This Won’t Help: Modest Proposals for a More Enjoyable Apocalypse

by Eli Grober

“Guaranteed, nonstop laughs (and only some sobbing).”—Emma Allen, humor and cartoon editor for  The New Yorker
 
Part catharsis, part diagnosis, this uproarious collection from New Yorker and McSweeney’s satirist Eli Grober navigates our modern maelstrom. Nothing in this book will help—but a few good laughs won’t hurt. Probably.

There’s a lot going on, all the time. It may feel overwhelming. Don’t worry. It will all be over soon. Until then,  This Won’t Help  is here to guide you through the apocalypse—offering 100 modest proposals for how you, too, can bask in the End Times. With sharp, satirical essays, stories, correspondences, and more, humorist Eli Grober stares down a world raging with inaction, while corrupt politicians and the 1 percent maximize the profits of self-destruction. As if any of this will help!
 
Enjoy ineffective think pieces such as . . .
   
Eli Grober’s biting, Swiftian prose spares no one—not the megalomaniacal billionaire fleeing Earth for a better life on unlivable Mars, not an extremely online family living completely off-grid, not even a fossil-fuel lobbyist insisting we all stop using straws. (However, Eli  does  spare a kind thought for the supremely intelligent readers with the good sense to buy this book.) Maybe, just maybe, descending through the inferno of our environmental, economic, and political landscape will help us find real solutions to the absurdity, hypocrisy, and dysfunction that surround us. But probably not!

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Essays, Audiobook, Short Stories, Anthologies

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2023

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, The Experiment, and Eli Grober for the opportunity to read and review "This Wont Help".

From a readability standpoint, this book was great. The formatting was easy to follow, and for this type of book It worked really well. It was easy to pick up, follow, and read at an enjoyable pace. I did find myself skimming through a couple of the parts but that was very minimal - and I think the likeability of a book like this is completely subjective to ones own opinions. I for one, enjoy this type of comedy. Content wise, although this was had great sarcasm and was quite funny throughout, it served as a frighteningly accurate representation of the world we live in. Which I think is why I loved it.

[Corinne Caputo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. I can’t recommend it enough. Eli Grober articulates so many feelings and frustrations in the most hilarious way possible. Truly laugh out loud funny and moving. I can’t wait for more from this author!

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super fun! I laughed out loud quite a few times while also feeling extremely sad at how accurate it is. I did find a few of the topics to be pretty repetitive (yes, climate change is real and disastrous and human made and probably the worst problem facing humanity, but I didn’t need like 15 satires of it. This is still a really great read though!

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

No notes. Should be mandatory reading for highschoolers and then again for your early 20s. And then once more in your 40s

[Ashley ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a piece of satirical genius. Eli Grober brings to light many of the downfalls of our society in way thats hilarious but also so true. Highly recommend this one.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. All of the essays were excellent but some really stood out above the others, including “We Must Give Equal Airtime…”; “Why I’m Doing My Own Research…”; and “I Am Simply the Small-Business…” Grober uses sarcasm as a bludgeon against a lot of what is wrong with things and he takes no prisoners. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the digital review copy.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can't cry anymore, might as well snicker.

[Annie Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some weird in-between of political commentary wrapped in night Vale vibes, with British humor (like hitchhiker's guide) sprinkled on top. It's a fun little read. The humor is clumsy and the writing is mid, but I liked it, it was fun.

[Macie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very silly. If John Mulaney only talked about politics.

[Vanessa Wolosz · Rating 1 out of 5]

bad

[Hamit Ozonur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would have enjoyed his absurd humor more if life was not so insanely absurd at the moment...

[Rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this

[Mary Northrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your humor served with a big slice of sarcasm, this book is for you. In a series of short essays (most are 2 pages long), Grober takes on politics, media, technology, big business, and the environment. Worried about the future? This may help!

[Christina Cola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawless satire that did make me feel a little bit better about the state of the world. Well, maybe not the state of the world cause it's a mess. But I was laughing on almost every page and the serotonin from that definitely helped! Can't recommend this book enough.

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Satire for our times and beyond.
I will be rereading many of the essays.
I loved “ Tag Lines for US Presidents If They Were Real Housewives “ and “ How to Deny People Health Care with #Empathy”, “How I Saved Enough Money to Buy a House with My Parents Money”, “We Need to Let Kids Be Kids by Limiting What They Learn and Controlling Who They Are” and so many other pieces.
This is definitely on my holidays gift giving list for a bunch of people.
Read it, you’ll enjoy it.

[Stevie Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re at all concerned about the state of our world but also don’t feel like anything is helping, this book also definitely won’t help but it will at least make you laugh! One of my instant favorites I will return to when I want to feel less crazy in the absurdity of late-stage capitalism ❤️

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny, satirical book that bridges a lot of relevant and memorable topics in an engaging way. A highly skimmable book that both makes me want to laugh and cry while reading it. 4.5/5

[Moth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Won’t Help is a witty satire collection for anyone who’s tired of the United States government.
The book is a collection of absurdist essays centered around politics in the U.S. It covers a range of topics and characters, but always returns to politics and government.
Grober does an excellent job at picking out the root cause of problems in the U.S. (mostly the government and rich people) and satirizing it. He makes it an unavoidable truth that there is very little that the average American can do to change the state of the country.
The book does a great job of transitioning from comedy to tragedy over the course of the essays. I was truly laughing out loud at several of the early essays, but by the end, the book felt more like a gut-punch.
Unfortunately, I didn’t truly enjoy most of the essays. For the most part, there were just a few funny lines in each one, while the rest was just banter. I also felt that a lot of the essays were a little too long and lost their momentum after the first half, so it was hard to enjoy.
Another issue I found was that the book is almost entirely centered around American issues and politics. Even as an American myself, I found it a little hard to keep up with some of the essays simply because they were about topics and/or political figures that I have very little knowledge on.
I found the essays to be a little repetitive by the end. It’s fine if you’re only reading a few essays at a time, but it’s not a collection to sit and read in one sitting.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, thanks to my absolute bestie for the book rec! Slaying that librarian life lol!
This book is very conflicting for me. First of all, it made me laugh so hard; like sidesplitting, snorting, reading-the-book-to-my-friends kind of laughter. But it also was like the most depressing thing ever, simeltaneously. Because it reminded me that corruption is everywhere, the world is in iminent danger and there may or may not be nothing I can do about it. But it's okay, because... comedy? For real though I truly did enjoy this, I loved all the satyrical wit and the points made and agreed with a lot of it! I just wish I didn't feel so powerless, lol, so I think that's a me problem! But this was a delight to read, kudos for the author for being at once profound and hilarious!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Eli Grober and his satire helped get me through the pandemic (and current life!). His satire speaks to me so clearly and makes me feel like maybe I'm not crazy after all.

The book is fun to read because you can go sequentially, skip around, or just open to a random page when you're feeling bored. I actually wish some of the pieces were longer. I love the ones people already listed in their reviews and also the fake AITA post about The Shining 🤣

Time to start working on his second book hopefully! Which given the path we're on, probably REALLY won't help.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is going to make you laugh so hard but also cry on the inside just a little. At least that is how I reacted. This Won’t Help: Modest Proposals for a More Enjoyable Apocalypse is a collection of essays that makes us acknowledge the true idiocy of our society when it comes to caring for Mother Earth. Funny but true! I am left feeling the need to do better but also knowing I can’t afford to buy a ticket to outer space. Lol.
I won this book in a gracious giveaway on Goodreads by the The Experiment. My review is my opinion alone.
I highly recommend this book!

[Zannelle Iwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorites were (in order of appearance):
-Tag lines for US presidents if they were on The Real Housewives
-Schoolhouse Rock! Fifty years later
-Im being censored and you can read, hear, and see me talk about it in the news, on the radio, and on TV
-The only acceptable form of free speech is giving me money
-In which I am visited in the night by the ghost of Benjamin Franklin
-The Constitution: Updated terms and conditions
-Fall 2150

This book makes me want to be a smarter and funnier writer.

[Anny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

As a non-American reader, some of the jokes were lost on me. But I found them mostly quite funny especially the ones poking fun at politicians and corporations. Or the ones satirizing our absurd lifestyles.

Some of my favorites (paraphrased since I returned the book already):

I can finally buy a house after I stop drinking Starbucks everyday, ... and my parent paid the down payment for me

How can we afford to bail student loans when we can barely afford bailing Airlines Industry, CitiGroup, AIG, and Airlines Industry?

[Medhini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! Given the general state of well, everything, I really enjoyed this. It was cathartic, laugh-out-loud funny, frustratingly relevant, and broken up in a way that made the experience equally satisfying whether I was binge-reading or carving out a few minutes to read just 1-2 essays. It did get a bit repetitive, but I really didn't mind. I'd highly recommend this book and am actually thinking about buying a copy of it for myself.

[Doug Lewars · Rating 1 out of 5]

*** Possible Spoilers ***

I think I set a new record for this book DNFing it by the 2% mark. There are certain things i will not tolerate from an author and one of them is preaching at his or her readers. Nevertheless, I believe some readers might enjoy the book, so if you would like to listen to a sermon from the Evangelical Church of Sanctimonious Environmentalism, this book, or at least the first essay, is for you.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, but it fell a bit flat for me. The subject matter (i.e. social issues, the environment, etc.) were all points I agreed with and felt passionately about, but the delivery seemed more akin to a standup bit. I think a little more nuance would have gone a long way.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Andrew Pagano · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know, man. The concept is fun, and I respect the intent. There’s just some serious execution problems here. Anyone who reads and/or writes comedy has an innate sense for when something slips in to New Yorker Magazine tryhard territory. Spend less time trying to sound smart, and much less time TRYING to be funny.

To quote a famous cartoon, “The whole thing smacks of effort, man.”

[Ellery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with another review that said several of the topics were repetitive, but I really enjoyed the sarcasm and overall tone of the book. I loved the different formats of the essays as well! Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format worked well for me. There were a lot of times I laughed and I was able to pick it up and put it down as much as I needed. Great book to take along if you are stuck in waiting rooms a lot. A few topics I glazed over, but for the most part I enjoyed being entertained. Found it a nice mix of memory lane, current times and what situations we may/may not find ourselves in in the future. I would definitely gift this book to others. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Jared Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, broke it, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And Judas muttered, "This is the shit I'm talking about, making us eat your body and stuff. It's, like, way over the line."