What do you think?
Free-Range Chickens
In his riotous debut collection, Ant Farm, Simon Rich found humor in some of life's most desperate situations.
In the nostalgic opening chapter, Rich recalls his fear of the Tooth Fairy (Is there a face fairy?) and his initial reaction to the "Got-your-nose" game ("Please just kill me. Better to die than to live the rest of my life as a monster"). He goes on to present Count Dracula's desperate Match dot com profile ("I am normal human looking for human woman to come to castle. I am normal, regular human"). Later, he gets inside the heads of two firehouse Dalmatians who can't understand their masters' compulsion to drive off to horrible fires every day.
And in the final chapter, he tackles some of life's biggest questions: Does God really have a plan for us? Yes, it turns out. Now if only He could remember what it was. . . .
In the nostalgic opening chapter, Rich recalls his fear of the Tooth Fairy (Is there a face fairy?) and his initial reaction to the "Got-your-nose" game ("Please just kill me. Better to die than to live the rest of my life as a monster"). He goes on to present Count Dracula's desperate Match dot com profile ("I am normal human looking for human woman to come to castle. I am normal, regular human"). Later, he gets inside the heads of two firehouse Dalmatians who can't understand their masters' compulsion to drive off to horrible fires every day.
And in the final chapter, he tackles some of life's biggest questions: Does God really have a plan for us? Yes, it turns out. Now if only He could remember what it was. . . .
144 pages, Hardcover
First published August 26, 2008
About the author
Simon Rich
31 books1,102 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews
December 21, 2008
How some punk kid who was born THE YEAR I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL can make me crack up this much, I have no idea, but Dude is hilarious.
I'm not sure this very short collection of humor qualifies as a "book" (on my Kindle, it's exactly the same size as the free samples of books that Amazon offers), but if you've got a few minutes to kill, you could do a whole lot worse than passing them this way.
He had me with "A conversation between the people who hid in my closet every night when I was seven." The cast of characters for that dialog included Freddy Krueger, a real-life murderer featured on that night's news, a dead uncle whose body the kid saw at an open casket funeral, his family doctor who gives him shots, and Chucky.
Excerpted dialog:
"DEAD UNCLE: Man, I cannot wait to kill this kid.
MURDERER: Same here.
FREDDY KRUEGER: I've wanted to kill him ever since he saw my movie.
DEAD UNCLE: Hey, do you guys remember that night-light Simon used to have?
MURDERER: Man, that thing scared the heck out of me.
FREDDY KRUEGER: It's a good thing his mom got rid of it. Now there's nothing to stop us from killing him.
(Everyone nods in agreement.)
DR. MURPHY: Hey, Guys, sorry I'm late. I was busy scheduling an appointment with Simon, to give him shots."
This one's being offered free for the Kindle right now.
I'm not sure this very short collection of humor qualifies as a "book" (on my Kindle, it's exactly the same size as the free samples of books that Amazon offers), but if you've got a few minutes to kill, you could do a whole lot worse than passing them this way.
He had me with "A conversation between the people who hid in my closet every night when I was seven." The cast of characters for that dialog included Freddy Krueger, a real-life murderer featured on that night's news, a dead uncle whose body the kid saw at an open casket funeral, his family doctor who gives him shots, and Chucky.
Excerpted dialog:
"DEAD UNCLE: Man, I cannot wait to kill this kid.
MURDERER: Same here.
FREDDY KRUEGER: I've wanted to kill him ever since he saw my movie.
DEAD UNCLE: Hey, do you guys remember that night-light Simon used to have?
MURDERER: Man, that thing scared the heck out of me.
FREDDY KRUEGER: It's a good thing his mom got rid of it. Now there's nothing to stop us from killing him.
(Everyone nods in agreement.)
DR. MURPHY: Hey, Guys, sorry I'm late. I was busy scheduling an appointment with Simon, to give him shots."
This one's being offered free for the Kindle right now.
December 1, 2008
The author of this McSweeney's-esque humor book, Simon Rich, is a writer for Saturday Night Live. He's also New York Times columnist Frank Rich's son. That's two strikes right there. But the book is actually pretty funny. It's slim-- more of a poetry chapbook than an actual book-- so get it used and don't pay more than a fiver.
Here's one of my favorite parts.
-----------------
Match.com profile
-----------------
NAME: Count Dracula
OCCUPATION: Aristocrat
LOCATION: Castle Gothica, Transylvania
ABOUT YOU: I am normal human looking for human woman to come to castle. I am normal, regular human. I like the popular music and television. You come to castle.
WHAT COLOR BEST DESCRIBED YOUR HAIR?
Black.
WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR EYE COLOR?
Red.
WHAT IS YOUR RACE?
Yes, I am of the human race, like you.
WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU READ?
The Christian Bible, because I am regular kind of guy.
WHAT IS YOUR PET PEEVE?
Monsters. I think they are so terrible! Someone should destroy them all so that we, the humans, are safe. You come to castle?
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A SOCIAL PERSON?
Here is the thing. I am very social person, but the people in my village are not so good to be friends with. For instance, sometimes they say things that are not true about other people in the village. It is not good to believe all of the things that are said in my village.
DO YOU WANT CHILDREN?
Yes you bring children with you to castle.
FAVORITE THINGS?
I like walking around in sunshine, eating regular foods, sleeping in normal human bed. I am regular human. Here is the thing though: when you come, it is better if you come at nighttime. You stay in your own private room at top of staircase. You have normal, regular sleep experience. In the morning, we go outside in the sun.
ARE YOU A 9-TO-5ER? OR ARE YOU YOUR OWN BOSS?
I am my own boss.
Here's one of my favorite parts.
-----------------
Match.com profile
-----------------
NAME: Count Dracula
OCCUPATION: Aristocrat
LOCATION: Castle Gothica, Transylvania
ABOUT YOU: I am normal human looking for human woman to come to castle. I am normal, regular human. I like the popular music and television. You come to castle.
WHAT COLOR BEST DESCRIBED YOUR HAIR?
Black.
WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR EYE COLOR?
Red.
WHAT IS YOUR RACE?
Yes, I am of the human race, like you.
WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU READ?
The Christian Bible, because I am regular kind of guy.
WHAT IS YOUR PET PEEVE?
Monsters. I think they are so terrible! Someone should destroy them all so that we, the humans, are safe. You come to castle?
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A SOCIAL PERSON?
Here is the thing. I am very social person, but the people in my village are not so good to be friends with. For instance, sometimes they say things that are not true about other people in the village. It is not good to believe all of the things that are said in my village.
DO YOU WANT CHILDREN?
Yes you bring children with you to castle.
FAVORITE THINGS?
I like walking around in sunshine, eating regular foods, sleeping in normal human bed. I am regular human. Here is the thing though: when you come, it is better if you come at nighttime. You stay in your own private room at top of staircase. You have normal, regular sleep experience. In the morning, we go outside in the sun.
ARE YOU A 9-TO-5ER? OR ARE YOU YOUR OWN BOSS?
I am my own boss.
November 7, 2021
Lately I’ve realized I can go much of the day without truly laughing. When I find something amusing enough to make me laugh, I feel stress relief and just lighter in general. I laughed all through this short book and feel like a million bucks now.
December 29, 2016
Imagined conversations that demonstrate the absurdity of daily life, common neuroses and popular beliefs. Mildly funny!
December 21, 2023
I just wish it was longer
March 29, 2024
Sought out Simon's earlier work after loving New Teeth. Maybe I went TOO far back. He definitely grew as a writer since this collection. Humorous, but not funny. Most vignettes were almost too short. At least it was a very quick read.
February 27, 2026
had me guffawing in the bookstore
a quick and silly book of skits basically
pretty creative
a quick and silly book of skits basically
pretty creative
July 31, 2009
This is a very short collection of humorous vignettes compiled by Simon Rich who, among other things, was a former Harvard Lampoon editor and a writer for Saturday Night Live and Mad Magazine. I had just finished reading the book Middlesex, which I have recently reviewed. In searching for a new book to read I decided to look at a friends book-list on Goodreads.com. My strategy was to and scroll down until I got the first book that he rated five stars and read that one no matter what. This was an experiment in randomness.
I thought this book was really funny. I enjoyed reading it, and I enjoyed even more sharing the vignettes with my wife (who didn’t quite get it as much as I did.) The best vignette I thought was the one titled Acupuncture School, which was hilarious. It pretty much sums up my feelings about acupuncture and pseudoscience/alternative medicine. I also enjoyed reading Dracula’s match.com profile.
The one disappointing thing about this book was that it was really short. I read it in about an hour and a half. However I did reread several sections. I also read several sections out loud to my wife as she was getting ready for bed (much to her annoyance.)
Overall I would recommend this book. It was very funny however very short. Some may feel that it was too short to warrant the price, but it is something that you can reread and share with friends. In fact it’s the kind of book that actually gets more funny when you reread it and when you share with other people.
I thought this book was really funny. I enjoyed reading it, and I enjoyed even more sharing the vignettes with my wife (who didn’t quite get it as much as I did.) The best vignette I thought was the one titled Acupuncture School, which was hilarious. It pretty much sums up my feelings about acupuncture and pseudoscience/alternative medicine. I also enjoyed reading Dracula’s match.com profile.
The one disappointing thing about this book was that it was really short. I read it in about an hour and a half. However I did reread several sections. I also read several sections out loud to my wife as she was getting ready for bed (much to her annoyance.)
Overall I would recommend this book. It was very funny however very short. Some may feel that it was too short to warrant the price, but it is something that you can reread and share with friends. In fact it’s the kind of book that actually gets more funny when you reread it and when you share with other people.
January 10, 2009
I downloaded this onto my new e-book reader because it was included in a complementary offer, but I actually really enjoyed it. Some of the stories made me bust up laughing. Totally hilarious. And the ones that weren't hilarious were still pretty entertaining.
Each story was only a page or two long, so I liked the lack of commitment involved. I could read a story or two before bed, or waiting for the bus or whatever.
I guess I could see some of the stories as being a little.. maybe not obvious, but a little overly fabricated, but since the stories are so short it doesn't much matter.
Good stuff.
Each story was only a page or two long, so I liked the lack of commitment involved. I could read a story or two before bed, or waiting for the bus or whatever.
I guess I could see some of the stories as being a little.. maybe not obvious, but a little overly fabricated, but since the stories are so short it doesn't much matter.
Good stuff.
July 16, 2019
If only he was somehow able to make the first impression more than once. Once you are over the innitial enchantement by his style, reading Simon Rich gets slightly repetitive. Nevertheless, here is still miles ahead majority of other storytellers – mainly thanks to his ability to write down even the most basic joke ideas without them sounding stupid on paper.
January 3, 2019
One day, I had the idea to read a comedy book to lift my spirits. That's a lie, it was for a class. Regardless, I stumbled upon Free-Range Chickens, by Simon Rich, which seemed like a nice and easy read. I took the book and read the first few chapters and determined that I would follow through with the book, seeing as it wasn't very long and seemed simple enough. I was right.
There isn't much to be said about Free-Range Chickens in terms of what it's about. It doesn't follow any story, nor does it have any consistent elements throughout besides the narration of Simon Rich. For the most part, each chapter was less than five pages without anything too complicated. Each chapter is completely unrelated to those that precede it, so each chapter is its own little bubble. This leads to the book being more of a collection of one-off jokes instead of any kind of story.
I'll get this out-of-the-way here: I didn't love Free-Range Chickens by any stretch of the imagination. I'd call it okay, at best; however, it does have some genuinely funny moments. I really don't feel like I'm at liberty to get into them here, seeing as that would ruin most of the fun of reading it yourself, but rest assured, the book will probably give you some good laughs (like I said, it even got a few chuckles out of me, and I don't like anything). I'd be underselling Simon Rich if I didn't say he was a funny fellow, which he definitely is, but it just wasn't for me.
"Why didn't you like it? And if you didn't like it why should I try it?" you may ask. To answer this question, I must make it clear that, while I am the arbiter of all literary taste, despite me not finding the book funny, I completely understand how someone else could. With that in mind, I found Free-Range Chickens, on the whole, unfunny and forgettable. There's only one chapter from this book that I can remember clearly and also look back upon fondly. The way the book is structured also works to its detriment, as the compilation-style structure left me feeling like I'd have been better off scrolling through a joke website. It almost feels like a transcription of a bad comic's stand up at a local lounge on a Thursday night, the kind where not even his own friend's laugh. I was surprised to learn that, when Rich wrote Free-Range Chickens, he was only 24 years old and that it was released in 2008. It felt very dated, and definitely not something I would expect out of someone who is supposed to be on the cutting edge of modern comedy. Don't avoid based solely upon my opinion, but I wouldn't recommend it to many people.
Stage Director: Keep going!
There isn't much to be said about Free-Range Chickens in terms of what it's about. It doesn't follow any story, nor does it have any consistent elements throughout besides the narration of Simon Rich. For the most part, each chapter was less than five pages without anything too complicated. Each chapter is completely unrelated to those that precede it, so each chapter is its own little bubble. This leads to the book being more of a collection of one-off jokes instead of any kind of story.
I'll get this out-of-the-way here: I didn't love Free-Range Chickens by any stretch of the imagination. I'd call it okay, at best; however, it does have some genuinely funny moments. I really don't feel like I'm at liberty to get into them here, seeing as that would ruin most of the fun of reading it yourself, but rest assured, the book will probably give you some good laughs (like I said, it even got a few chuckles out of me, and I don't like anything). I'd be underselling Simon Rich if I didn't say he was a funny fellow, which he definitely is, but it just wasn't for me.
"Why didn't you like it? And if you didn't like it why should I try it?" you may ask. To answer this question, I must make it clear that, while I am the arbiter of all literary taste, despite me not finding the book funny, I completely understand how someone else could. With that in mind, I found Free-Range Chickens, on the whole, unfunny and forgettable. There's only one chapter from this book that I can remember clearly and also look back upon fondly. The way the book is structured also works to its detriment, as the compilation-style structure left me feeling like I'd have been better off scrolling through a joke website. It almost feels like a transcription of a bad comic's stand up at a local lounge on a Thursday night, the kind where not even his own friend's laugh. I was surprised to learn that, when Rich wrote Free-Range Chickens, he was only 24 years old and that it was released in 2008. It felt very dated, and definitely not something I would expect out of someone who is supposed to be on the cutting edge of modern comedy. Don't avoid based solely upon my opinion, but I wouldn't recommend it to many people.
Stage Director: Keep going!
March 1, 2019
please help me
March 27, 2023
Laughed my fool *ss off.
Recommended.
Thanks, Fulton County Public Library.
Recommended.
Thanks, Fulton County Public Library.
June 23, 2023
World’s Oldest Profession:
If prostitution really is the “world’s oldest profession,” that means there was a time when it was the only job on earth.
20,000 B.C.
MAN: Hey.
WOMAN: Hey.
MAN AND WOMAN: (in unison) You want some action?
MAN: Damn. Thought I had a sale.
Woman: Me too.
(44)
If prostitution really is the “world’s oldest profession,” that means there was a time when it was the only job on earth.
20,000 B.C.
MAN: Hey.
WOMAN: Hey.
MAN AND WOMAN: (in unison) You want some action?
MAN: Damn. Thought I had a sale.
Woman: Me too.
(44)
October 19, 2025
genius pt. 2
July 27, 2010
Oh look honey, another humor book with a title irrelevant to its contents... Books like these generally burn my biscuits but someone recommended it to me -- actually she put it directly into my hands; I didn't have to lift a single finger. I did have to open them, though, and what a mistake that turned out to be!
The book was written by Simon Rich. He has previously written stuff for Mad magazine, The New Yorker, The Harvard Lampoon, and SNL, only the Lord knows how...
During the course of reading this book I laughed four times (yes, I counted) at a total of 54 sketches (yes, I counted...). That's approximately 0.074 laughs per sketch! (well, I had a calculator do all the work on that one).
I'd say this book seeks most of its humor in the revelation of the macabre and lurid among the everyday. Turns out even free-range chickens are slaughtered in the end...Turns out the ducks in that old video game don't really like to be shot... Turns out... you know what? I'm turning in...
Good night...and have a pleasant tomorrow.
The book was written by Simon Rich. He has previously written stuff for Mad magazine, The New Yorker, The Harvard Lampoon, and SNL, only the Lord knows how...
During the course of reading this book I laughed four times (yes, I counted) at a total of 54 sketches (yes, I counted...). That's approximately 0.074 laughs per sketch! (well, I had a calculator do all the work on that one).
I'd say this book seeks most of its humor in the revelation of the macabre and lurid among the everyday. Turns out even free-range chickens are slaughtered in the end...Turns out the ducks in that old video game don't really like to be shot... Turns out... you know what? I'm turning in...
Good night...and have a pleasant tomorrow.
September 9, 2022
Not a story but its so funny
November 9, 2009
This was a free e-book of comedy pieces by Rich, who's done a couple of very funny bits in Shouts and Murmurs in the New Yorker. Rich has an off-kilter kind of humor, and the collection consists of short "hey, what if...?" pieces. "If adults were subjected to the same indignities as children" begins with "ZOE: Dad, I'm throwing a party tonight, so you'll have to stay in your room. Don't worry, though: one of my friends brought over his father for you to play with. His name is Comptroller Brooks and he's about your age, so I'm sure you'll have lots in common. I'll come check on you in a couple of hours." It's pretty funny, although the book takes about twenty minutes to read so I'm not sure it would be worth buying.
September 29, 2008
Lots of people scream "Nepotism!" at this kid and walk away, and that's unfortunate because his writing is delightfully absurd.
Like, the Match.com profile for Count Dracula:
"What are your pet peeves? Monsters. I think they are so terrible! Someone should destroy them all so that we, the humans, are safe. You come to castle?"
***
Oh, man! I don't normally laugh out loud at writing, but the piece entitled "Frogs" had me just...just barking.
Like, the Match.com profile for Count Dracula:
"What are your pet peeves? Monsters. I think they are so terrible! Someone should destroy them all so that we, the humans, are safe. You come to castle?"
***
Oh, man! I don't normally laugh out loud at writing, but the piece entitled "Frogs" had me just...just barking.
June 30, 2009
Laugh-out-loud comedic sketches by a guy who is a) younger than me, and b) weirdly, the son of Frank Rich. But don’t think about that stuff: concentrate on the funny. I particularly liked “A Conversation Between the People Who Hid in My Closet Every Night When I Was Seven.”
Rather than try to be funny about this book, I think I will leave it at that and just let Rich be funny on his own. He is more than capable, after all.
Rather than try to be funny about this book, I think I will leave it at that and just let Rich be funny on his own. He is more than capable, after all.
August 12, 2008
This series of extremely short comedy sketches penned by a former president of the Harvard Lampoon and current Saturday Night Live writer was a quick, witty read. It seemed familiar to me, and that's because I had read two of these pieces previously in the New Yorker. Give it a go if you dig David Sedaris or Napoleon Dynamite.
July 17, 2010
After reading and loving Elliot Allagash I decided I would try his other books. I was not disappointed by Free-Range Chickens. Not exactly deep or profound, of course--I finished it in twenty minutes--but a hilarious read, and good for reading aloud to pester your relatives. I'd definitely recommend this as a quick, light summer read!
January 12, 2013
Update 2021: Still funny.
First review: This is a very funny little book. The only problem is that it is TOO little. I read it in an hour and a half or so, and then wondered why I bought it when I could have read it in one sitting at the book store. Oh well, now I can read it again.
And the author got paid, so, you know, that's good, too.
First review: This is a very funny little book. The only problem is that it is TOO little. I read it in an hour and a half or so, and then wondered why I bought it when I could have read it in one sitting at the book store. Oh well, now I can read it again.
And the author got paid, so, you know, that's good, too.
May 31, 2015
This is my favorite collection of short stories from Simon Rich.
November 18, 2021
My favorite stories:
- A conversation between the people who hid in my closet every night when I was seven
- Acupuncture school
- I think my teenaged daughter knows I read her diary
- Last Supper
- A conversation between the people who hid in my closet every night when I was seven
- Acupuncture school
- I think my teenaged daughter knows I read her diary
- Last Supper
September 4, 2020
I liked this book more than his first book (Ant Farm). I had the impression that this one was more mature and the jokes were more subtle. I am bringing a piece of this book, in case it encourages you to read the whole book.
World’s oldest profession
If prostitution really is the “world’s oldest profession,” that means there was a time when it was the only job on earth.
20,000 B.C.
MAN: Hey.
WOMAN: Hey.
MAN AND WOMAN: (in unison) You want some action?
MAN: Damn. Thought I had a sale.
WOMAN: Me too.
MAN: Hey, do you mind if I go after the next customer? It’s been a really slow week for me.
WOMAN: Go ahead.
MAN: Thanks. Hello, sir!
SECOND MAN: Want some action?
MAN: (Sighs.)
SECOND MAN: (to woman) Want some action?
19,000 B.C.
MAN: Guess what? I came up with a new profession. It’s called “carpenter.”
WOMAN: Is it sort of like “prostitute”?
MAN: No, it’s a totally different thing. I make things out of wood and sell them to other people.
WOMAN: Sell them? For what?
MAN: Sex, usually. I mean...my customers are all prostitutes.
WOMAN: Oh. Want some action?
MAN: Do you want some action?
WOMAN: I thought you said you were a carpenter now.
MAN: I’m not quitting my day job.
February 6, 2021
I'm very fond of Simon Rich and love all of his other books but this is the first time I've a very minor complaint, though perhaps I'm partially to blame for feeling let down as when I bought this early book of his I thought it'd be similar to his others and full of short stories, and the Amazon description suggests that would be the case again. But if anything it's a sketch show in book form, with most of the various different parts of the book in dialogue form and it's also quite short too, only 129 pages long and with a lot of pages which only contain text on half of the page at best, so it only took me about an hour to read. If it wasn't so short I'd have rated it higher, as it did make me laugh a good deal and Rich's mind is something to be treasured as he takes topics which might seem mundane but then makes them very funny, but it is slightly off charging so much for something so short.
June 17, 2020
Simon Rich works on perfecting his comedic craft in this short book full of flash fiction. With some of his pieces barely a page long, Rich covers the spectrum of topics from childhood to absurdity in daily life, to animals, and yes, there is some mention of free-range chickens as the title of the book suggests.
This was not the first Simon Rich book that I've read. I enjoyed Hits and Misses and was deeply infatuated with The Last Girlfriend on Earth. With Free-Range Chickens, you are given small nuggets of his brilliance.
Stand out pieces include "A Conversation Between the People Who Hid in My Closet Every Night When I was Seven," which includes Freddy Krueger, Chucky and Dr. Murphy who's there to schedule his next appointment for his shots. "Gotham City Hall," where Batman makes a plea with the Mayor. Then "Worst Nightmare," where Rich plays himself, a writer, so embarrassed to be fess up to authorities that he watched back to back reruns of a reality TV show he instead admits to murder instead.
While it's not a true origin story, you can see the progression build into the brilliance we see in more recent books of his. Free-Range Chicken tee's up his prose take form in longer pieces of fiction found in Last Girlfriend and even with his work outside of literature on TV and film.
This was not the first Simon Rich book that I've read. I enjoyed Hits and Misses and was deeply infatuated with The Last Girlfriend on Earth. With Free-Range Chickens, you are given small nuggets of his brilliance.
Stand out pieces include "A Conversation Between the People Who Hid in My Closet Every Night When I was Seven," which includes Freddy Krueger, Chucky and Dr. Murphy who's there to schedule his next appointment for his shots. "Gotham City Hall," where Batman makes a plea with the Mayor. Then "Worst Nightmare," where Rich plays himself, a writer, so embarrassed to be fess up to authorities that he watched back to back reruns of a reality TV show he instead admits to murder instead.
While it's not a true origin story, you can see the progression build into the brilliance we see in more recent books of his. Free-Range Chicken tee's up his prose take form in longer pieces of fiction found in Last Girlfriend and even with his work outside of literature on TV and film.
July 11, 2017
I finished this humor collection in an hour, and I'm unsure how much longer it took the author. While there are a few bits that amused me (the running Dracula joke, for example), most of the pieces here are not taken far enough. One or two pages of drama-style dialog tends to leave these brief vignettes without a real punch. These are brain droppings, often one note, that sublimate into the air shortly thereafter. Certain conceits end with only two examples of what could have been an interesting series of snapshots. Others become repetitious even in a brief space. Overall, it's a lot of small thoughts, and that makes for humor easily breezed through but not as effective as one would hope.
July 8, 2018
Much like Simon Rich's first book, Ant Farm, Free-Range Chickens is a brilliant and hilarious essay collection, filled with bursts of wonderful ideas. Many of these same ideas are similar to Ant Farm, such as ruminations on childhood and god, but despite the similar focuses, Rich is able to mine plenty more material from these ideas. Like Ant Farm, I can't wait until his short stories have slightly more substance, as his book The Last Girlfriend on Earth has, but as a quick, fun and smart read, Rich is unparalleled in his wit and observations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 351 reviews