Paradise Screwed

The "Miami Herald" columnist shares his best comic work, covering everything from sports and tourism to corruption in local politics, the Elian Gonzalez affair, and the 2000 presidential election recount.

"Best-selling author Carl Hiaasen takes you on a wide-ranging safari, observing South Florida's wildlife in its natural habitat--from fat-cat politicians to migrating mobsters, drowning dolphins to stray chads. This collection of Miami Herald columns, ripping with a satiric wit and biting humor, will give Hiaasen fans a glimpse of the facts that inspire--and prove far stranger than--his frenetic fiction. Harking back to the muckraking journalists of old, Hiaasen lets the denizens of Florida in on the comings and goings of corrupt local politicos, misguided tourist bureaus, and flailing sports franchises. He tackles such local events as the Elián González imbroglio and the 2000 presidential election recount. All in all, more than 200 columns chronicle the everyday circus that gives South Florida a flavor and a flair all its own. Since 1985, Hiaasen's twice-weekly 'baseball bat to the forehead' column has taken on everything from environmental despoilers to Big Tobacco and the NRA. Now his righteous rage and spirited wit are available beyond the borders of the Sunshine State--in a collection that showcases a world-class journalist in his element."--Adapted from dust jacket.