I Came, I Read, I Laughed

Book Reviewed: Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations, by Simon Rich

Last Christmas, when trying to find a gift for my brother, I came across a couple stories from Simon Rich's hilarious Ant Farm. I liked them so much, I bought the book for my brother at once. He loved it. And now, I've finally read the whole thing myself. A collection of super-short humor pieces, Ant Farm is an example of my favorite kind of funny: a little pathetic, a little nostalgic, and extremely true to life. In one piece, Rich imagines what Abraham might say to Isaac on the way back home from "camping." In another, a murdered man is frustrated over his inability to communicate with a bunch of preteen girls playing with a ouija board. It's all a little bizarre, but Rich does a great job basing his humor on observations from his own life: the misunderstandings of childhood, the awkwardness of being a teenager, coming to terms with religion and politics as you get older. Every piece reminded me of my own dumb thoughts through the years, and I giggled my way through the entire collection.

So, because I do think this book is ridiculously fun, I thought I'd pass along one of my favorite pieces from the collection. Enjoy!

"A Conversation at the Grown-Ups' Table as Imagined at the Kids' Table," by Simon Rich

MOM: Pass the wine, please. I want to become crazy.
DAD: Okay.
GRANDMOTHER: Did you see the politics? It made me angry.
DAD: Me too. When it was over, I had sex.
UNCLE: I'm having sex right now.
DAD: We all are.
MOM: Let's talk about which kid I like best.
DAD: (laughing) You know, but you won't tell.
MOM: If they ask me again, I might tell.
FRIEND FROM WORK: Hey, guess what? My voice is pretty loud!
DAD: (laughing) There are actual monsters in the world, but when my kids ask I pretend like there aren't.
MOM: I'm angry! I'm angry all of a sudden!
DAD: I'm angry too! We're angry at teach other!
MOM: Now everything is fine.
DAD: We just saw the PG-13 movie. It was so good.
MOM: There was a big sex.
FRIEND FROM WORK: I am the loudest! I am the loudest!
(Everybody laughs.)
MOM: I had a lot of wine, and now I'm crazy!
GRANDFATHER: Hey, do you guys know what God looks like?
ALL: Yes.
GRANDFATHER: Don't tell the kids.