Don't Get Too Comfortable [Paperback]

In "Don't Get Too Comfortable," a collection of essays by David Rakoff, the author skewers the excesses and abominations of American society. In a chapter called "Love It or Leave It," the Canadian-born Rakoff discusses how his issues with our current administration helped him decide to apply for American citizenship. In later chapters, Rakoff describes a ride on the Concorde, a visit to a secluded tropical isle for the very affluent, a morning spent with the sidewalk groupies on the Today Show, and a consultation with several plastic surgeons to discuss his physical flaws.

Rakoff is a skilled writer, who uses original and sharply turned phrases in his criticism of greed, hypocrisy, heartlessness, rampant materialism, homophobia, and just plain stupidity. He makes fun of Log Cabin Republicans, fans who stand for hours on a New York sidewalk longing to be noticed by Al Roker, rich people who decide to cleanse their systems by fasting, and individuals who attempt to cheat death by having themselves cryogenically and expensively preserved with the hope of someday being "reanimated."

Although "Don't Get Too Comfortable" is often funny and always irreverent, Rakoff's satire sometimes misses the mark. For example, a chapter about foraging in Prospect Park for edible flora is boring and pointless, as is an essay devoted to "Midnight Madness," a silly scavenger hunt on the streets of New York City. Too often, Rakoff comes off as petty and spiteful, someone who complains simply because he enjoys kvetching. However, Rakoff is often self-deprecating, which does take some of the edge off the scorn he directs towards others. Although far from perfect, the essays in this slim volume are worth reading for their style and cleverness. There is enough humor and bite in "Don't Get Too Comfortable" to earn it a marginal recommendation.

My husband and I listened to this audiobook on a car trip last week. We both really enjoyed it (as well as the audiobook for Rakoff's other book, FRAUD), but I do admit to nodding off close to the end. (My excuse was that I'd taken an over-the-counter medication for motion sickness. But, maybe he was sometimes a little bit long-winded. Not all the time, though, because we were often laughing out loud at his turns of phrase.)

I greatly enjoyed his humorous, observant style of writing. He entertained me while enlightening me on what it would be like to go on a late-night scavenger hunt through New York City, for example. Some reviewers seemed to have the wrong expectation about what this book was about. I didn't feel like Rakoff had made it his "goal" to delve into American excess; I just think that this was the general theme that tied these essays together. This wasn't meant to be a thesis explaining "This is why Americans are the way they are." These essays are just Rakoff's observations on the ironic quirks of American culture. I just enjoyed the essays for what they were without expecting him to give me a sociological explanation for what was behind everything he wrote about. People who were expecting that were reading the wrong book.

Some other reviewers have criticized Rakoff's delivery when he read his book for the audio CD. In my opinion, his manner of speaking ADDED to my enjoyment of his work. It helped me imagine him in all of the situations he was in. Because he's gay, he can take a detached, third-party view of the soft-core photo shoot he witnesses at the luxury resort, as well as the Hooters Air flight he takes. He's observing the ironies of these situations, but not distracted by the women's "physical charms." Can you imagine a more macho, "man's man" performance of these essays by a different narrator giving you the same impression of the absurdity Rakoff feels in these situations? No, Rakoff is what he is, and his narration comes off to me as true to how it would sound as an anecdote he'd share when talking to a friend. So, I, for one, hope he continues to be the reader of his own work, for audiobook purposes.

Also, to those who complain that Rakoff shouldn't criticize America because he's Canadian by birth, I think that this gives him a unique perspective that has merit. He had lived (legally) in America for many years before he became a U.S. citizen, and he seemed to consider New York City to be his home. Just because he has complaints about the naturalization process, as well as darkly humorous opinions about the eccentricities of Americans, doesn't mean that he completely regrets becoming a U.S. citizen. I would think that people who give up citizenship in the country they were born in often have misgivings along the way (and afterward) that they might be making a mistake. That's a pretty life-changing decision to have made, and his honesty in feeling kind of like a stranger in a strange land is natural. Especially when you have serious concerns about the politics of your adopted nation's leader.

I look forward to Rakoff's next book, because his unique take on our society can make us think about what seems normal to us, while making us laugh at his turn of phrase at the same time.

This sharp little collection of essays by David Rakoff is a well executed satire of our hyper-indulged, self-entitled, over-consuming society. Rakoff tosses his articulate, queen-y rants at everything from elitist varieties of salt, to twenty-day fasts and foraging in Central Park. His use of vocabulary is marvelous. At times smug, and at (rare)times self-effacing, Rakoff's humor is acid with a pinch of sugar. "...far from being bobos in paradise, we're in a special circle of gilded- age hell".