I Shudder by Paul Rudnick

October 12th, 2009

Title: I Shudder
Author: Paul Rudnick
Publisher: HarperCollins (2009)

I am a pretty big fan of laughing…I try to do it a lot.  I also enjoy memoirs, so when I get the opportunity to read a memoir that is supposedly funny…I do.  Rudnick is a comedic playwright, screenwriter and novelist so I figured it would be safe on this one.  I was correct, as I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

I Shudder: And Other Reactions to Life, Death, and New Jersey by Paul Rudnick is a very funny part memoir, part fiction book.  He has a very relaxing style of writing, which is always nice to read.  I never felt like anything that he wrote was forced…and that makes it a very fast read.

He tells his stories with great wit and honesty.  I found myself laughing quite a bit reading about his times as a writer for various movies and times spent with some pretty weird friends.  Oh, I should stop here and mention that he is gay.  It’s a theme throughout the book…though I didn’t think it was overwhelming. So if it would bother you to read a memoir by a gay person, you should probably stay away. Also…shame on you.

Anyway…as I said before, part of the book is a fiction tale about some really weird dude. Those sections were enjoyable to read and reminded me of reading a Chuck Palahniuk book. Well, kind of like a Chuck Palahniuk book minus the totally disgusting stuff Palahniuk writes about. And minus the fear of a lack of identity which is the only thing he can write about. I don’t know if that makes sense…but it should it you have read anything by Palahniuk.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you like memoirs, you will probably like this one too.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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4 Responses to “I Shudder by Paul Rudnick”

  1. Paula Says:
    October 12th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

    Sounds like a very touching story of a man’s love for his brother…..would love to read.

  2. Adam Wilson Says:
    October 12th, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    huh?

  3. Mark Says:
    October 14th, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    This sounds like a fun book. Good review.

  4. caite Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    Like the cover…and as a NJite, I am curious about what he has to say about our fair Garden State.

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