The Seven Deadly Virtues: 18 Conservative Writers on Why the Virtuous Life is Funny as Hell

Christopher Buckley is the Proust of perseverance. Not, of course, in point of length, but in point of style and grace and forcing you to consider when perseverance is a virtue, when it’s a vice, and when it’s just reading Proust all the way through to one-up your friends.

P. J. O’Rourke does for The Seven Deadly Virtues what Bill W. did for the Twelve-Step Program; he makes you want to go through them one by one, but with the advantage of having a martini, or two—or seven—while you do. From now on, Googling “P. J. O’Rourke” and “virtue” will produce at least one match. It’s about time.

Jonah Goldberg writes about integrity the way he writes about superheroes, comic books, and Star Trek: with elegance, wit, and a creepy sexual intensity.

Rob Long’s essay on justice is probably his best, smartest, and funniest work since his rave review of my book, The Tyranny of Clichés (now out in paperback).

Andrew Ferguson—with his sagacity, wit, and fashion sense ( khakis, mainly)—is the portrait of prudence. I’d praise him more excessively, but it wouldn’t be prudent.

Matt Labash makes the best case for chastity since Bea Arthur.

An all-star team of eighteen conservative writers offers a hilarious, insightful, sanctimony-free remix of William Bennett’s The Book of Virtues—without parental controls. The Seven Deadly Virtues sits down next to readers at the bar, buys them a drink, and an hour or three later, ushers them into the revival tent without them even realizing it. In the book’s opening essay, P. J. O’Rourke observes: “Virtue has by no means disappeared. It’s as much in public view as ever. But it’s been strung up by the heels. Virtue is upside down. Virtue is uncomfortable. Virtue looks ridiculous. All the change and the house keys are falling out of Virtue’s pants pockets.”

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