Book Review: Washington Post Is Switching Off Lights

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A humorous collection of quippy aphorisms to keep in your back pocket

An aphorism is a special thing. A timeless thing. Some of them stick around for centuries. It’s about how language gets passed down by generations—how phrases stick because of their truth, their memorability, and, sometimes, their humor.

Washington Post Is Switching Off Lights is Piotr Bardzik’s second collection of rapid-fire aphorisms. He invites us to adopt them, “at least one,” and this is made easier because of how many of them are so damn funny.

“Fact checking has, alas, outlived its purpose. What we need more is emotion gauging.”

Think of this as a book to keep on your coffee table or your car dashboard or maybe even in your bathroom. You flip it open to any page you wish, and you are met with lists of one-, two-, or three-sentence phrases that’ll stick in your mind with cleverness and wit.

A lot like his first book, Bardzik really nails some of these aphorisms. Short, punchy, purposeful—most often, funny. “One way to improve the world would be to tax evil. If it was not for tax deductions, that is.” He’s political, but not overly so—and he seems to sit in the in-between, able to laugh at what makes the whole thing funny on both sides. Those who are staunchly on either side might want to be prepared for a few jabs going in.

“Breaking news? More like broken news, more like.”

In addition to poking fun at others, Bardzik does it to himself too. This is a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously—a vibe that works for and against the work. Bardzik occasionally talks down on his work, and it brings attention to some occasional dips in quality. Some sections feel more rushed than others—not in pace but in clarity and execution. It overuses similar joke styles a bit too often, like the fragmented closer. Other aphorisms don’t really touch aphorism at all—just a sentence of a thought or criticism but sometimes lacking in content. Luckily, so many of them are still very good and memorable, so adopting an aphorism or two is easy. This is a book you’d be glad to quote from the next time you’re talking with your dad or uncle.

“Some countries are like roads—in a dire need of guardrails.”

Bardzik is more than capable of penning the most clever thing you’ve read today. It’s easy to picture his books in the back pocket of his jeans, the lines smudged with a feverish hand and a churning mind. There’s a lot going on in that skull of his, and it’s a pleasure to be in there with him.

---

Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s book review of Washington Post Is Switching Off Lights by Piotr Bardzik! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.