Emperor of America is a satire. As such, it exaggerates the weaknesses of its subjects so that readers can see what Condon thinks are the real ills in American society. A satire can be a gentle work, such as a newspaper col umn by Art Buchwald that through mild comedy suggests that politicians or military leaders do not know what they are doing. On the other hand, a satire can be a sharply bitter commentary on corruption and other social evils. Authors of such bitter satires seldom have large audiences; their commentary is too bleak for most readers' tastes. Readers also often resent seeing people like themselves portrayed as gullible fools or outright evildoers. Condon is a rare writer of bitter satire because he has been consistently popular for over thirty years.

He probably retains a large audience because his satire is not just bitter, but often uproariously...