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Suburgatory: Twisted Tales From Darkest Suburbia
Suburgatory lampoons the absurdities and contradictions that Linda Keenan has witnessed since leaving New York City, where she was a thoroughly urban CNN news producer for seven years, and settling down as a hapless stay-at-home suburban mother. The original proposal for this book was picked by Warner Brothers in 2010, and you can see their imagining of Suburgatory on the ABC show of the same title this fall. Keenan was forced by the man in her life to leave her beloved New York City for a supposed suburban utopia. Instead she found herself trapped in a place where conformity is king, and where she often felt like she had been taken hostage by an adult Girl Scout troop. So Keenan decided to train her twisted reporter's eye on the strange inhabitants of this new foreign land. Thought of as a local town newspaper or website, Suburgatory includes “news stories” (Mom Plans School Auction During Dreary Sex) that go after the tiger moms, breastfeeding nazis, frustrated swingers, crypto-racists, barely-there dads, and power-mad principals.. In addition to the irreverent news stories, Suburgatory features faux op-ed "Shout Outs" (Let’s Do that Key Party Right the Next Time), witty advertisements (Briarcliff Academy—Educating the Stupid Rich Since 1903), and an over-the-top totally toxic advice Dr. Drama. .
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2011
18 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Linda Erin Keenan
4 books21 followersDate of Death?
Thanks a lot, Goodreads!
I'm Linda Keeenan,the very much alive if unkempt author of the book Suburgatory (don't let that author photo fool you for a second.) If Suburgatory sounds at all familiar, my book proposal was picked up by Warner Bros., and now ABC's sitcom Suburgatory will lead into Modern Family this fall. The book and show will be out weeks apart, and are vastly different.
My book is more like The Onion but for suburban parents. If you liked the book Go The Fuck To Sleep, you may well like Suburgatory.
Most of my career was spent in a newsroom (with my final 7 years at CNN with Anderson Cooper, Aaron Brown and others.) Trading that environment for a playground was quite the shock!
Thanks a lot, Goodreads!
I'm Linda Keeenan,the very much alive if unkempt author of the book Suburgatory (don't let that author photo fool you for a second.) If Suburgatory sounds at all familiar, my book proposal was picked up by Warner Bros., and now ABC's sitcom Suburgatory will lead into Modern Family this fall. The book and show will be out weeks apart, and are vastly different.
My book is more like The Onion but for suburban parents. If you liked the book Go The Fuck To Sleep, you may well like Suburgatory.
Most of my career was spent in a newsroom (with my final 7 years at CNN with Anderson Cooper, Aaron Brown and others.) Trading that environment for a playground was quite the shock!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
January 14, 2013
So excited...won this from the Goodreads giveaway and can't wait to read it. Nice touch, the author signed it! This is a new series on ABC...I've watched it once and thought it was cute.
I'll let you know what I think.
So, I couldn't even get through the first chapter. I tried but the writing was trying TOO hard to be clever and funny and I found it neither. Put it aside after the fourth attempt. Sorry.
Think the t.v. series is cute but I didn't see any of the book really in the series.
I'll let you know what I think.
So, I couldn't even get through the first chapter. I tried but the writing was trying TOO hard to be clever and funny and I found it neither. Put it aside after the fourth attempt. Sorry.
Think the t.v. series is cute but I didn't see any of the book really in the series.
June 27, 2012
Why oh why couldn't I have thought of something like this? Linda is hysterical in her suburgatory tales and news and blurbs. What's even funnier is that I often found myself thinking, "Oh yeah... that happened here, too." Then I'd remember that it probably actually DIDN'T happen here and that she had totally made it up. That's how biting and true-to-life this book is. You need to read it if you are a suburbanite or if you are all metro (metro?) because either way, you're going to laugh until your sides hurt.
May 29, 2012
I have a few things to say on this one...
Firstly, kudos to the author for recognizing that she may come off as a "whiny white mommy." The fact is... she does, to a certain degree; the woman had an inheritance and was making 6 figures in New York before she took off to be a mom in suburbia. My sympathy, she does not elicit. That being said, I wasn't turned off by the admission; I think she's smart enough and interesting enough that this could have been an autobiography worth reading, and I was hoping that the story would be such that I would be able to get over the "whiny white mommy" effect.
However, the book wasn't an autobiography, not really. It was presented as a series of articles, resembling a suburgatory newspaper of sorts; some of the articles were amusing, but most were just... there. I honestly would have preferred some insight into who this woman is and what she dealt with; the introduction, as well as the concluding chapter, touched on that, and that grabbed my interest. Money and privilege aside, I would have been more intrigued to hear her description of the shift from NYC craziness to slowed-down, insulated suburbia, and I think she could have pulled that off.
Firstly, kudos to the author for recognizing that she may come off as a "whiny white mommy." The fact is... she does, to a certain degree; the woman had an inheritance and was making 6 figures in New York before she took off to be a mom in suburbia. My sympathy, she does not elicit. That being said, I wasn't turned off by the admission; I think she's smart enough and interesting enough that this could have been an autobiography worth reading, and I was hoping that the story would be such that I would be able to get over the "whiny white mommy" effect.
However, the book wasn't an autobiography, not really. It was presented as a series of articles, resembling a suburgatory newspaper of sorts; some of the articles were amusing, but most were just... there. I honestly would have preferred some insight into who this woman is and what she dealt with; the introduction, as well as the concluding chapter, touched on that, and that grabbed my interest. Money and privilege aside, I would have been more intrigued to hear her description of the shift from NYC craziness to slowed-down, insulated suburbia, and I think she could have pulled that off.
September 29, 2021
This has been the book that I’ve grazed on for over 6 months. I’ve owned it for years, but I put it down about a third of the way in all the way back in 2012 and never actually bothered to pick it back up. Now I have, and all I can say is: eh, I get why I put it down.
The “articles”/chapters are pretty hit or miss. There’s not much to keep you reading other than the fact that the chapters are short. It’s grating and offensive at times; but it’s supposed to be, so there’s not much to say about that. As other reviewers have noted, the author’s introduction and closing thoughts are a lot more engaging than the actual newspaper portion of the book. I think I would really like a whole book in her own voice, with a more straightforward approach than was employed here.
It was fine. I had an okay time. Now I’m moving on and finding something else to graze on.
The “articles”/chapters are pretty hit or miss. There’s not much to keep you reading other than the fact that the chapters are short. It’s grating and offensive at times; but it’s supposed to be, so there’s not much to say about that. As other reviewers have noted, the author’s introduction and closing thoughts are a lot more engaging than the actual newspaper portion of the book. I think I would really like a whole book in her own voice, with a more straightforward approach than was employed here.
It was fine. I had an okay time. Now I’m moving on and finding something else to graze on.
July 21, 2012
Hilarious. Outrageous. No, wait, hilarious. Perhaps a tad of genius? As someone who is far from acclimated to navigation of the minefield that is suburban motherhood, I completely understand where she's coming from. And I subjected an entire coffee house to random bursts of hilarity. Such a bold book - think I'll head over to Linda's town and be her new friend...it's just up the road... (ps - this book does not follow the storyline of television program it merely shares a title).
May 10, 2012
Witty,wicked and scathing satire about a fictional upper-middle class suburb and its usually clueless citizenry. If you've ever lived in a well-to-do. white suburb and felt absurdly out of place, this book is for you!
July 17, 2014
Some good laughs, but overall this author isn't nearly as clever as she thinks she is. I've seen better satire from a gang of ten year olds from Colorado!
April 12, 2020
There's a story in this book about an affluent housewife who shops at Walmart solely so she can feel thinner and prettier than the poor and working-class women there. She is shown the People of Walmart website and laughs delightedly - until she comes across a photo of herself during a bad hair day.
That is the impression I got of Linda Keenan. I mean, you ARE a wealthy, white suburban stay-at-home mom, just like the ones you caricatured. There were some funny pieces in here, but the overall impression is Keenan trying very hard to prove that she is not like the other girls in Stepford. "I'm a trash-talker! I'm, like, socially aware and stuff! I know about teh racism!"
But in all seriousness, I recommend Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream , which explains how suburban design contributes enormously to the culture and attitudes satirized in this book. It's both incredibly eye-opening and absolutely infuriating.
That is the impression I got of Linda Keenan. I mean, you ARE a wealthy, white suburban stay-at-home mom, just like the ones you caricatured. There were some funny pieces in here, but the overall impression is Keenan trying very hard to prove that she is not like the other girls in Stepford. "I'm a trash-talker! I'm, like, socially aware and stuff! I know about teh racism!"
But in all seriousness, I recommend Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream , which explains how suburban design contributes enormously to the culture and attitudes satirized in this book. It's both incredibly eye-opening and absolutely infuriating.
May 23, 2018
The book is three kinds of funny:
1. Generally laughing/giggling (students looked at me funny when I laughed during SSR).
2. Hand flies to the mouth, maybe some sputtering if I'd just taken a sip of coffee - OMG, did she really write that?! (students looked concerned during those times).
3. There is some CAH sh*t goin' on here! That seriously limits who I can recommend this to.
Obviously, I DID NOT share any part of this reading with any students.
1. Generally laughing/giggling (students looked at me funny when I laughed during SSR).
2. Hand flies to the mouth, maybe some sputtering if I'd just taken a sip of coffee - OMG, did she really write that?! (students looked concerned during those times).
3. There is some CAH sh*t goin' on here! That seriously limits who I can recommend this to.
Obviously, I DID NOT share any part of this reading with any students.
January 17, 2024
Darkly hilarious, while poking fun at your country of origin is cool, as an outsider I was embarrassed as per usual at the intelligent birthright being used to hold SUA up for ridicule, especially when those living in another country who are high school plus self educated know those observations are sooo true and that they will never change.
Deliciously decadent, thank you for your collected words Linda Erin Keenan and your eloquence Cassandra Campbell, very much appreciated ladies. :-)
Deliciously decadent, thank you for your collected words Linda Erin Keenan and your eloquence Cassandra Campbell, very much appreciated ladies. :-)
April 4, 2020
2020 Book Nerd Your Way.... #19
Did not fit in an available category for the EBN Challenge.
Busy Career Woman turns Housewife in Suburbia.
Funny, Crazy, and a unique perspective on the lives of Suburanites. What a way to look at things.
My favorite part? Comparing the Toddler to the Anchorman!! Brilliant!!
Did not fit in an available category for the EBN Challenge.
Busy Career Woman turns Housewife in Suburbia.
Funny, Crazy, and a unique perspective on the lives of Suburanites. What a way to look at things.
My favorite part? Comparing the Toddler to the Anchorman!! Brilliant!!
May 7, 2020
This book is completely shruggable. It's not terrible but it's definitely not interesting. Keenan feels like she's trying too hard to make a statement about the people who live in the suburbs while also saying she's not like those weirdos at all. Most of the jokes rate a titter at best. If you're looking for humor keep looking.
June 4, 2017
Some cute stories, but it was really just not my thing. I may have been expecting it to be more like the show. No Tess or any other characters from the show :(.
November 21, 2018
This book was terrible. It wasn't funny, and I just wanted it to be over.
December 27, 2018
Salty and bitter, but amusing.
June 15, 2020
Didn't finish it
August 1, 2020
Quirky, self-congratulatory, funny, interesting, okay.
October 3, 2023
Read this. Twice. Preferably in audio.
June 23, 2023
this is what passes for comedy in america?? no wonder their sense of humour is shit.
June 18, 2012
Still reading - I tend to read several books at once, so it takes me longer sometimes to get through one. I think of books as conversations I have with people and with my short attention span and actual love of conversing with many different people, I change gears several times a day to "talk" with different books.
That is not my review though.
I will start by saying, "Don't leave this fucking book on the goddamed coffee table so your 7 year old can pick it up and start reading the filthy content within.
Lock this book up when you are done reading it for the day. Put it on a high shelf, tuck it behind a sofa cushion, slip it into a plastic baggy and keep it in the toilet tank.
Somewhere, anywhere....just don't let your precious child read any of it. Not that your child doesn't already know those words, who are you kidding? Mine does and I like it that way. She knows the words and also knows they are not appropriate for her to use, but if she were to use them, then I would expect her to fucking use them correctly in a sentence or exclamation!
I thought this book was creative and captured perfectly the essence of some people's lives in suburbia. God knows it is so different from being a single person without a care in the world and once kids enter the picture, suddenly everything that we didn't really give a fuck about, we now concern ourselves with. Time consuming to say the least. Life altering and sometimes not in a great way.
A funny book with a funny take on many different situations that sometimes really ring all too true and close to home. Fuck it! Keeping a sense of humor about fucked up humans is the only way to traverse through our time on the planet without having to ingest copious amounts of alcohol and drugs.
That is not my review though.
I will start by saying, "Don't leave this fucking book on the goddamed coffee table so your 7 year old can pick it up and start reading the filthy content within.
Lock this book up when you are done reading it for the day. Put it on a high shelf, tuck it behind a sofa cushion, slip it into a plastic baggy and keep it in the toilet tank.
Somewhere, anywhere....just don't let your precious child read any of it. Not that your child doesn't already know those words, who are you kidding? Mine does and I like it that way. She knows the words and also knows they are not appropriate for her to use, but if she were to use them, then I would expect her to fucking use them correctly in a sentence or exclamation!
I thought this book was creative and captured perfectly the essence of some people's lives in suburbia. God knows it is so different from being a single person without a care in the world and once kids enter the picture, suddenly everything that we didn't really give a fuck about, we now concern ourselves with. Time consuming to say the least. Life altering and sometimes not in a great way.
A funny book with a funny take on many different situations that sometimes really ring all too true and close to home. Fuck it! Keeping a sense of humor about fucked up humans is the only way to traverse through our time on the planet without having to ingest copious amounts of alcohol and drugs.
March 19, 2014
I had to create a new shelf for this book because I do not intend to finish it. I've been listening to it in audiobook format. I can't decide which I find more annoying, the writing or the narration. I really think I might enjoy parts of it more if I didn't find the narrator so bothersome, but I'm not going to find a copy of the book just to find out. It was fine for a while - even mildly amusing, then started to become grating, and now I'm around the half-way point and I know I can't do it anymore. If it had been shorter, I would have finished it, but it's become repetitive. I'm not sure exactly whom the author is satirizing some of the time. Some of the stories are good, but the faux-news story format didn't really work for me. It takes more for me to abandon an audiobook than a regular one because I just listen while I'm doing other things, but I refuse to give up any more time on this.
June 13, 2016
Dear god, this book is hilarious.
Linda Erin Keenan worked for CNN before becoming a stay at home mom in Suburbia. Now, I don't live in Suburbia, but I consider the very idea my version of hell. So, anything skewering that life, I am all about. I did watch the television show, solely because the darling Alan Tudyk was in it. Funny, but not really my kind of show. I didn't think I was actually going to enjoy the book because of that.
The book and television show are only faintly related. This is actually a mom-centered version of The Onion. I wouldn't be surprised to learn LEK actually wrote for The Onion. As well she should.
I don't think I could pick a favorite chapter. There were so many where my jaw dropped and I was cackling and near tears. I feel like all of my mom friends, hell, all of my friends, could find chapters in here to relate to, and to make them feel better about their life choices.
Awesome.
Linda Erin Keenan worked for CNN before becoming a stay at home mom in Suburbia. Now, I don't live in Suburbia, but I consider the very idea my version of hell. So, anything skewering that life, I am all about. I did watch the television show, solely because the darling Alan Tudyk was in it. Funny, but not really my kind of show. I didn't think I was actually going to enjoy the book because of that.
The book and television show are only faintly related. This is actually a mom-centered version of The Onion. I wouldn't be surprised to learn LEK actually wrote for The Onion. As well she should.
I don't think I could pick a favorite chapter. There were so many where my jaw dropped and I was cackling and near tears. I feel like all of my mom friends, hell, all of my friends, could find chapters in here to relate to, and to make them feel better about their life choices.
Awesome.
December 9, 2011
Haven't received the book yet, just received notice I had won. Excited, I really like the TV show. 10/31/11
Received my copy last night. Have 3 others in front, but hope to start soon. 11/11/11
Started this morning, and so excited. A grown-up version of the TV show. 11/30/11
Finished last night. 12/8/11
Not really a summary type book, so I will just say that Linda is a funny writer. Short stories, mock advertisements, and Dr Drama. I don't live in Suburgatory but in a suburb type setting. The difference between us and those in the book is the money aspect. We didn't go from glitzy living in a huge city (New Yorkish) to living in a suburb, BUT I totally knew people that fit some of the characters in her stories. :) Don't read if you are offended by sex, homosexuality, and racism. They were handled okay for me and they were very funny, but I can see how some would be offended.
Received my copy last night. Have 3 others in front, but hope to start soon. 11/11/11
Started this morning, and so excited. A grown-up version of the TV show. 11/30/11
Finished last night. 12/8/11
Not really a summary type book, so I will just say that Linda is a funny writer. Short stories, mock advertisements, and Dr Drama. I don't live in Suburgatory but in a suburb type setting. The difference between us and those in the book is the money aspect. We didn't go from glitzy living in a huge city (New Yorkish) to living in a suburb, BUT I totally knew people that fit some of the characters in her stories. :) Don't read if you are offended by sex, homosexuality, and racism. They were handled okay for me and they were very funny, but I can see how some would be offended.
November 18, 2011
Suburgatory: Twisted Tales from Darkest Suburbia by Linda Erin Keenan. I received this book for free from Goodreads FirstReads. Having lived in suburbia for many years, I could relate in lots of way to the short vignettes in this book. In fact, it seems as though I've actually known some of these people and have been in closely-related situations. This is great satirical writing about all aspects of suburbia and it is laugh-out-loud funny. The concept is simple - observing daily life in your very own suburban neighborhood. I can see how easy it was for the author to just look around, pay attention, perhaps take some notes, and what she needed to write this hilarious book was right there. There's a lot to take in so I recommend reading it in short sessions. I always looked forward to start reading again and especially enjoyed the 'Paid Advertisements.'
October 2, 2012
Eh..one of the few times I can honestly say the show is better than the book? The intent is good, but after awhile it just went on, and on, and on, and on and on and just seemed like a big gripe for her real life frustrations. Yes, we can all imagine the Stepford community living she's talking about but it's really no different from what happens daily on every level, from one upping the co-worker on better nail art to better vacations to designer shoes or where a wedding dress was purchased, and see how I'm going on and could continue? That's how the book went.
She could have shortented it, added a few "zingers" rather than the rambing of her/town's supposed ob/gyn and church social stuff and made it funnier. To each their own but about 2/3 of the way through it felt like me on a rant and too much caffiene. I wouldn't waste your time.
She could have shortented it, added a few "zingers" rather than the rambing of her/town's supposed ob/gyn and church social stuff and made it funnier. To each their own but about 2/3 of the way through it felt like me on a rant and too much caffiene. I wouldn't waste your time.
December 1, 2013
This was not what I expected from the description. This book is a series of essays about the types of characters found in suburbia. While many of the characterizations were very good, the pieces were rarely funny. As a product of the suburbs, I know the types of characters and that they can be very funny so I really expected more. The pieces might bring a slight smile or a nod of recognition but the book falls short of the funny novel I was really expecting. If the essays were funny, I probably would have finished the book, but I finally had had enough.
The only reason I rated it two stars was because the characters were recognizable.
The only reason I rated it two stars was because the characters were recognizable.
March 11, 2012
My favorite part of the book was the introduction, during which the author spoke about how she had come to write the book. The stories that make up the body of the book, while funny, and scarily true, were not as genuine and intriguing as the introduction and epilogue sections.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has survived suburbia and lived to tell the tales. Keenan's stories are fantastic. They are just barely exaggerated tellings of daily life in suburbia; anyone who has spent time there will recognize most of her characters right off the bat.
This book made me remember my time is the burbs fondly...while reassuring me about my choice to live far, far away from them.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has survived suburbia and lived to tell the tales. Keenan's stories are fantastic. They are just barely exaggerated tellings of daily life in suburbia; anyone who has spent time there will recognize most of her characters right off the bat.
This book made me remember my time is the burbs fondly...while reassuring me about my choice to live far, far away from them.
November 19, 2011
I don't shock easily, and roll off the couch laughing at Chelsea Handler, so that wasn't the reason why I hated this book. It was presented as being funny, give me David Sedaris or Jen Lancaster (and I am a Liberal Democrat) any day. This book plain old wasn't funny and it was written poorly, I don't care what kind of cred the author has. I cannot believe they are thinking of making this into a tv show, it they did, I am sure it has already been canceled. I would much rather live in the American Horror Story neighborhood.
February 26, 2012
This was okay for me. I'm afraid I found myself skimming some of the chapters, already thinking ahead to what book I was going to read next. I can't say I relate to a lot of the topics, which is what I am sure affected my enjoyment. However, I can say that the writing has a bitingly funny point of view. I feel this would appeal to a lot of women who leave city life for a seemingly more sedate suburban life, but finding a whole new set of dramas instead. I don't have children, and i live in a small, rural Southern town. I am just coming from a different place, I guess.
November 4, 2012
Now that I've finished the book and read other readers' reviews, I see that I was one of many who expected something completely different than the actual news article format the author used. It was somewhat off-putting and at times tedious; I found I could only read a few of the "articles" at a time. The subject matter often felt redundant, as if the author was desperately attempting to hit a page requirement. Nonetheless, I did find certain parts amusing and therefore felt it warranted two stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews