Don't Get Too Comfortable (Unabridged Selections)

The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never- Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems

By: David Rakoff

Narrated by: David Rakoff

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

The Indignities of Coach Class, the Torments of Low Thread Count, the Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems.

David Rakoff's collection of autobiographical essays, Fraud, established him as one of our funniest, most insightful writers. In Don't Get Too Comfortable, Rakoff journeys into the land of plenty that is contemporary America. Rarely have greed, vanity, selfishness, and vapidity been so mercilessly and wittily portrayed.

Whether contrasting the elegance of one of the last flights of the supersonic Concorde with the good times and chicken wings of Hooters Air, portraying the rarified universe of Paris fashion shows where an evening dress can cost as much as four years of college, or traveling to a private island off the coast of Belize to watch a soft-core Playboy TV shoot, where he is provided with his very own personal manservant, David Rakoff takes us on a bitingly funny grand tour of our culture of excess, delving into the manic getting and spending that defines the North American way of life.

Somewhere along the line, our healthy self-regard has exploded into obliterating narcissism, and Rakoff is there to map that frontier. He sits through the grotesqueries of “avant garde” vaudeville in Times Square immediately following 9/11. Twenty days without food allows him to experience firsthand the wonders of “detoxification”, and the frozen world of cryonics, whose promise of eternal life is the ultimate status symbol, leaves him very cold indeed (much to our good fortune).

At once a Wildean satire of our ridiculous culture of overconsumption and a plea for a little human decency, Don't Get Too Comfortable is a bitingly funny grand tour of our special circle of gilded-age hell.

©2005 David Rakoff (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Rakoff knows the incantatory power of a story well-told, the art of keeping words aloft like the bubbles in a champagne flute. He possesses the crackling wit of a '30s screwball comedy ingenue, a vocabulary that is a treasure chest of mots justes, impressive but most times not too showy for everyday wear." (Los Angeles Times)

Perfect Tone

I purchased this audiobook after seeing Rakoff on the Daily Show - I have rarely been as pleased with a purchase as I have been with Rakoff's work. I purchased the books for my daughter, and have read the essays that do not appear in the audio version, and I am so much happier listening to Rakoff reading. Thankfully, when I read his books myself, I can hear his voice in my head. He strikes the Perfect Tone on each topic. I've read the other suggested books in this genre and although they are enjoyable, they don't come close to Rakoff's work.

In Davids life

What did you love best about Don't Get Too Comfortable (Unabridged Selections)?

I loved the way he described everything in great detail

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

A book about a simple look into his life.

Which character – as performed by David Rakoff – was your favorite?

David himself of course

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the beginning

Any additional comments?

It ends far too soon just as his life has. He will be missed.

Dry observational wit, with a few odd turns.

If you're familiar with Rakoff from his other books, or his appearances on This American Life, you know what you're getting into. For the most part, he's in fine form here, but as is often the case with these sorts of collections, the transition from journalist to autobiographer can sometimes seem a little jarring.

Some chapters are wry travelogues, while in others, we get into the Heavy Stuff; real life-and-death existential pondering. It's always an entertaining ride, but you might find yourself thinking "Whoa, we're going THERE now? Really? Well, okay..."

How many actually listened/read the book?

One reviewer writes "Liberal, gay", as if this is enough to tell one all one needs to know about why the book is bad. Personally, I find liberals a much more decent and pleasant lot than conservatives. I do not care one wit about a person's sexual orientation, as long as they understand the word "no". The author is writing about the decadence of America. And it is true. Our society has gotten to the point where we have to create stress and difficulties for entertainment (Survivor, the Apprentice, the list goes on), and we have a great proportion of our society overweight. We drive gas guzzlers and state that it is our right.

Is it wrong to fault us for this? I think not. If you spend any time in other countries, you quickly realize how spoiled American's are, and how we feel it is our right, not a privilege.

This book is not for all, and neither are Ann Coulter's books. Be forewarned.

Depends on Your Taste

Having lived in NYC also, I loved Rakoff's views/writing about NYC and was laughing out loud. Since that was was I heard as a sample, I was hoping/thinking that the whole book would be like that. So, I didn't find his rants/writing about politics such as the Bush administration, homosexuality, etc. as funny - which seems to be a lot more of the book. I bought this looking for humor, like a David Sedaris book.

great send up of the super hip

Very funny send up of the pretentious, super hip, pop culture mavens with more money than self awareness. I truly laughed out loud.

One of the best of the millenium

For anyone who thinks this essay collection is "about George Bush", well, they certainly didn't listen very long. Only a very few of the pieces are particularly political, and in each case they reflect ways in which current American policies have impact the life of the author. That's what a collection of personal essays is suppose to be about!
Rakoff does a flawless job of skewering many ripe subjects, including the fashion industry, Martha Stewart and the people who froze Ted Williams's head. He has a reporter's observational skills and a humorist's compassionate delivery. Having him read his own work is a lovely plus; Mr Rakoff's concise speech and delicate timbre make for an easy, hilarious listen. I also bought two copies in paperback which I loan out carefully ALL the time.

5 Stars!

Hilarious, this book had me laughing out loud in public. Just a tinge snarky but somehow still heartfelt, Mr. Rakoff reminds me a little of David Sedaris (in the best possible way). They're both just so funny.

David Rakoff was taken from us way too soon. Just a great book. Can't wait to read more from him.

As Funny As It Gets!

David Rakoff's "Don't Get Too Comfortable" is one of the funniest books ever written, and the audiobook benefits greatly by being read by the author, whose deadpan delivery is perfect for his sense of humor. This had myself and several friends belly-laughing out loud on a cross-country road trip. Highly recommended! This is the title that got me into audiobooks!

Yeah we do have it pretty good, eh?

Even the subtitle for the book is funny, "The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never- Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems". Check it out.