Boomsday

A Novel

By: Christopher Buckley

Narrated by: Janeane Garofalo

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In Boomsday, Christopher Buckley envisions the nation's next brouhaha: generational warfare between Baby Boomers and younger Americans who don't want to be stuck paying the Social Security bill - a conflict that provokes the most outlandish presidential campaign ever.

Cassandra Devine, a straight-A student, was like any other 17-year-old Yale hopeful, until she was forced to join the Army because her father spent her tuition money on a dotcom start-up. Years later, Cassandra has become a Washington spin doctor and blogger who rails against the "Un-greatest" generation's mishandling of Social Security debt. When she learns that her father remarried and bought his dim-witted son's way into Yale, she suggests that Baby Boomers be given government incentives to kill themselves by age 75.

This proposal catches on with outraged citizens and a senator seeking the youth vote for his presidential bid. With the help of Washington's greatest PR strategist, Cassandra and the senator try to ride the issue of euthanasia to the White House. Their opposition includes the president, who's running for reelection; a pro-life preacher, who may have killed his mother; and of course, Baby Boomers.

©2007 Christopher Taylor Buckley (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"This satire combines the serious and the ridiculous with dead-on aplomb." (The New York Times)
"The humor is wicked and the satire incisive." (Boston Herald)

Rendered Moot by a One-Line Fix...

... as well as by all that has transpired in American politics since its publication.

In Thank You For Smoking, Chris Buckley's best known political satire, Nick Naylor asks a movie producer who wants to promote smoking in a sci-fi movie, "Cigarettes in space? Wouldn't they blow up in an all-oxygen environment?" The reply: "it's an easy fix. One line of dialogue: 'Thank God we created the, you know, whatever device.'" The one-line fix.

Buckley's Boomsday is based on the idea that Social Security is about to go broke as the populous baby boomer generation reaches retirement age. Rather than allow her generation to face increased payroll taxes, Cass Devine comes up with a better plan -- incent retired boomers to euthanize themselves in exchange for tax breaks and other perks.

Unfortunately, Buckley did not do his homework. He apparently did not realize (because he never once mentions it) that there is a real-life one-line fix to any Social Security crisis: extend the payroll tax beyond its upper limit of $132,900 (in 2019). This may be difficult to pass, but it's do-able, and it's the first thing anyone would do to solve a funding crisis. Most people don't even realize that you stop paying FICA after the first $132,900, because most people make less than that, and those who make more are not about to call attention to this most regressive of taxes.

But if it ever becomes a problem, there's an easy enough solution. A one-line fix.

I understand this is satire and no one would ever really suggest euthanizing retirees to solve a budget crisis (though the idea of death panels resurfaces once in a while, which would be comical if it wasn't so shameful). Still, for a satire to work, there has to be some understanding of the reality of the situation being satirized, and Boomsday fails on this simplest of levels, as well as several others.

To wit: changes made in 1983 ensure that Social Security will remain solvent at least until 2037, so Buckley's idea that aging boomers will bankrupt the system was moot decades ago. Not to mention that boomers didn't all suddenly reach retirement age on the same date (no one even agrees what age range falls into the baby boom), and their large population presumably over-funded Social Security during their working years.

More importantly, the whole issue of the solvency of Social Security as a political football is just that -- a political football, a red herring intended to frighten people who would rather believe nonsense spouted by manipulative politicians than do the minimal amount of research (five minutes' worth) it would take to recognize that these are baseless scare tactics. In Boomsday, the scare is taken at face value.

Politics over the decade since he wrote Boomsday have demonstrated amply that the real problem is not budgetary, it's political demagoguery, the easy manipulation of the uninformed by feckless leaders. We need satirists like Buckley to expose these frauds, not be fooled by them. We also need them to have the courage to name the worst offenders -- Buckley does not, creating a sense of false equivalency that has long been unmasked.

On the other hand, if facts don't get in the way of your enjoyment as they did mine, it's pretty droll, and Janeane Garofalo is a good narrator. There is actually (potentially) a decent story here on a personal level that would have made for a much better non-satirical novel had Buckley chosen to develop characters instead of caricatures.

Extremely Funny story and narrated so well.

I still hear the voice of Montefeltro in my mind in his accent.
Oh God ! I Have never laughed so much on an audio book, not even when listening to James Herriot series.
This is the Funniest one, and more so because Audible narrated it SO well.
The scene about Gideon calling an Escort House and where Gideon's watch is "donated" to Ms.Tolstoy, then the scene where the Pope's office calls Montefeltro, and STFU scene are simply amazingly funny.
I was laughing in my car so much that the traffic cop was looking at me strangely.
Thanks Audible for breathing life into a wonderful Novel.

Very Funny

Buckley has written another hilarious book. It is witty, intelligent, and full of laughs. Garafalo is fantastic with the narration. This is a comedy after all, so picking a comedienne who can time the jokes and lines properly was a essential.

Caramilk catch phrase "Anything?"

The bias that I have for the reading of this wonderful piece of humour. Relates to me so personally I dare not continue blubbering accolades. I have listened to many books throughout my life. This one is surreal in a way that involves every emotional situation, facing the hard working people of the world. The slack needs to be taken up. Underlying the humour is a message to the world about how being an economically conscious human, is improving situations for all, get involved.

Another Funny Buckley Novel

Boomsday is another great novel by Christopher Buckley. I first got hooked on No Way To Treat A First Lady and followed it by listening to Her Royal Courtship. I was a little skeptical about this one because I was unsure if I would really appreciate this novel as it was about Baby Boomers and Social Security which have always been dry topics for me. Somehow Buckley, once again, manages to take a topic that usually bores me to death and adds his slanted sense of humor so that I am dying with laughter instead. I would recommend this book, like with all Buckley novels, to those who likes to see the world from a salty, more sarcastic, tongue and cheek perspective. I am once again impressed with the voice acting that was delivered with this Buckley novel. Janeane Garofalo does a great job performing a variety of voices so that by the end of the novel they are all very distinct and familiar to me

enjoy a laugh

What made the experience of listening to Boomsday the most enjoyable?

It s today's news

What did you like best about this story?

complex mixture of religlion poltics and sex

What about Janeane Garofalo’s performance did you like?

FABULOUS

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

final moments sending our selves the "great beyond"

Any additional comments?

Thank you ms Garafalo...and of course Mr. Buckley
I ave listened to this once a year since it first came online.. my ribs hurt from laughing.

Hilarious

Satirical, cynical and very funny. Well worth listening to.

Where has Janeane Garofalo been all my life?

Christopher Buckley and Janeane Garofalo make an excellent duo. I always enjoy Mr. Buckley's books, and it was a true pleasure to listen to Ms. Garofalo narrate this one. Her performance maintained a crisp pace and developed clear and unique character voices. I see that she has not presented other books, and I encourage her to take on more.

best book ever

I love this book. Mr Buckley does a good job making you think of a very serious issue with humor. The narrator is awesome. Get this book.

Hilarious and Insightful

I read this before and enjoyed this audio version. A must read of political satire.