Top

arts

Stories

 

Tricky Deck

Greg Palast’s The Joker’s Wild is a card game with an agenda — like the infamous U.S. Military deck of most wanted Iraqis, by which it was inspired. Featuring a rogues’ gallery of politicians, insiders and power brokers (the Bushes, the bin Ladens, Jim Baker, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pat Robertson, Ken Lay), it comes packaged as a set of oversize playing cards, each of which portrays a particular public figure or scandal, all featuring quotes and pithy bites of information, marked by a savage sense of irony. Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: The Truth About Corporate Cons, Globalization, and High-Finance Fraudsters, is an equal-opportunity muckraker; his targets include Bill Clinton, whom he chides for, among other things, signing an “end to food-stamp entitlement for poor children.” His favorite antagonist, however, is President Dubya, characterized here as the Joker, and drawn in a court jester’s cap. It’s a funny idea, but before you laugh, remember what’s at stake. Or, as Palast wonders: “What’s so funny? The joke’s on you.”

THE JOKER’S WILD: Dubya’s Trick Deck| By GREG PALAST; Illustrated by ROBERT GROSSMAN | Seven Stories | $9 boxed
 
My Voice Nation Help
 
©2013 LA Weekly, LP, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Los Angeles

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city