I Shudder

I Shudder

Paul Rudnick further establishes himself as one of America’s preeminent satirists with this winning collection of essays, which includes new material interspersed with some of his wickedly funny contributions to The New Yorker. I Shudder: And Other Reactions To Life, Death and New Jersey is vintage Rudnick, finding the author at his most prankish and good-naturedly scathing.

The screenwriter behind In and Out, Sister Act and Addams Family Values offers keen, occasionally biting observations to such topics as life in New York City versus New Jersey, the dicey nature of show business, the strange ways writers manage to pay their rent, and crafty strategies for dealing with one’s family, however insane or dysfunctional they might be.

There are intimate confessions (Rudnick eats his Wheat Chex without milk, often causing outrage in diners and coffee-shops) as well as dishy, perhaps not-so-surprising revelations about Hollywood A-listers (producer Scott Rudin is fond of firing his assistants.) The essay “Sixty Seconds,” about a gay, coke-addled, Mitzi Gaynor-obsessed producer, is worth the price of admission alone. As David Sedaris says, “There’s no book wiser or half as funny as I Shudder.”

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers ( September 15, 2009 )

Item #: 34-1919

ISBN: 9781615235025

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.75 inches

Product Weight: 15.0 ounces