The Unexpurgated Code

The author himself seems unsure where this book belongs, suggesting it may still be fiction, though booksellers usually shelve it as nonfiction. Its premise is a mock manual for climbing the social ladder and getting by in a crowded, cutthroat city, written in the sharp, irreverent voice Donleavy is known for.

Readers should be warned that the book is blunt and will likely offend anyone who is easily shocked. It makes no effort to follow the norms of political correctness. Donleavy's own drawings are scattered throughout the text.