This Town

Two Parties and a Funeral - Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking! - in America’s Gilded Capital

By: Mark Leibovich

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

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

The great thing about Washington is no matter how many elections you lose, how many times you're indicted, how many scandals you've been tainted by, well, the great thing is you can always eat lunch in that town again. What keeps the permanent government spinning on its carousel is the freedom of shamelessness, and that mother's milk of politics, cash.

In Mark Leibovich’s remarkable look at the way things really work in D.C., a funeral for a beloved television star becomes the perfect networking platform, a disgraced political aide can emerge with more power than his boss, campaign losers befriend their vanquishers (and make more money than ever!), "conflict of interest" is a term lost in translation, political reporters are fetishized and worshipped for their ability to get one's name in print, and, well - we're all really friends, aren't we?

What Julia Phillips did for Hollywood, Timothy Crouse did for journalists, and Michael Lewis did for Wall Street, Mark Leibovich does for our nation's capital.

©2013 Mark Leibovich (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"This Town is funny, it's interesting, and it is demoralizing.... I loved it as much as you can love something which hurts your heart." (John Oliver, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart)

"In addition to his reporting talents, Leibovich is a writer of excellent zest. At times his book is laugh-out-loud (as well as weep-out-loud). He is an exuberant writer, even as his reporting leaves one reaching for Xanax.... [This Town] is vastly entertaining and deeply troubling." (Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review)

"It's been the summer of This Town. What lingers from This Town is what will linger in Washington well after its current dinosaurs are extinct: the political culture owned by big money." (Frank Rich, New York Magazine)

great book

great book. informative, interesting and funny. very insightful. what else do i need to say to meet the 15 word minimum.

There are already three parties in Washington, D.C

The biggest thing that this book proved to me is that there are already three parties, the hard core Left, the hard core Right and the Progressives. Right now, the Progressives are running both of the name parties, and they are scratching each other's backs all day, everyday.

Get Off Your High Horse

I am not a fan of politicians, media personalities, etc. but this book paints a picture of a town filled with evil, heartless, backbiting demons . If it's true no wonder we have so many enemies around the world.

Says what we already thought, but now with facts

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!

Best Narration Ever

A caustic, but fair account of Washington insiderism.

The narrator was brilliant. Laugh out loud funny delivery and some great impersonations too!

It’s still ThisTown

Leibovich is accurate about Washington but it’s problems are so much worse now. His next book is also too nice to the SOB’s in ….

This Town makes me want to change careers!

If you could sum up This Town in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing, honest and fun

What did you like best about this story?

I hate to say this, but this book did for me what wall street did for so many back in the 1980s, it made me want to jump into the world he was warning us about! What a great read!

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Cheesy, but the voices were great!

If you could give This Town a new subtitle, what would it be?

Prepare yourself for the truth that we always knew, but never wanted to confront.

Any additional comments?

LISTEN OR READ THIS BOOK, IT IS AWESOME!

Kick the bums OUT! But...to where?

Depressing but not surprising about how things really work in the United STATE of America...:( If you can handle the truth (and perhaps if you're lucky, positively act on it) this title is definitely worth a listen.

One boo-boo in the performance that I have never encountered before in an audiobook: In Part II, Track 4, Chapter 10 of the book is repeated. Kinda threw me for a loop but fast forward to the next track when you get there and the performance moves on to Chapter 11...

Funny? Breezy? I wish

Ok yes, it's a little bit dishy and gossipy--that's how you get a book published--but I get the sense Leibovich--an intrenched NYT correspondent-- pretty much burned his bridges to write some of the stuff that's in here.
I downloaded this the day it came out and am honestly astonished there hasn't been more outrage. Seems like Leibovich is trying to make an important point, but obviously the majority of readers are missing it. (Maybe because they're all trying to figure out if they're in the book, or know someone who is?)

I've long talked others in DC who confirm what he's saying . The ruling class in DC is cashing out and "riding it down in style". In other words, they know the plane is going to crash, but not in their lifetime...hopefully...so, yeah, whatever.

Please listen to this book. Yes, its very funny and entertaining--Leibovich is skilled writer--but it also reveals a capital that every US citizen should be aware of.

A Snarkfest for Political Junkies

Don't be deceived by the title of my review; for some people, this book is a serious and exhaustive overview of the sociological-political dynamic within Washington D.C.

On another level, the book is a gossip-fest that rivals the trashiest and sleaziest gossip magazines that grace the checkout lanes of your local supermarket.

Mark Leibovich rexplores the insider view of the professional and personal lives of politicians, pundits, staffers, lobbyists, and PR people who populate the seemingly endless parties and other self-congratulatory assemblages within D.C. society, focusing primarily on specific personalities and relationships which are the background behind what actually goes on, behind the scenes, in the nation's capitol. Leibovich often strips bare the more generally accepted profiles of the major players of government, expounding on numerous well-known (and many lesser-known) functionaries, providing some insight into their motivations and methods of operation. In general, Liebovich portrays a town of navel-gazers, universally obsessed with who they know, what parties they are invited to, what power and influence they have, and how they can parlay their service into every higher-paying opportunities.

I enjoyed much of the background information and historical perspectives on well-known Washington players, although I admit that snark, like anything else, can get to be a bit too much. Still, the book does provide a rather unique insight into people who they often see on talk television or hear on talk radio, see quoted in the newspaper, and talked about elsewhere, providing more depth and insight that the popular press can convey.

Narrator Joe Barrett does an excellent job, conveying the cynicism of the text without being overbearing about it.

In short, political junkies and gossip fans will enjoy this... but not everyone else will.