We all have that one friend who has the rare ability to make us laugh, not just over cocktails or brunch, but even under the direst of circumstances. A friend whose dry wit, touching on everything from electoral politics to women’s equality, is more than just banter: It also punctuates intellectual points and helps frame opinions. That’s what it feels like to read Alexandra Petri’s new book.

Petri writes about what’s happening in the world as if it’s okay.

The thing about satire...is that it typically works best in small doses, which is why Petri’s column is the perfect medium for her message. Creating a collection served up in book form risks reader exhaustion from an overdose of snark. I found I could only appreciate her oeuvre—and keep my blood pressure at safe levels—by taking in a few essays at a time.

As a columnist for the Washington Post, Petri shows that we’ve come a long way since Art Buchwald. Her barbed perspective owes more to the cinematic surrealism of David Lynch, conjuring a reality where what was once thought impossible has become improbably normal.

Washington Post columnist Petri...takes on the Trump presidency and related issues with this superb and stinging collection of new and previously published pieces.