I Shudder and Other Reactions to Life, Death, and New Jersey

by Paul Rudnick

I Shudder is a side-splittingly funny collection of essays from Paul Rudnick, one of America’s preeminent humorists. Rudnick, who writes for The New Yorker and has written the screenplays for the films In and Out, Sister Act, and Addams Family Values, shares his hilarious observations on life in New York City and New Jersey, the perils of show business, and dealing with one’s family, however crazy they may be. As David Sedaris says, “There’s no book wiser or half as funny as I Shudder. ”  

Genres: Humor, Memoir, Essays, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography, LGBT

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2009

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 May 2021

Rudnick is wickedly funny, but also kind. "Sisters," the opening piece, is a memoir of his mother and aunts. He sees their quirks but he so obviously loves them, and somehow manages to convey his love for them and for John the doctor, without restraint or cliche. This is a person who really believes it is the thought that counts, and knows exactly what the giver's thought is. It's a rare quality this affectionate insight, so you understand the absurdity of meetings with Disney execs on the script of Sister Act, or Allen Carr's entourage, or Martha Stewart's "barely disguised inpatient sneer," but also what it takes to create popular hits like The Little Mermaid and Grease, or dinner party with Snoop Dogg.

And honestly, my adoration is great in part because I want to be that fond while still clear-eyed.

***

The only piece I didn't adore was [some of] Enter Trembling about Scott Rudin. There's a riff on how horrible he is, played for laughs because Rudnick is funny, contrasted with what a generous and thoughtful guy Rudin could be. The past is problematical.


***

8 April, 2023

Finishing up my admittedly languid re-read with the essay "Good Enough to Eat." It is my favorite in a personal way: sugar is my favorite food group, followed by salt. As a child I was taken to a creperie that had pairs of sugar cubes custom-packaged. Was anything else ever so adult and so elegant? Certainly not adulthood.

Halloween is in some ways a disappointment: there aren't any special treats, just the usual ones partitioned out into individually wrapped bites. But Easter, with the chocolate bunnies, Peeps, robin eggs, and Cadbury creme eggs with that amusing golden sugary yolk: that is a sacred occasion. The soul is a construct I find it impossible to believe in, let alone sell on ebay. But no greater love exists than for someone to give me a basket filled with my favorite seasonal treats.

That artificial "grass" is weird though.


Library copy

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library because Rudnick is one of the few actually funny writers in the New Yorker's humor column. Here's a sample (not in the book) from the January 27, 2014 issue, titled New Jersey: the Quiz:

5. The slogan of New Jersey’s capital, which appears in glowing letters on one of the city’s bridges, is “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.” What were the three runners-up?

(a) “Trenton Pees, the World Sees.”

(b) “Trenton Poops, the World Scoops.”

(c) “If You Lived in Trenton, You’d Be Home Now So You Could Kill Yourself.”

6. The past three elected New Jersey governors have all broken their legs while in office. James McGreevey, the state’s proud gay American governor, broke his while strolling on a Cape May beach. How will Chris Christie break his leg?

(a) Kicking one of his aides.

(b) Running from a subpoena.

(c) Putting on his pants.

The pieces included here are unevenly funny, and include slice-of-life, biographically-based comedy as well as fictional stories (episodes in the life of a strange Manhattanite named Elyot Vionnet). The funniest bits relate to Rudnick's status as a gay man with a loving but overbearing Jewish family, and his boyfriend, a non-Jewish doctor.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't quite know what to say about the book. I liked it, but didn't looooove it - but I'm hesitant to say that because I'm beginning to suspect that I simply don't "looooooove" any sort of memoir/collection of essays type of book, and I fear that my criticism is more one of genre than of the book itself. I chose this book partly because it's fun to make fun of New Jersey (even though they DO sell beer, wine, and liquor all in one store as opposed to Stupid Pennsylvania) and partly because I figured that it was bound to be funny since the author wrote the screenplay for the movie In & Out and I laughed a lot in it. The essays in the book fit a few different categories: (1) general wit and wisdom; (2) anecdotes about famous people and making movies and plays and stuff; and (3) what I presume are fiction vignettes from the "diary" of a character named Elyot Vionnet. In general, I loved the essays that fell into categories 1 and 3 and found myself skimming those in category 2.

There's no denying that Paul Rudnick is a funny dude, and his book makes me want to go back in time so I can participate in some of his escapades (most notably, I would like to attend the party his friend William threw at The Chelsea Hotel. I'd also like to meet William's sister Laura), but I'd also be content just to have a drink with the guy one day. Anyone who subsists on treats like Peeps is pretty ace in my book.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Rudnick has a knack for telling stories with wit, charm and hilarity. I especially loved "The Sisters" (whole lot of relating with the whole Jewish relative thing), but every one of these was engaging, interesting, and affecting. I'm also a movie nerd, so his stories about Hollywood were especially delicious.

If you dig funny memoir stories à la David Sedaris, you'll definitely enjoy these.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and occasionally bittersweet. If there is a funnier man than Rudnick writing, I haven't come across him. This collection of essays provides a sweet coda to I'll Take It, and there is an hysterical account of Rudnick's time as the script writer for Sister Act. By the time the movie was made with Whoopi Goldberg instead of Bette Midler, Rudnick had fled back to New York (he is an improbable figure for the West Coast, or indeed for anywhere other than Manhattan) and removed his name from the project he had created. But he is gentle enough to say that he doesn't mind the adaptation as filmed. It just wasn't his.

Highly recommend.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sort of borrowed this book on a whim from the library since Paul Rudnick has written so many movies I love, I figured an insight, and his writing, would be a hoot. I didn't really get into it. The Sister Act chapter was really interesting, but I found myself skimming, outright skipping chapters, or not really getting into the humour very much. I eventually let the library hold expire and never bothered to renew it since I had no desire to finish it.

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Paul Rudnick should "shudder." His writing is dull, repetitive, and not worth reading. There are three good chapters out of the 15 in this book, all dealing with his movies or theatrical shows, because he spills some tea and slams a few names (we're looking at you Bette Midler, who was supposed to lead Sister Act).

The problem is the rest of the book is a waste. He stupidly inserts a bunch of "fictional" chapters "from the most deeply intimate and personal diary of one Elyot Vionnet." If he thinks he's being funny, he's not. There's really nothing funny about this book no matter how hard the guy tries.

The saddest part is that he opens the book with the typical "the names have been changed" but then adds, "All of the fictional pieces are true." HUH? I know this is supposed to be his idea of a joke but what does it mean? Are the unnecessary fake diary chapters truly revealing some secrets, like he lost his virginity at 14 to a married couple? Or is he really signally that nothing contained within should be taken seriously as truth?

I'm never sure how books like this get published without proper editorial work but reading it will make you shudder wondering why you wasted your time.

[Grace Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ferrety moist earnestness”

This book is laugh out loud funny and reading it after Ferrell Covington and the Limits of Style?! So many of the stories or even specific word choices are connected to that book (also by Rudnick). The nuns, the gay house histories, Delores Hart, lesbian nun histories, the living room motorcycle thing and his brother, the nuns project in Hollywood slipping out of Rudnick’s grasp, Piscataway, the clit piercing at Pride. Again, all of the nuns.

What a delightful unofficial duology.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul's book "Farrell Covington & the Limits of Style," should be a classic. This book, is a collection of his excellent writing and it spans a lot of subjects. I loved the backstory of Sister Act and his mother's sisters addressing his choice of apartments.

Being a collection, there are some that don't hit the 5-star, but all are good in their own way.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't find this side-splittingly funny. Not even mildly amusing.
The audiobook format made it difficult to "skim" through parts I didn't like, so I just stopped listening and returned it to the library.

[Katie Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really quirky, creative, and occasionally enlightening read. I was never entirely sure if the author was speaking of actual events, or creative fantasies but that made it really entertaining either way.

[Mark Waldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very uneven. Some stories are profound, beautiful, and hilarious. Others are schlock. And some just average. I think the magnificent ones made me more disappointed and angry at the disappointing ones.

[Pammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Hannah I loved this audiobook red by the author.
I downloaded it from the library knowing almost nothing about the book. I saw FUNNY and dove in!
Just brilliant!!!!!

"The Sisters" was wonderful and I loved the character of "Mr. Christmas" eeeeeevil!!!!

[Stephanie Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Terry Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Loved the autobiographical chapters, but didn’t enjoy the fiction. It seemed oddly placed among stories of his amazing creative life.

[Margaret Rosen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the memoir sections, the fiction pieces less so. Which is weird because I loved Libby Gelman-Waxner in Premiere magazine!

[Be Storie · Rating 3 out of 5]

some funny stories from a Jewish gay dude

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Broadway playwright Paul Rudnick, especially the sections on I Hate Hamlet and William Ivey Long.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like absolutely everything in this, but the parts I did were good enough to make it all worth it.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Rudnick is one of our best humorists. Plays, movies, print. This book was fun to read from the beginning to the end.

[Julie Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Paul Rudnick is usually really funny, but this one really meandered all over the plot. I found some chapters as good as usual, but was so disinterested in other parts I had to skim.

[Michale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the non-fictional stories.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny stories - I especially enjoyed the diary entries of "Elyot Vionnet"; great for a pick-me-up read of a collection of short stories

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Rudnick is the celebrated writer of novels, plays (Jeffrey), and screenplays (In & Out, Sister Act, Addams Family Values), I Shudder is his first collection. If you enjoy David Sedaris and Dan Savage, you’re going to love this; one of the funniest damn books I’ve ever read.
This isn’t just one of those collections of “funny stories” about my wacky family. Rudnick has had a fabulous career, he knows everyone who’s anyone, and has the supreme talent to report his observations honestly and without cynicism, which doesn’t mean he can’t deliver a sharp barb or bitter jab. Included here are tales of working (whoring) in Hollywood as a screenwriter and script-doctor. He writes lovingly about tyrannical out producer Scott Rudin, Bette Midler and Debbie Reynolds. There is a truly unflattering portrait of egomaniacal actor Nicol Williamson’s crazy antics on stage and off during the run of Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet. There are fictional (?) diary entries interspersed by the deliciously droll (and homicidal) Elyot Vionnet (which are quite cynical and depraved). Throughout the volume Rudnick harkens back to his New Jersey family. Oh, yes, he is adept at highlighting their many foibles and eccentricities. However, what comes through in generous amounts is the genuine sense of love, and tolerance (if not out right acceptance) they all have for one another.
Rudnick is funny; very funny, and is every bit the raconteur that Sedaris and Savage are. I’ve had a pretty dreadful month (the death of both my father and a close friend), and I Shutter came right at the right moment for me, uplifting my spirits, inducing broad smiles and much, much laughter; just what the doctor prescribed.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been ten times more enjoyable if it eliminated all of the biographical entries and read straight through the chapters subtitled "An Excerpt from the Most Deeply Intimate and Personal Diary of One Elyot Vionnet." As it is written, I Shudder ends up as an amalgamation of David Sedaris-type writing that doesn't quite hit the mark, in part because the chapters are so chronologically ill-ordered, because they are interrupted by these fictional "diary" chapters (which I actually ended up preferring to the real-life accounts), and . . . well . . . because Paul Rudnick is not David Sedaris. Rudnick has his own way of recounting humorous moments, but he also tends to get caught up in reciting we-were-here-doing-this details that slow down the narrative and put set the humor off pace. Once the reader starts skipping paragraphs, it's hard to get them laughing again.

The chapters from the "diary of Elyot Vionnet," however, are downright hilarious. The narrator--Elyot Vionnet--is fully developed and has a very clear voice (almost too clear, to the point of annoying the reader with his attitude, in fact). The details of the narrative are poignant and support exactly the points the character is trying to make as he narrates each episode in his life. This is clearly the stronger section of the book and, had it been developed and published independently, may have reached an entirely different sort of audience than I Shudder did.

All in all, Rudnick's work is certainly not a waste of time. David Sedaris and Billy Bryson fans would enjoy the book, along with book junkies who love reading about life and culture in the Big Apple. After all, there's nothing like living in and writing from Jersey to make a NY reader shudder.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two words: wildly uneven

Overall, I liked the Elliot Vionet stories; Rudnick skewers NYC arrivistes to a tee (although I could've done without the morbidity).

The segment regarding his trip to a convent in search of the girl who gave up a promising acting career to become a nun was pretty good, but I fast-forwarded through pretty much everything else show-biz related.

As someone (roughly) the same age who grew up in New Jersey, his childhood anecdotes pretty much fell flat on me. Moreover, even if they had been more interesting, that angle only covers a small part of the selections.

He's at his best in the stories featuring life in The City - how the AIDS crises affected him personally was well done, but the last section, centering on his friend William's life at the Chelsea Hotel was brilliant (It became obvious at the end of those tales that William is fictitious, but based the events themselves are likely based on real events).

My library had the audio available as an instant download, but a waiting list for the actual book, so no choice for me there. However, I was left conflicted as to which version would've worked out better? I would've loved the print book in order to skim through (skip) the Hollywood, show biz stuff, and he didn't seem to invest much emotion into the narration of his family life (including the opening scene of his family's visit to his first studio walkup in Manhattan), saving that up as though a finite resource, for Elliot's antics, the AIDS crisis and The Chelsea Hotel tales.

Bottom line, kids ... you're on your own here for a recommendation!

[Americanogig · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of autobiographical short stories by Paul Rudnick held together with fictional diary entries by one Elyot Violett. Although I enjoyed Mr. Rudnick’s stories to a decent extent (especially the views of a couple celebrities), Elyot’s dramatized version of life in NYC was much more interesting to read. The first entry is my favorite-
He can’t help but notice a 30s-ish neighbor who is constantly on her cellphone, rudely ignoring everything going on around her. He decides to call her and lay down some truths about her life which she eventually takes to heart. After much coaxing she puts down the mobile parasite constantly attached to her skull and notices some great things about the area where she lives. Elyot is vindicated and excited! Then she tells him that she also never noticed how gross cabs were, didn’t have an excuse not to be bothered in the street, she relates how her friends dropped her because they thought she was ignoring them. The man he encouraged her to abandon her texting for turns out to be not so great. With one last stinger she picks up her phone and starts heading across the street when she is hit and killed by a vehicle. She is buried with her cell and Elyot still calls her, seeming to gain a strange satisfaction in imaging the ringing in the casket and his voice echoing in the sepulcher.
Did I completely spoil that story for you? Maybe. There are so many others to read that you may as well stop your whinging, because I’m not going to feel bad.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a successful screenwriter and playwright and I really enjoyed reading the chapters in which he skewers Hollywood. (he wrote: In& Out; Adams Family Values; Sister Act) He is also downright hilarious in many parts of the book. There are other parts that are deadly dull and just plain silly, so it's hard to characterize this book. Like David Sedaris, much of his work is based on his own family and his experiences as a gay writer living in NYC. The vignettes about himself and his family were interesting and fun.

The fictional pieces which appear at first to be nonfiction didn't appeal to me. For example, one piece appears to be a journalistic investigation searching for Christmas spirit which he finds in Kansas where a large extended family has gathered to celebrate. The reason behind their great joyful celebration is that at the end of the night they pick names to decide which member of the family will be run down and cannibalized. And there are a number of chapters like this wherein the reader is lead to believe that the author is talking about an experience he had at someone's house and then the characters start shooting at each other. I guess it could be funny, but it wasn't.

Still there are enough really good chapters to make this book delightful entertainment when you just want a laugh.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be just about perfect for a coast to coast flight. There was enough variety to keep me interested, a mix of journalism, memoir, and short fiction. Through it all, there were zingers every fourth page or so that made me laugh out loud.

I'm not a fan of David Sedaris; he's too mean and arch for my taste. In contrast, Rudnick is very sweet both in his portrayals of his family and in his discussions of people in and out of show biz. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Rudnick's use of language is always precise and he knows how to write a good sentence.

Plus, here's one thing I didn't expect. His gay perspective on things as pedestrian as those wedding blurbs and photos in the Sunday NY Times (which I read religiously) gave me a window into a different way of thinking. The only thing I found off-putting in this book was Rudnick's discussion of his eating habits Yuck! The man is killing himself. I don't know how he's made it past forty, I really don't. There are some details about a person's life that are best left unsaid even when it comes to memoirs.

Aside from reading about Rudnick's self-destructive nutritional ways - I'm sure we'll hear about his 12 step program and recovery some day - this book is a hoot.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Christmas...is a season of excessive credit-heavy spending, painfully awkward get-togethers with people we never liked to begin with, and the torture of children by never giving them enough gifts to satisfy their amoral, venal natures. The only appropriate holiday tokens would be to give every member of one's family a crossbow and a head start." If you find that comment trenchant then Paul Rudnick's "I Shudder" is the book for you. Actually the observation is made by his writing alter-ego Elyot Vionnet, a stuffy, superior New Yorker, but just like Rudnick's more famous alter-ego, movie columnist Libby Gelman-Waxner ("Entertainment Weekly" and the late "Premiere"), the reader is in on the joke. Less than half of "I Shudder" is the insufferable Vionnet, the rest are very funny essays on show business types (actor Nicol Williamson, "In and Out" producer Scott Rudnick, Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long, agent Helen Merrill and "Grease" producer Allan Carr). Though chapters on the not-so-famous, Rudnick's family and friends, are just as funny. If you've enjoyed Paul Rudnick's writing in other media, you'll enjoy this book, too. Recommended.