“A lot of comediansâ books pretty much feel like their sets with a little more framing and context. Which is how this book felt.
Mike Birbiglia is a hilarious stand-up, and he has a long-form style thatâs pretty hard to match. But if youâre at all familiar with his act, the small asides are clearly his bits with not a whole lot of change.
Itâs kind of strange to read a larger piece with bits you already know contained within. You know the bits are coming, you like them, but somehow they feel deflated.
There was one section that stood away from the rest of these, a chapter remembering and eulogizing Mitch Hedberg, which is a must-read for any Hedberg fan.
This book was sort of the opposite of the Sh*t My Dad Says book. I expected that to be a long list of one-liners. Instead, you get these longer stories that lend the whole thing a lot of extra humor. They enhance the jokes rather than squeezing them for every drop of laughter juice drink.
If youâve heard Birbiglia on This American Life or The Moth, get his albums first. If you STILL want more, then give this book a shot. But the order is still firmly Album, Book.”