Humor Me: An Anthology of Funny Contemporary Writing [Plus Some Great Old Stuff Too]

by Ian Frazier (Editor)

Selected and introduced by the incomparable Ian Frazier, Humor Me delivers a bumper crop of hilarity from the funniest writers at work today, with proceeds from its sales going to 826 National—the Dave Eggers-founded nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations across the country. Featuring laugh-out-loud comic contributions from a host of American funnymen and women—including Steve Martin, Garrison Keillor, Veronica Geng, and David Sedaris— Humor Me is fun for all, a treasure trove of rare wit that every Jon Stewart fan and reader of The Onion will appreciate.

Genres: Humor, Essays, Short Stories, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ian Frazier (b.1951) is an American writer and humorist. He is the author of Travels in Siberia, Great Plains, On the Rez, Lamentations of the Father and Coyote V. Acme, among other works, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He graduated from Harvard University. A frequent contributor to The New Yorker, he lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianfra...

Reviews

[E.J. Cullen · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can usually spot a shaky anthology when the editor shamelessly includes his own work, and this is no exception. Over 50 short "humorous" works included, of which a very few are at all funny. As the old writer/actor said on his deathbed when a sympathetic relative said to him, "I know that dying must be hard," replied: "Dying is easy; comedy is hard."

[Shay Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've had virulent rashes that were more fun than reading this collection of what the editor (Ian Frazier) calls in his preface "the very best humorous essays of this or indeed of any age."

Well, no.

There are fifty entries here, and I think that there are two that I will remember for longer than it takes to write this review. One is the editor's own "Lamentations of the Father" which is howlingly funny. It took me longer than it should have to read it because I kept having to stop to let the laughing fits subside and to wipe the tears from my eyes. I'm being serious, it really was that funny. It also might die of loneliness, as there was no other entry that even vaguely approached it, here. "Lamentations" is a parent using archaic and overly formal language to admonish his small child not to do a number of the things that small children routinely do. It's well observed, pitch perfect, and is a total unicorn amid the dreck of this collection

About ten stories in, to amuse myself--since the essays were failing miserably at it--I retroactively began assigning each story to one of seven categories. These were:
VERY FUNNY (1, the aforementioned)
FUNNY-11
A LITTLE FUNNY-3 (meaning that I chuckled once or twice)
OKAY-8 (meaning that I had no urge to claw my own eyes out while reading them)
MEH-10 (meaning I did not laugh at these at all, but they didn't make me long for death)
NOT FUNNY-10 (meaning that Frazier's notion of "very best" is clearly wildly different from mine)
???-5 (meaning, why are these even included in a humor anthology? They're not humor pieces.)
and IGNORANT-1 (The lone entry here is one line, not funny at all, just juvenile and vulgar.) Frazier comments on this abomination in his intro thusly: four and a half lines of HAHAHA and similar. Good God, I thought I had left middle school far behind. The above nonsense boils down to this: only 16 of the 50 stories made any of my "funny" categories.

I said that there were two stories I will remember from this hapless, bewildering, ill-conceived mess of a book. I have already noted the first. The second was Larry Heinemann's "The Fragging." It is exactly as it sounds--an account of an officer blown up by his own men during the Viet Nam war. The officer, a by-the-book (but not THIS book!) Lieutenant fresh from the Citadel, has no sense of the situation that he has just landed in the middle of, and the mistakes that this FNG (effing new guy) makes puts his men in danger and gets some of them killed. They wait until his third egregious error and then rig a booby trap that kills him. There is nothing remotely funny about anything in this story, not even the out-of-his-depth officer, but taken on its own merits, it is an unforgettable tale. I'm assuming that Ian Frazier has never served, because if he had, he would have had more sense than to include this story in a humor anthology. I am glad, though, that now I have been put on to Larry Heinemann and will be checking out his books in the immediate future.

Frazier even manages to, through a presumably Herculean effort, find a story by Mark Twain ("1601") that is completely unreadable. I suffered through all the other entries in this book from their first word to their last like some mad flagellant, but I gave up on the Twain story by the tenth archaic spelling. Getting back to Ian Frazier, he also featured one by an all-time favorite of mine, Donald Barthelme, and the piece is okay, but a hundred others of his would have been better choices.

Clearly not recommended unless you have done something hideous and feel the need to be punished to the very limits of human endurance.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the forward to the book, Ian Frazier wrote of laughing like crazy while reading these stories I'm assuming he chose and edited for this anthology. I'm afraid nary a snort nor guffaw escaped from me while reading this disappointing collection, especially the contemporary stories, some of which were downright sad and depressing. It did pick up a bit with the humorists of old, like Mark Twain's story, written in old English, about Queen Elizabeth I demanding to know (among other unmentionable things)from her "peeps" gathered around her who let loose an especially explosive, fragrant fart. I'm sorry but farting is funny! Wonder how that went over in 1880 when he wrote it? Overall, disheartened by the lack of current talent in humorous writing chosen for this book. The better, shorter collection of "vintage" humor is at the end, unfortunately.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Humor is very subjective. What makes me howl with laughter may well leave you bored. That said, I prefer dry humor often of the British variety. The breezy tone of most of the pieces in the book left me mildly amused rather than tickled.

A couple of standout stories are: "Lamentations of the Father" by Ian Franzier and "How to Write Good" by Michael O'Donoghue.

Special What Were You Thinking Award goes to "The Fragging" by Larry Heinmann which was a well written and engaging story that I felt better suited for a collection of tragedies rather than a comedy.

[Elliot Chalom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not that funny. I failed to finish more stories than I actually finished. That's a bad percentage. Gets 2 stars instead of 1 because there were a handful of stories that I liked. But only a handful.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically a book of written stories that are dated and not funny.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Humor Me" is an interesting collection. It's presented as a set of laugh-out-loud stories, but the book doesn't really deliver on that premise.

There definitely is some funny stuff in here. Editor Ian Frazier's "Lamentations of the Father" is pretty good, and Roy Blount, Jr's "Salute to John Wayne" is light and sweet. Steve Martin's "The Third Millennium: So Far, So Good" is on brand, and Michael O'Donoghue's "How to Write Good" is a classic I hadn't encountered before.

Still, on the whole, the book takes a broader approach to humor, including a range of subversive, wry and even maudlin fiction. Larry Heinemann's "The Fragging" is a dark take on the horrors of Vietnam; not exactly giggle-worthy stuff. Same for Charles Portis' "I Don't Talk Service No More."

There's a lot of strong writing in these pages, but it's not as light and laugh-ready as you would expect. The collection is worth reading alone for "1601," a Mark Twain Shakespearean parody that centers on Sir Walter Raleigh noxiously farting in the presence of Queen Elizabeth. Who knew they could be so blue in 1880?

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not funny.
That review — in two words — is likely enough, but it seems irresponsible not to explain. So . . .
The subtitle of Ian Frazier's 2010 book claims to offer a collection of 54 examples of "funny contemporary writing"; it overstates the case by 50. Not even Garrison Keillor's baseball story is good, and I love Garrison Keillor's stuff.
Frazier's own "Lamentations of the Father" is one of the four pieces worthy of the humor label.
There's a creative piece by Andy Borowitz titled "Theatre-Lobby Notices" that's really a stitch, to coin a phrase.
Glenn Eichler's deft touch makes a winner of "The Magical Grasp of Antiques."
"The Fragging" is a dark humor, but so well done by Larry Heinemann.
As to the other 50 entries, return to the top of this review.

[Mitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure other people most likely found this compilation of humor funnier than I did. I thought it mostly amusing at best, and seldom much of that.

It think this is because most of the pieces made frequent references to intellectual or literary persons of reknown- and the references were often too specialized to follow. Additionally literary styles were mocked, etc., but I just didn't find the devices all that humorous.

Mark Twain, though, remained as outrageous and funny as himself at his best.

I doubt I'd recommend this to anyone I know and they'd thank me, if only they knew what they'd missed.

[Michael Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven and very poorly selected anthology of "humorous" pieces. There are a few gems in the collection, but it suffers from an awful introduction and several lengthy pieces that are not funny in the least bit (a story about Vietnam). Not recommended.

[Movies Are Usually OK]

Only read the Michael O'Donoghue portion, didn't care to read the rest.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ignore the haters; it’s a solid anthology of funny pieces, and a good means to stretch your notions of humor.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to extremely short humor by tons of writers. If you like humor, and are interested in finding other authors that you might like, check this out. I was especially amused (and shocked!) by the Mark Twain piece. If that were assigned reading in schools, there would be a LOT more Mark Twain fans out there!

[Wes Locher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a galley copy of this book for review and after taking a quick look at the authors and writers who contributed, I was quite excited to read it. As I was in the process of writing my second book, this sat for a month or so before I was able to get to it, so it's possible that this book has already been released in its finished form.

I love anthologies since they give you a taste of multiple authors and if you really enjoy a piece, it sparks you to go out and find additional writing by those particular folks.

Being a humor writer myself, I feel that I'm a pretty good judge of what's funny. Not to say that I'm always correct, as humor is subjective, but I have a pretty good idea.

This book didn't do it for me. As I mentioned, the contributing writers are all fantastic, however, I know that there are better pieces they could have used as a representation of their humor. Some essays are 1-2 pages long while others droll on and on without a punchline. I would have liked a little more consistency in length and hilarity.

While a majority of the pieces included were hard for me to finish, there were some hidden gems that everyone should read and enjoy. If you happen across a copy of Humor Me, I'd consider the highlights to be the essays by Steve Martin, Bill Franzen, Jack Handey, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Saunders, Susan Shapiro, Jake Swearingen, and of course, Mark Twain. Also included is David Sedaris, of whom I'm a huge fan, but they might have chosen one of his stronger stories.

Just because I didn't rupture a vital organ from laughter doesn't mean that this is a bad book. Everyone's sense of humor is completely different and if you enjoy a good laugh then I encourage you to pick this up and just give it a shot. If nothing else, you'll gain exposure to some of the best humor writers of the century (and some of the best from previous centuries).

I bow to the editor, Ian Franzier, for putting this together. Though some of his choices were questionable, I admire what he was trying to do in exposing a variety of hilarity to the world.

[Trey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology had very few selections that had me in stitches. The editor's introduction, in which he can barely stop laughing long enough to write down his thoughts, might have been the first clue that the book wouldn't live up to expectations. If it's that good, why are you trying to sell me so hard? I mean, I guess at gunpoint you'd classify most of the collected pieces as humor, but I kept wondering if some of the offerings were merely articles or short stories not intended to be that funny. I would have slapped a one-star rating on this book if it hadn't been for Mark Twain's story (which doesn't even fall under the titular category of contemporary writing!) about discovering who farted in the queen's court. His Queen Elizabeth excludes several from suspicion thusly: "O' God's name, who hath favored us? Hath it come to pass yta fart shall fart itself? Not such a one as this, I trow. Young Master Beaumont—but no; 'twould have wafted him to heaven like down of a goose's boddy. 'Twas not ye little Lady Helen—nay, ne'er blush, my child; thoul't tickle thy tender maidenhedde with many a mousie-squeak before thou learnest to blow a harricane like this." That story was worth slogging through the rest of the terrible ones, but if you can find it in a different book, you are probably better off.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction to this book seemed sort of silly and kind of put me off, but some of the stories are well worth the read.

My husband couldn't sleep one night. He picked up this book which I had left on the couch. He found parts so funny he couldn't stop laughing. He insisted on reading me sections the next morning. He particularly liked "Lamentations of the Father" which is a set of biblical style instructions to children on table manners. It is by Ian Frazer who edited the book and wrote the introduction I found silly. A month later he saw the book on the dining room table and again opened to "Lamentations of the Father" and started laughing and reading me sections.

If my husband were a Goodreads member, he'd surely give this book 5 stars. He rarely gets this excited about a book.

I might never finish it but my take is that the rest of the stories are uneven. On my own, I'd give it 3 stars. I've given the book 4 stars to show the "average" between the two of us. Humor can be quite personal. Clearly some people REALLY like this book.

[Sharen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining! Some more recent contributions, as well as the classics, make this a terrific book for dipping into on a cold winter's night.

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are probably hilarious if you live in New York City or are the sort [read: effete] to read The New Yorker. I found some amusing parts, such as the essay (and these are essays) on how to write, but my life is so far removed from the topics covered that the stories were just blah. Even Patrick McManus's essay seemed hollow, and I've had my husband come looking for me to make sure I was all right from laughing so hard at his stories even though I have absolutely no interest in huntin' or fishin'. Also, I noticed that the editor's contribution was actually the funniest. Now, I don't know why that was. Maybe he is really, really funny. Maybe I can identify with children because I work with them all day. Maybe he had trouble getting permission to reprint the essays he originally wanted. Far be it from me to cast aspersions on his selection process.

[Whitney Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ian Frazier makes me laugh, so I thought our senses of humor were more aligned. I was surprised that I found many -- maybe even most -- of his choices for this anthology quite dull.

However, this is worth reading for a few really great pieces:

Steve Martin's "The Third Millennium: So Far, So Good"
Ian Frazier's "Lamentations of the Father"
Jack Handey's "What I'd Say to the Martians"
Patrick McManus's "The Miracle of the Fish Plate"
Mark O'Donnell's "There Shall Be No Bottom (A Bad Play for Worse Actors)"
David Sedaris's "A Plague of Tics"
Jake Swearingen's "How Important Moments of My Life Would Be Different if I Was Shot Twice in the Stomach at Close Range"
Michael O'Donoghue's "How to Write Good"

[Raina Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received the book for free through Goodreads' First Reads program.

I was so excited to start this book, but a little disappointed with the collection overall. I think it's a simple matter of taste- not everyone agrees on what's "funny". The introduction almost forced me to stop reading the book before I ever read a story- I recommend skipping it. That being said, Lamentations of the Father , also by Ian Frazier, was a bright spot and had me laughing nonstop. Other stories, not so much. I will say there's probably something in here for just about anyone.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many have already said, the essays in this book are generally hit or miss. Any edited collection is going to have its ups and downs, and when you're dealing with humor, you're really at the mercy of people's tastes. I enjoyed a number of them, but few (if any) had me laughing out loud. They felt a bit dated, though I know that some of them are supposed to be classics.

I probably would have finished the collection except that this book was a victim of a library book purge and just a general feeling of "too many books, too little time to waste."

[Nuthouse Magazine]

We agree with other Goodreads readers who regard this anthology compiled by humorist Ian Frazier as a mixed bag. Some of the pieces have razor sharp wit but others fall terribly flat. Among the most interesting is a story by Mark Twain about flatulence in the court of Queen Elizabeth I that is surprisingly frank, and profane, for its day. Among the contemporary writers showcased here are Calvin Trillin, John Updike, David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor, Bruce Jay Friedman and Roy Blount Jr. Worth a scan but there will be some disappointments.

[Melissa Lee-Tammeus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lied. I didn't read this. I tried to. I really did. It is short stories that are supposed to be funny. I didn't get it. Not any of them. Many are from the New Yorker and maybe they are too elite for me. Or snobby. I don't know. But, I just didn't get it. After a good 30 minute attempt at trying to find any that I could understand or relate to or even smile with, I gave up. Highly dissappointing.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

half the stories get a giggle, highlights so far include Veronica Geng's "La Cosa Nostra" and Jack Handey's "What I'd Say to the Martians".

weak story selection was saved by Sedaris, George Saunders, Bobbi Ann Mason. that damn Charles Portis charmed me with a great sentence per paragraph. Patrick McManus surprised with 'The Miracle of a Fish Plate.' a ho-hum collection overall.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main issue with this book is pretty simple - it's just not that funny.

There are a few gems in here, mostly the David Sedaris essay "A Plague of Tics," and even Frazier's own "The Lamentations of the Father," but for the most part, it's one dud after another. Obviously humor is subjective, but judging by the other reviews in this collection, I can't be the only one who didn't find it all that funny. This was a slog to get through.

[Houda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is HILARIOUS, and I'm not even done yet! The first story is about fall fashion at a local correctional facility! I actually giggled to myself in my room (which I don't do often, so you know) while reading the book. And really fun to read one or two stories every once in a while to cheer yourself up. I recommend it whole heartedly!

[Rosalía · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories were not laugh-out-loud funny, but rather witty or some, funny-strange. Some good ones were "Salute to John Wayne," "Hepatitis F,"What the Twister Did,"Plan 10 from Zone R-3," "The 32d Millennium - So Far So Good," and the best in the book: "Fair Warning." This last one DID make me laugh.

[Sophia Ciocca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll be honest: I didn't even really read this book. I tried to, I really did. But it's the worst anthology I've ever seen: virtually none of the stories I read were funny. So after reading a few with much disappointment, I perused the rest to find even one that would tickle me, and alas, I found none. What a bummer.

[MaryJohanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a First Reads giveaway.
It's difficult to review a humor anthology as humor is so personal...
For my tastes, the "funny" entries were too few and much too far between.
Will be anxious to hear how others feel about these "contemporary" writings.

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book with no real purpose. All in all, it was a waste of my time -- the only reason I finished it was because it was free, and I felt obligated to review it.

Disclaimer: I received the book for free through Goodreads' First Reads program.