11,002 Things to Be Miserable About: The Satirical Not-So-Happy Book

by Lia Romeo and Nick Romeo

Book Overview

Some people have 14,000 Things to Be Happy About. You're not one of them.

11,002 Things to Be Miserable About is a list of all the reasons NOT to wake up in the morning. Ironically enough, when you put all of them under one cover, it's actually very funny. This decidedly absurd inventory of misery is perfect for sardonic and disaffected youth, for people seeking gifts for Traumatic Event Birthdays (like twenty-one, twenty-five,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081098363X
• ISBN13: 9780810983632
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.1"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Is your glass half full?

Simply put, this is the pessimist's bible. Taken seriously, this book is sure to bring about at least melancholy, and at most a visit from the frowny-face Zoloft blob. Appreciatiating the humor, however, allows the true satirist a treasure-trove of knee-slappers. Jammed from cover-to-cover with OVER 11,000 quick-hit items (I didn't count to confirm), this is the type of anthology that should be revisited numerous times for a pick-me-up. It's the quintessential guide for the misanthropic, cynical, or pessimistic, and it's the definitive response to the perpetually cheery, self-help reading, Monday morning-loving people who skip and whistle obliviously through reality. Ranging from the obvious (e.g. diseases) to the random (e.g. cats on IV drips), most of the items will cause nods of affirmation. It doesn't matter who you are, I guarantee there are several items on the list that will sway you towards schadenfreude or at least provide a few laughs. Below are several of my favorites from the first 20 pages or so: -All the books you will never read before you die -Flushing the toilet, which can spray particles of fecal matter up to twenty feet -The fact that the French get six weeks of paid vacation annually -People who speak loudly in public places -Open-mic night at the local comedy club -The smell of nail polish remover -Accidentally printing a hundred-page document when you meant to print just one page -Getting the middle seat on an airplane -People who answer their cell phones in movie theaters -Bad movie adaptations of good books -The word "va-jay-jay" -People who get tattoos of Chinese characters but don't know what they mean And, yes, the Twilight movie is on the list.

I would fully endorse this book...

...if the publisher paid me to. Sine I'm not making any money on this review, I'll just add it to my personal list of things to be miserable about. Well what more is there to say about this little gem that hasn't already been said by 13 other people? If you're like me and cannot figure out what everyone is so happy about all of the time, and after almost three years in retail enjoy seeing bad things happen to random people, then this is the book for you. Forget all of those self-help and "a better you" books, this one is full of all of those little things in REAL LIFE (because whose real life is anything like those "be happy about the very few good things you may or may not have" books?) that make us head for the nearest cliff. So if you're like me and find things like love, cuddling, dog poop, and the stupidity of society in general to be almost as depressing as death, do yourself a real favor and read this book when your antidepressant wears off. You'll be glad you did. I know I was! :)/:(

much more than a humor book

The authors, who are also founders of[..], make their professional debut with this little book. The book is simply a list of miserable things. I am certain everyone can find something to relate to in this book. Just to give some examples (spoilers): "airport food, vending machines that don't work but take your money anyway, Siberia." This book is perfect not only as a gift but for book club discussions (for example: pick your 5 favorite entries and talk about why). Lastly, I believe this book can be educational: there are a number of entries that I have never heard of (again, spoilers): hypoxia, maltodextrin, Michael Vick. The entries are not numbered nor in alphabetical order, so you can easily go back and find something you didn't see the first time around. I highly recommend this book.

a good laugh

This book is a veritable encyclopedia of miseries large and small, a colossally funny book. Every page sparkles with dark wit.

Funniest Thing I've Seen All Year

The title of this little gem is hysterically funny. So I opened it to see if it really lived up to it's name. You've got to see this book! Every page is a riot! It totally cracked me up, and made my week go much faster. I've left a copy in my office, and every client who comes through picks it up and has a good chuckle, sometimes in spite of themselves. There really is something for everyone- makes you think, and occasionally learn, and laugh out loud. I highly recommend this, especially this year, especially this time of year. Virginia