This Town

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

By: Mark Leibovich

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Loved it

Who can resist a behind the scenes take on the cloisters of DC. It relieved me of my desire to meet several of them, but not by much if I’m honest.

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.

They're out of touch ... and how!

Another case where the author makes his point early, so the later part of the book are examples after we've already been convinced: the Beltway Bubble is far more insular (inbred) than I'd thought ... and I'm a jaded political junkie! An Old Boys' (mostly male, but there are Old Girls, too) Network of overpaid "consultants" living off of the presumed "connections" between lavish parties. Instead of trickle-down, money there circulates laterally.
By the end of the first audio part I'd heard enough, so put the book aside, coming back later, which didn't help. Inside story of a Hill staffer didn't work for me, so I ended up fast-forwarding through much of it. Pace picks up for the final 1/3 or so with a portrait of Hillary Clinton, followed by an analysis of the role of the D. C. press corps in the 2012 campaign ("spin rooms" are a vestigial non-necessity). Romney fans might take offense that their candidate is usually referred by the author as Mittens.

Overall, I found the tales of overpaid has-beens, and wanna-be's,a bit of a downer. Still, I thought it took guts for the author to write so honestly about folks he sees regularly. Recommended, though if you're looking for juicy details, there aren't really a lot. One point that stood out for me was Leibovich's regular mention of Tammy Haddad, a big party thrower (whom I'd not heard of before); seemed almost as though he feared she'd strike him from future guest lists if he didn't talk her up enough?

Audio narration was very good.

This Town

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Overall this was a good story. Not that many revelations but well a thought out book. Clearly something has went off the tracks in Washington DC, it is also clear that the overriding cause is money and the role it plays in American politics Without regard to Party or philosophical leanings, money has corrupted for the most part everyone engaged in government.

The other major issue as I see it is the press and their decision to walk away from actual reporting so as not to offend the ruling class and their corporate advertising clients. This book touches on this problem. For the most part, authors have been unwilling to point out their own role in the disintegration of American politics.

I'm a person that tries to read at least 4 news papers every day and have been doing so for some time and have witnessed this problem gradually manifest itself. It has been like the example of a frog in a pot of water on the stove. Unfortunately more and more people get their news from Comedy Central rather than the 6 PM news. Part of this has to do with the shot callers at networks and Editors of newspapers promoting news casters and print journalist based on reasons other than their journalistic ability. This has resulted in the dumbing down of content, I'm not sure if this is done for the audience or the walking haircuts now considered journalist. Another factor has been sites like Politico that turns politics into a celebrity game show like US or People is for movie stars. Politics should be treated different than Hollywood. The author does just that in this book and that is why I am recommending it.

Would I recommend it? yes

Would you be willing to try another book from Mark Leibovich? Why or why not?

Yes, I thought he was good author.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Yes, flawless.

Did This Town inspire you to do anything?

It actually made me more despondent in regards to the ruling elites of both Parties.

Any additional comments?

This was my first Audible book. The presenter did a great job but I still like books better for some reason.

breezy, hilarious tour of DC

What made the experience of listening to This Town the most enjoyable?

The use of actual events to illustrate the incestuous, incredible vanities at play in the capital.

What did you like best about this story?

Mark Leibovich's informed sarcasm. LOL.

Have you listened to any of Joe Barrett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Barrett, who fronts dozens of Audible's best reads, has never been better. I can think of many, many authors who read their own material, who should defer to this pro.

Any additional comments?

My fave audiobook of the last 30.

Interesting Peek Behind the Political Curtain

Leibovich provides an interesting look into the world of politics in Washington, D.C. with the perspective of an insider who's usually an observer of those who wield the power. The story flowed well and did a very good job of explaining how everything and everyone in D.C. are (incestuously?) related and connected. For political junkies and lovers of the TV Series, The West Wing, this book will provide a thrill that shows what makes Washington tick.

Definitely worth reading if you're interested in American politics!

Fun Memories

Such a fun writer, I’m 89, and remember these public characters!
Leibovich reminds us that we as a
PEOPLE are a lot ah like and should not take ourselves so seriously