Book: Nothin' But Good Times Ahead

Overview
Nothin' But Good Times Ahead gathers early columns by Molly Ivins, showcasing the emergence of the razor-sharp, populist voice that made her a nationally recognized commentator. The pieces compile reporting, commentary, and personal anecdote that move easily between Texas local color and national political theater. The collection reads like a tour through American politics seen from the ground up: skeptical of power, fond of ordinary people, and relentlessly amused by the absurdities of public life.
Rather than a dry anthology, the book feels like a running conversation with a conservative and liberal audience at once, provocative to both, because Ivins spares no one who deserves scrutiny. Her vantage point is often Texan, but the targets and insights extend to Washington, corporate culture, and the national media. The result is a lively, accessible portrait of an opinion writer refining her craft.

Main Themes
A recurring theme is democratic accountability: elected officials, party machines, and corporate interests are examined for how they affect everyday lives. Ivins has little patience for scripted political rhetoric and loves exposing the gap between campaign promises and governing reality. Skepticism toward centralized power and performative politics threads through many columns, often delivered with a mixture of outrage and wry amusement.
Another dominant strand is cultural commentary. Ivins writes about the contradictions of American prosperity, the quirks of regional identity, and the social policies that shape communities. Her sympathy lies with working people and outsiders, and she frequently highlights the human costs of policy debates, making abstract disputes feel personal and immediate.

Voice and Style
The collection exemplifies Ivins's signature voice: colloquial, caustic, and frequently hilarious. She uses plain speech, Texan idioms, and irreverent metaphors to make complex political issues digestible. Sarcasm is a tool rather than an end; when she ridicules politicians or institutions, the comedy sharpens criticism rather than replacing it.
Her approach blends reporterly attention to detail with columnist flourishes: colorful characters, sharp one-liners, and a conversational cadence that reads like a friend talking you through a scandal. Even when addressing grim subjects, the tone remains readable and often disarming, which helps the critique land with both clarity and punch.

Structure and Highlights
Columns are grouped to emphasize the development of Ivins's perspective and the variety of subjects she covered early in her career. Standalone pieces function as short, pointed essays, while recurring topics, campaign blunders, bureaucratic follies, media hypocrisy, reappear to form throughlines across the collection. Occasional autobiographical touches reveal the author behind the byline: the small-town roots, the newsroom frustrations, and the personal sensibility that shapes her judgments.
Specific essays range from sharp takedowns of political figures to affectionately bemused sketches of regional life. Rather than chronological authority, the arrangement favors thematic resonance, letting readers see both the continuity and range of her concerns.

Legacy and Who Should Read It
Nothin' But Good Times Ahead is a useful primer on how to combine humor with moral seriousness in political commentary. Readers who enjoy pointed satire, clear-eyed populist critique, and a voice that blends reporterly curiosity with columnist heat will find much to admire. The book also offers insight into the formation of a distinctive public intellectual whose later work continued the blend of outrage, compassion, and wit on full display here.
For anyone curious about American political culture from a grounded, irreverent perspective, this collection remains an entertaining and instructive read, showing how sharp observation and a human touch can turn local detail into broader truths.