martin Wolf Allen Lane, £30 For those of us old enough to remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, “recent history has been something of a shock”, says The Economist. The “triumph of liberal political and economic systems” that seemed so clear then has

      1 min read

    • Article

      How the Computer Got Its Revenge on the Soviet Union: Condemned as a capitalist tool, the computer would help expose the USSR’s weakness.

      Apr 9, 2015

      In 1950, with the Cold War in full swing, Soviet journalists were looking desperately for something to help them fill their anti-American propaganda quota. In January of that year, a Time Magazine cover appeared that seemed to provide just the thing.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Stanford White

      Sep 1, 2022

      During the Gilded Age, a 40-year period after the Civil War that resulted in phenomenal monetary gain for a coterie of entrepreneurs, Stanford White—one of the most accomplished architects in the United States—was at the forefront of artistic talents

      1 min read

    • Article

      Deterring Armageddon

      Jul 12, 2022

      Deterring Armageddon
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Road To Hartlepool Pier

      May 27, 2021

      AS SO OFTEN, THE BEST (AND OF COURSE THE FUNNIEST) analysis of the runaway Tory victory in the Hartlepool by-election came from Rod Liddle. Its theme was that the Labour party has become a vile antithesis, as the party set up to represent working peo

      5 min read

    • Article

      George Lois, An Icon Of Ads And Magazine Covers, Has Died At 91

      Nov 20, 2022

      George Lois fashioned some of the most daring magazine images of the '60s and popularized such catchphrases and brand names as "I Want My MTV" and "Lean Cuisine."

      3 min read

    • Article

      Viennese Whirl

      Aug 23, 2023

      Viennese Whirl
      3 min read

    Reviews for This Town

    3.5/5

    108 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Not a bird's eye view of Washington, D.C. but an up-close and almost too close and personal view of it. I am stumped as to how Leibovich wrote down all the notes he had to have written at every function and party. Well, he is a reporter by trade. But, man, such a book to set off the pariah monitors in Washington, D.C, but that is no matter, as the Leibovich states, the first thing one does as a successful D.C. member is to distance one's self from D.C.Cynical outlook for sure but so needed in our country's social and political discussions. Well written too. And the jokes: biting and witty.
    • 5/5
      I am a news junkie and heard about this book on one of the many news shows I watch. I knew most of the people that Leibovich talks about in the book. I am not sure if this would appeal to everyone, but it was fascinating to read how MONEY motivates everything in the US Capitol! Here is the blurb:A New York Times political feature correspondent examines the power wars and exploitative practices of the government in Washington, D.C., revealing how journalism careers are made and broken while news events and scandals are used as networking platforms.The following excerpt really sums up Washington, D.C. The context is a group of Sarah Palin loyalists protesting at a party for Game Change, a movie which portrays Palin in an unfavorable light: "They [the protesters] reiterated the former Alaska governor's oft-quoted charge that Game Change was based on "false narrative." Whether it was or not, much of Washington ceased being about true narratives long ago, anyway. It is about virtual reality the video game is which we are all characters and try to be players It brought to mind a line that I had underlined years ago, in 1993, from the late great Michael Kelly, in a New York Times Magazine profile of David Gergen ("Master of the Game," it was titled). 'What happens in the political world is divorced from the real world," he wrote, "It exists for only the fleeting historical moment, in a magical movie of sorts, a never-ending and infinitely revisable docudrama. Strangely, the faithful understand that the movie is not true -- yet also maintain that it is the only truth that really matters.'" (I didn't write down the page number before I returned the book! Sorry!)This sums up much of what the book is about. The games that all the people in Washington play, and much of it comes down to greed (Washington, D.C. has a very low unemployment rate compared to the rest of the country because government is BIG BUSINESS!). This book made me want to walk the streets of D.C. and the halls of Congress and just pray. I even looked up how much it would cost for a plane ticket to go and do just that. I still might. I am troubled by what this book brings to light, but I sort of already knew how bad it was. I wish that could all change, but the power is not in the people. In fact, the book makes a point of saying that the Washington elite think we are too dumb to really know anything! So sad!
    • 3/5
      A snarky, gossipy, name dropping tale of that crazy little town, D.C.
      This book only helps to emphasize the fact that our government is an screwed up mess with a cast of characters worthy of the most comical sitcom. Unfortunately these "characters" are running the country which is really too scary to think about.

      Unfortunately Leibovich doesn't go for the juggler so it's kind of tame reading. It's obvious he enjoys his role as journalist in The Town a little too much and doesn't want to tip the boat over just rock it a bit. Too bad.
    • 3/5
      Though interesting first chapter the book is more for consummate political followers, so I lost interest and it highlighted such a confederacy of users that I didn't want to know more.
    • 4/5
      As a person who watches way too much TV political stuff I was completely familiar with everyone mentioned in the book so it was just plain fun to read the extra comments about the history of the last several years---Leibovich has an easy way of writing, almost as if he is talking right to you.
    • 3/5
      I was disappointed by THIS TOWN. I was expecting more gossip. More of a fun book but the author spends too much time on details of things that I found uninteresting. It is not the hot book I was led to believe it would be.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating and depressing account of the behind-the-scenes workings of modern-day Washington, DC with particular emphasis on the cozy relationships among elected officials, media stars, lobbyists, journalists, celebrities, and the rich.
      Leibovich writes from an unbiased perspective - Democrats and Republicans get equal scrutiny and scorn.


    • 3/5
      I expected to love this book and I did . . . through the first chapter. I didn't read much past that. Shallow me, I wanted gossip and color, and both faded as pages passed. It also seemed that the author inserted himself into the book too often.
    • 4/5
      A lot of fun, but not that much matter. We all know about the corrupt politics of lobbyists and lobbyees, but Liebovitch makes it really specific, and really personal He tells great stories and delivers terrific character impressions (the one of Harry Reid is particularly memorable, and somehow, endearing). But it doesn't go much into causes, and goes no where at all with proposals for what could be done to change things. That may be more an excess of realism than a lack of vision: depressing thought.
    • 4/5
      I found this book difficult to finish. It was not because the book was poorly written.It's because Washington is so incestuous it's disgusting. Lines fade or don't exist between lawmakers, pundits, lawyers, and lobbyists. It's stomach-turning how much these people are making and how little good they do for the vast majority of Americans.I spoke to a fellow who worked under Vice-President Gore and he said that the book is interesting, but skewed. He pointed out that the book leaves out the women and men who are working hard to do good without much remuneration. That's for sure. Although there may be honest people in that town you'll find few of them here. Tim Russert is one of the few likable and decent people in the book. Half of the book revolves around his funeral and the reactions triggered by it.Leibovich may have liberal leanings but the book does not come off skewed. Anyone on the political spectrum who works for a living will find the people in this book offensive. The Democrats and Republicans all get along quite well when they're not squabbling on TV. All of them are friends before and after in the green room. This book is a solid work of political reporting. Its one weakness is the gossipy tone he writes in to criticize a gossipy, chummy atmosphere. By the time you finish this book, you'll pray the British invade again and burn that awful swamp to the ground.
    • 5/5
      We already have cynical views of perhaps every one of our politicians, particularly those who oppose our personal views.

      Now we can rest assured that politicians on "both sides of the aisle" are entirely cynical in their dealings with each other and particularly with the voters.

      In today's world, even a terrific loss can be "monetized" to the point that losers such as Generals McChrystal and Petraeus are far better off financially now after being fired from their jobs.

      The books is quite humorous, and I highly recommend it.

      The amounts of money involved here are extraordinary!
    • 4/5
      The touchstone for this book actually reads This Town: The Way It Works in Suck Up City, a title that is funnier and more appropriate than what it was finally published as. But regardless, this insider's look at the incestuous relationships among DC's politicians, power brokers, lobbyists and media is a fun - though not ground-breaking - account of how the city really works. I would think the audience for this is pretty limited but none of it should be shocking to anyone. Disheartening, maybe. Uncomfortable, yes. But anyone not aware of what goes on in the self-perpetuating cauldron (cesspool?) of the Nation's Capital is either woefully uninformed or pathetically naive. The book did get a little repetitive and probably could have had at least 50 pages edited out. And eventually, Leibovich's role as tour guide through the maze of big players and "famous for DC" types wore thin, as - despite repeated acknowledgements and winks - one realizes that the man describing the circus is just another of the performing animals in it."It misses that the city, far from being hopelessly divided, is in fact hopelessly interconnected. It missed the degree to which New Media has democratized the political conversation while accentuating Washington's insular, myopic, and self-loving tendencies. It misses, most of all, a full examination of how Washington may not serve the country well but has in fact worked splendidly for Washington itself - a city of beautifully busy people constantly writing the story of their own lives." (page 10)
    • 4/5
      I first learned about this book when the author was interviewed by Sam Seder on The Majority Report (majority.fm).

      This is an excellent expose of the narcissistic, celebrity and money driven nature of D.C. Regardless of which party is in control, there is a permanent class of people who are focused almost exclusively on where they fit in this tiny, extremely wealthy pool.

      The book is illuminating, depressing and well worth your time.
    • 3/5
      Gossipy tell all about the most self important people in the world - the press and dignitaries who live and work in DC.

      Attempts to give the reader some insight into the clubby world of DC and clearly settles some insider scores.

      Really the only shocking thing is that Washington is as bad as everyone says it is and thinks it is. High school culture money grubbing agendas stupid people. It's all there.

      Unless your a political junky, I wouldn't recommend. But if you are, it's pure gold.
    • 4/5
      If you needed any reason to be cynical about American politics--especially nationally--then Mark Leibovich's This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral -- plus plenty of valet parking! -- in America's Gilded Capital is the book for you.

      I guarantee that you will not put it down with a breath single breath of hope and optimism about the future of our country. Unless, of course, you're one of the few wealthy or connected enough to be one of the elites.

      That or a journalist. Because to hear Leibovich tell it in this highly entertaining look at America's capital, journalists have become accomplices to the what happens there. Instead of America's Fourth Estate providing a check on the corruption, they have drunk from the Kool-Aid and drunk deeply.

      I didn't pick up This Town because I am disillusioned, though certainly provides plenty of fodder for those who have lost faith in the fair and transparent workings of government. Certainly, the same trends that have led to Donald Trump's rise to the top of national polls can be seen in the descriptions that Leibovich gives. Rather, I read it from the perspective of a political junkie, and Leibovich fills This Town with stories, anecdotes, and miscellany that should interest any political observer. At times I felt like a driver slowly passing a bad accident on the interstate, unable to tear my eyes away. At the same time, it was hard to forget that, as an American, I am a passenger in the wreck.

      As a resident of the capitol, and a journalist himself, Liebovich is as much a member of the club as he is a critic, and he frankly admits this fact. That said, he seems to pull no punches in framing the lives of the people whose lives are centered on the parties, accolades, and money that make the city churn. The result is an absolutely fascinating, and occasionally disturbing, read.
    • 2/5
      Book just displays anecdotes and name dropping. Lacks structure unfortunately.
    • 1/5
      Couldn't make it past the first chapter. The snark seemed more like name-dropping than anything else and I didn't really like the writing style.