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Spoiled Brats
In his collection SPOILED BRATS, Simon Rich takes his absurd, culture-skewering style to new heights, marrying the literary polish of writers like Karen Russell and George Saunders with the humor of Steve Martin to deliver truly dazzling tales.
SPOILED BRATS is about the battles we fight with the ones who love us most: our parents. In "Family Business," a young chimpanzee offends his working class father by choosing to become a research animal instead of joining the family grub-hunting business. In "Proud Mom," a young mother is so besotted she doesn't realize her child is actually, truly a monster. And in "Animals," the fate of a terrified classroom hamster hangs in the balance when a notorious kid is picked for hamster care duty.
SPOILED BRATS is about the battles we fight with the ones who love us most: our parents. In "Family Business," a young chimpanzee offends his working class father by choosing to become a research animal instead of joining the family grub-hunting business. In "Proud Mom," a young mother is so besotted she doesn't realize her child is actually, truly a monster. And in "Animals," the fate of a terrified classroom hamster hangs in the balance when a notorious kid is picked for hamster care duty.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
247 people are currently reading
3954 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rich
29 books1,072 followersSimon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist whose first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, was published by Random House in April 2007.
Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 2007.
His first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, has been described as a collection of "giddy what-if scenarios". Excerpts of the book were printed in The New Yorker's "Shouts and Murmurs" column. His second book, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008. His first novel, Elliot Allagash was released in May of 2010, followed by What in God’s Name and most recently, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, a collection of short stories about love.
He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.
Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 2007.
His first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, has been described as a collection of "giddy what-if scenarios". Excerpts of the book were printed in The New Yorker's "Shouts and Murmurs" column. His second book, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008. His first novel, Elliot Allagash was released in May of 2010, followed by What in God’s Name and most recently, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, a collection of short stories about love.
He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews
January 7, 2015
In a word: underwhelming. Simon Rich's collection of short stories has some funny moments, for sure. I laughed out loud several times while reading "Sell Out," and several of the other scenarios made me chuckle (I particularly liked the premise of "The Tribal Rite of the Strombergs".). But for someone who seems intent on roasting the selfie selfishness of the Millennials, Rich seems a little too close to the fire. He's obviously an insider, a Brooklynite and a hipster. The stories are TOO tongue in cheek, leaving the reader (at least, this reader) rolling her eyes instead of holding her sides from laughing. At times, the wink-and-nod style of "see how I'm even hipper than the hipster crew?" reminded me, I'm sorry to say, of Lena Dunham.
So, you know, pick this up at the hipster equivalent of a yard sale (a treehouse sale? a cavernous loft pilfering party? I don't know) next time you stumble upon one. You'll get a couple of laughs out of it and it won't take more than a few hours of your time.
So, you know, pick this up at the hipster equivalent of a yard sale (a treehouse sale? a cavernous loft pilfering party? I don't know) next time you stumble upon one. You'll get a couple of laughs out of it and it won't take more than a few hours of your time.
February 17, 2015
This, among other reasons, is why I loved this book:
"I love my father, but sometimes he can get on my nerves. It’s hard to explain why exactly. It’s just little things he does, here and there, that bother me. For example, sometimes he shits into his hands and then throws the shit into my face while jumping up and down and screaming. I know he’s just trying to be funny— and it is funny, I can see that. But there’s just something about it that annoys me. I’ve asked him politely not to do it anymore, but I always get the same reaction. He just rolls his yellow eyes and says, 'I’m sorry, your majesty.'"
"I love my father, but sometimes he can get on my nerves. It’s hard to explain why exactly. It’s just little things he does, here and there, that bother me. For example, sometimes he shits into his hands and then throws the shit into my face while jumping up and down and screaming. I know he’s just trying to be funny— and it is funny, I can see that. But there’s just something about it that annoys me. I’ve asked him politely not to do it anymore, but I always get the same reaction. He just rolls his yellow eyes and says, 'I’m sorry, your majesty.'"
August 21, 2014
Any book that can have you laughing out loud this often, cannot possibly garner anything less than 5-stars. Absolutely hysterical. I thoroughly enjoyed "Last Girlfriend", and vowed to seek out anything else this writer put out -- and I'm so glad I did. What an enormously talented, funny, funny man.
Just as "Cupid" was a must read in "Last Girlfriend", "Elf On The Shelf" is worth the price of admission with this collection.
Not due out until October, so you may have to wait. But, be at your local independent bookstore when it opens that Tuesday morning, happily hand over $25 (think of it as an investment in your happiness), activate the DND, and enjoy.
Just as "Cupid" was a must read in "Last Girlfriend", "Elf On The Shelf" is worth the price of admission with this collection.
Not due out until October, so you may have to wait. But, be at your local independent bookstore when it opens that Tuesday morning, happily hand over $25 (think of it as an investment in your happiness), activate the DND, and enjoy.
April 18, 2015
Spoiled Brats: Stories is a collection of stories by Simon Rich, an author I feel compelled to read more of the moment I finish this review. I found these stories hilarious. Some of them are only as long as a lengthy joke and I preferred the somewhat longer ones, commentaries on hipsters, Brooklyn's status as uber borough, modern parenting, and elementary school classroom culture. Some of the stories are more successful than others (I particularly like the one where a man is pickled in a vat of brine and comes back 100 years later and meets his great-great-grandson.
There are many brats in these stories, all from affluence, who follow their bliss and reject monetary values (as long as they have their personal inheritance) and whine their way through their affluence at any inconvenience or demand to grow up. At times, the stories hit a little too close to my own home but I found myself laughing even as I winced.
I read the stories in a single sitting. I must now go find more stories by Rich.
There are many brats in these stories, all from affluence, who follow their bliss and reject monetary values (as long as they have their personal inheritance) and whine their way through their affluence at any inconvenience or demand to grow up. At times, the stories hit a little too close to my own home but I found myself laughing even as I winced.
I read the stories in a single sitting. I must now go find more stories by Rich.
March 13, 2015
Simon Rich's previous books have been hilarious, but the stories were often just sketches, like SNL skits that were too funny to make it onto the air. This book, however, moves to a new level. It's equally hilarious -- but now Rich has a lot more on his mind. His satire is fantastic (the social critique in 'Sell Out' for example, is endlessly clever and always spot-on) and he manages to hit moments of great poignancy as well. He might rely on blue humor a bit too often for a laugh, but it's generally a good laugh anyhow. His concepts are extremely clever. I can imagine re-reading many of these again and again.
August 28, 2014
Simon Rich is right up there with David Sedaris as far as my top favorite comedic short story writers, and this collection had me crying I was laughing so hard! Bad parenting and hipsterdom, torture and humiliation - in Simon Rich's hands, all of it is somehow completely spot-on hilarious. I like how he affixes his own name to some of the most odious of these spoiled brat characters, like the fat kindergartner who tortures the hamsters in Animal, and the 27 year old script doctor who rats out his pickled great-great-grandfather in Sell Out.
January 27, 2015
Ha! Millennials are the worst ... except when they're marvelous. A strong collection of very funny stories that hit the satiric nail on the head consistently. My favorite is the longest, "Sell Out," which imagines the author's ancestor, preserved in pickle juice for 100 years, awakening in modern day Brooklyn and discovering as many absurd continuities with the past as ridiculous devolutions. Sure, there are more than a few grasps at some of our era's lowest-hanging fruits, but then again, we 21st century denizens can be pretty ridiculous.
August 20, 2018
Darkly funny. Or, maybe, funnily dark? Rich's "selfish brats," both young and old, may be dealing with despair, selfishness, and the Death of Dreams, but their stories also have a surprising lot of warmth and kindness. In dog terms (I write this with an affectionate golden retriever leaning on my arm), "a sharp "nip" to get your attention, then a friendly slop of the tongue to remind you that things will probably be okay."
March 17, 2023
These stories read like the the Interdimensional Cable episode of Rick and Morty, which I mean as a compliment. They’re silly and stupid but fully conceived. He takes them seriously which makes it funnier. He also knows that for this type of thing to work, short and sweet is the way to go, and they don’t overstay their welcome.
February 6, 2024
I love these
December 20, 2014
3 ½ stars. I didn’t laugh, but I smiled several times. Some clever ideas.
This has several short stories. Most or all of them are told in first person. My two favorites were: 1. hamsters in a lower school classroom. When Simon was assigned to feed them for the week, they knew death by starvation was coming. 2. “Sell Out” had an immigrant making and selling pickles. He was advised to hire help, but he didn’t want the expense, so he was told to use interns. He couldn’t believe he was getting 100 applications a day from college students wanting to work as slave labor for him.
Many subjects related to things kids in their 20's think about. And the dialogue sounds millennial because he uses the word “like” so much. For example he says “I’m like going somewhere.”
The author narrated his own book. B.J. Novak did this with great success. But I don’t think Simon Rich should do it. His east coast accent is too strong and distracts. Part of it might be his voice. Also, he also should have left greater pauses between stories.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 1st person. Unabridged audiobook length: 3 hrs and 53 minutes. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual content: one story had a guy self pleasuring. Book copyright: 2014. Genre: humorous short stories.
This has several short stories. Most or all of them are told in first person. My two favorites were: 1. hamsters in a lower school classroom. When Simon was assigned to feed them for the week, they knew death by starvation was coming. 2. “Sell Out” had an immigrant making and selling pickles. He was advised to hire help, but he didn’t want the expense, so he was told to use interns. He couldn’t believe he was getting 100 applications a day from college students wanting to work as slave labor for him.
Many subjects related to things kids in their 20's think about. And the dialogue sounds millennial because he uses the word “like” so much. For example he says “I’m like going somewhere.”
The author narrated his own book. B.J. Novak did this with great success. But I don’t think Simon Rich should do it. His east coast accent is too strong and distracts. Part of it might be his voice. Also, he also should have left greater pauses between stories.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 1st person. Unabridged audiobook length: 3 hrs and 53 minutes. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual content: one story had a guy self pleasuring. Book copyright: 2014. Genre: humorous short stories.
February 15, 2019
Môj nový obľúbený srandovný autor.
November 24, 2020
SO much fun! Some stories resonated more than others, but true laugh-out-loud moments mixed with truly insightful moments about life and relationships.
August 17, 2023
Uninteresting collection themed on shitty characters in different situations or observed from different vantage points.
August 3, 2020
i believe this is the first time i've ever read a full book in 24 hours (for an actual book, not like a dr seuss). it's more a testament to the long weekend than to the quality of these stories
less funny than the other simon rich short story collection i just finished, i think the only story that i will remember for longest than a day (and the only one to make me actually go "ha") is semester abroad, even though it's mostly stereotypical character humour.
in a strange coincidence, of the four books (all short story collections of humour) i've read since relearning how to read in 2020, two of them feature a "short" story that take up more than 1/3 of the total book's length, and both are told in broken english through the perspective of an immigrant father narrator. it's not the most pleasing structure to read, but i found rich's "sell out" more palatable and funny (although with significantly less depth or meaning) than george saunders' "the semplica girl diaries". both drag down their respective collections by being overly long and having that hard to follow, broken english writing style
less funny than the other simon rich short story collection i just finished, i think the only story that i will remember for longest than a day (and the only one to make me actually go "ha") is semester abroad, even though it's mostly stereotypical character humour.
in a strange coincidence, of the four books (all short story collections of humour) i've read since relearning how to read in 2020, two of them feature a "short" story that take up more than 1/3 of the total book's length, and both are told in broken english through the perspective of an immigrant father narrator. it's not the most pleasing structure to read, but i found rich's "sell out" more palatable and funny (although with significantly less depth or meaning) than george saunders' "the semplica girl diaries". both drag down their respective collections by being overly long and having that hard to follow, broken english writing style
Read
September 6, 2022this is a book i read when i was wayyyy too young to read it and i can't speak to whether it's "good" but man has it stuck in my head ever since
August 20, 2024
4.2/5
what a hoot!
what a hoot!
December 2, 2024
I loved this book, as a nice breather from what a usually read. The stories were incredibly imaginative and funny.
January 16, 2025
I told a friend my fav writing style is absurdist satire and he recommended Simon Rich - lived up to the hype! Every story was a normal human experience with just 1-2 things totally odd and silly - very enjoyable
Read
December 22, 2024the hamster story is amazing 🐹
June 29, 2017
There are some funny and endearing bits here, and this was a quick and sometimes entertaining read. Unfortunately, a lot of it also rubbed me the wrong way.
Most of these stories make tepid satire of such predictable ideas as "participation trophies are bad" and "hipsters, eh?".
I did enjoy one character's short-lived attempt to gentrify the sewer.
The "fatness=badness" trope is one I come across very, very often in novels (and elsewhere). It's lazy and bigoted. The first story relied on this heavily, which was just tedious on top of its tired "children just aren't disciplined any more" theme.
Lastly, and perhaps pedantically, in one story a "first person shooter" video game is referred to as a "single shooter" game. I mean, fine, I know what you mean. But if you're going to use this to build your characters (awful kids obviously play violent games!) it might be better if you know what you're talking about.
Most of these stories make tepid satire of such predictable ideas as "participation trophies are bad" and "hipsters, eh?".
I did enjoy one character's short-lived attempt to gentrify the sewer.
The "fatness=badness" trope is one I come across very, very often in novels (and elsewhere). It's lazy and bigoted. The first story relied on this heavily, which was just tedious on top of its tired "children just aren't disciplined any more" theme.
Lastly, and perhaps pedantically, in one story a "first person shooter" video game is referred to as a "single shooter" game. I mean, fine, I know what you mean. But if you're going to use this to build your characters (awful kids obviously play violent games!) it might be better if you know what you're talking about.
January 17, 2019
Hilarious. I laughed out loud a few times.
1. Story from the perspective of a classroom hamster.
2. Woman with demon baby only sees how gifted he is and jumps through hoops to make him successful.
3. Girl studying abroad in outer space only cares about her "boyfriend" back home.
4. This genius story is about a Jewish immigrant being preserved in pickle juice to be freed 100 years later and he's trying to make sense of his ancestors actions. Pure brilliance. One of the best time traveling/guy from the past in the present stories I've ever read.
5. Extends the joke "guy walks into a bar."
6.From the perspective of a chimp and his family- the chimp's family drama mirrors human families but in a chimpy way and is hilarious.
After these, it drops a little, but they are still pretty great stories.
1. Story from the perspective of a classroom hamster.
2. Woman with demon baby only sees how gifted he is and jumps through hoops to make him successful.
3. Girl studying abroad in outer space only cares about her "boyfriend" back home.
4. This genius story is about a Jewish immigrant being preserved in pickle juice to be freed 100 years later and he's trying to make sense of his ancestors actions. Pure brilliance. One of the best time traveling/guy from the past in the present stories I've ever read.
5. Extends the joke "guy walks into a bar."
6.From the perspective of a chimp and his family- the chimp's family drama mirrors human families but in a chimpy way and is hilarious.
After these, it drops a little, but they are still pretty great stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2014
Really funny and clever stories that make fun of how spoiled we are. I love how Rich makes fun of himself in "Sell Out". This was one of my favorites, about a pickle factory worker immigrant in 1908 Brooklyn who falls into a vat, gets "pickled," wakes up in the present day, and meets his great-grandson Simon Rich. This story makes hilarious fun of hipsters in Brooklyn. In fact, this whole collection makes fun of contemporary society. I loved "Semester Abroad" in the 1st-person college girl voice--so hilarious!
August 26, 2016
I quite enjoyed this collection of short stories by funny-man Rich. For the most part, the ideas behind them were a bit juvenile, but to Rich's credit, he quickly pours out the premise of each story, getting over the juvenile part (chimpanzee who wants to work for human, hamster in a classroom, man falls into pickled brine for 100 years etc) and into the real fun of the story. I almost gave it 3 stars. The 4th star is for the gem in this collection, Sell Out. What a wonderful story. You can also read it on the New Yorker (http://www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts...)
September 26, 2014
4,5*
Superská kniha!
Predali mi ju ako vtipné hipsterské poviedky, to najlepšie, čo ponúka dnešná newyorská scéna. Bože, a vôbec sa nemýlili. Už dávno som sa tak dobre nenasmial! Tento týpek s ničoho nebojí, berie si do huby, teda do klávesnica, každého a s takou ľahkosťou, až som sa musel naozaj premáhať, aby som sa nerehotal na celé letisko.
Musím ASAP vyzistiť, čo iné ešte vyšlo od tohto týpka.
Superská kniha!
Predali mi ju ako vtipné hipsterské poviedky, to najlepšie, čo ponúka dnešná newyorská scéna. Bože, a vôbec sa nemýlili. Už dávno som sa tak dobre nenasmial! Tento týpek s ničoho nebojí, berie si do huby, teda do klávesnica, každého a s takou ľahkosťou, až som sa musel naozaj premáhať, aby som sa nerehotal na celé letisko.
Musím ASAP vyzistiť, čo iné ešte vyšlo od tohto týpka.
November 5, 2015
They buried my wife in a shoe box in Central Park. (...) Pocahontas was her name. My name is Princess Jasmine. I am a male, so this name is humiliating.
Čože, čože, pýtate sa počas celej zbierky. A potom vám to docvakne a TO JE GENIÁLNE. Fascinujúce nápady, originálne momenty, hromada vtipných scén, až si pripadáte hlúpo, že vám ujde smiech pred spolubývajúcimi, ktoré práve čítajú nudné veci do školy. I really liked it, volajú sa štyri hviezdičky. I really did. 8/10
Čože, čože, pýtate sa počas celej zbierky. A potom vám to docvakne a TO JE GENIÁLNE. Fascinujúce nápady, originálne momenty, hromada vtipných scén, až si pripadáte hlúpo, že vám ujde smiech pred spolubývajúcimi, ktoré práve čítajú nudné veci do školy. I really liked it, volajú sa štyri hviezdičky. I really did. 8/10
March 18, 2015
outrageously funny stories making fun of ourselves and himself (the author simon rich), not many are spared, millennials, immigrant jews to nyc, hipsters, yuppie parents, douchey children, twee monsters, reallife monster children of country club set, short story writers, hulu, sex, death, moms even.
lots of reviewers say they laugh and laugh reading these. it's true i think.
lots of reviewers say they laugh and laugh reading these. it's true i think.
June 1, 2015
Not bad, but nothing really stood out.
April 8, 2024
“sell out” alone was a five star story and I wanted more!
January 1, 2021
This was a completely blind buy that I picked up at the Dollar Store. It’s true, and seemingly perfect for the time that we live in – almost at the level of crapping on that BJ Novak gets in this book.
This is a collection of short stories that Rich wrote and published in the New Yorker and other publications over the past few years, and has made quite a name for himself that I have actually missed in my speed-reading of said publications.... So reading them together in the format of my dollar store hardcover (that makes multiple investment angles toward Rich that I am sure he appreciates, and don’t look too deeply into that since we’re the same), has delivered quite the experience in how absolutely genius this collection truly is.
Spoiled Brats is a collection of some of the funniest stories I have ever read. From beginning to end, the multiple laughs-per-paragraph meter is not only off the “I am going to read this to the person sitting next to me without context” charts, but also the charts of any other chart chartable. It is an absolutely joyous reading experience, where the celebratory atmosphere is set up in the small hamster of the first chapter, built upon in the pickled pickleman of the middle of the book quite strongly (which absolutely DESTRYOED the film I watched that was written by Rich in a much more Hollywood style) , and enthused by the possibility of fame in the final story. It is a slim volume of absolute magic, and I loved where it brought me from beginning to end.
This was the greatest thing I ever bought at the dollar store. I would have bought at least eleven more had I known what I held in my hands... Or maybe haggled like eight for this one, anyway.
This was my 65th book of 2020, meeting my goal of 65 in 2020. Thank you for giving my reviews the time and attention they surely didn’t necessarily deserve. I just fucking LOVE reading and writing.
This is a collection of short stories that Rich wrote and published in the New Yorker and other publications over the past few years, and has made quite a name for himself that I have actually missed in my speed-reading of said publications.... So reading them together in the format of my dollar store hardcover (that makes multiple investment angles toward Rich that I am sure he appreciates, and don’t look too deeply into that since we’re the same), has delivered quite the experience in how absolutely genius this collection truly is.
Spoiled Brats is a collection of some of the funniest stories I have ever read. From beginning to end, the multiple laughs-per-paragraph meter is not only off the “I am going to read this to the person sitting next to me without context” charts, but also the charts of any other chart chartable. It is an absolutely joyous reading experience, where the celebratory atmosphere is set up in the small hamster of the first chapter, built upon in the pickled pickleman of the middle of the book quite strongly (which absolutely DESTRYOED the film I watched that was written by Rich in a much more Hollywood style) , and enthused by the possibility of fame in the final story. It is a slim volume of absolute magic, and I loved where it brought me from beginning to end.
This was the greatest thing I ever bought at the dollar store. I would have bought at least eleven more had I known what I held in my hands... Or maybe haggled like eight for this one, anyway.
This was my 65th book of 2020, meeting my goal of 65 in 2020. Thank you for giving my reviews the time and attention they surely didn’t necessarily deserve. I just fucking LOVE reading and writing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews