Free-Range Chickens

I am a college professor. Once in the same class I got one evaluation that said, "Dr. H. is the funniest professor I ever had." The very next evaluation read, "Dr. H. thinks she is funny, but she is not." Read these reviews and you will see the same ambivalence. This is a book of short funnies. Like a series of stand up routines by Degeneres, Seinfeld and Steven Wright in book form. Quirky, odd, and very funny if that is what you find funny. No plot, no narrative. Just a series of off the wall observations. There is only the most loose strand of organization. It is a book you either read through quickly or read in pieces. You will either embarrass yourself in public laughing out loud and annoy your family reading it out loud to them, or you will find it simply pointless. The bad part is you will never know until you try. Kindle people download the sample first. If it doesn't crack you up skip the book.

Free Range Chickens is a novel filled with short "skits" that remind me of Saturday Night Live sketches. Probably because the author worked as a writer for SNL (Gee, do you think that's why?). :)Much like SNL, or similar comedy-sketch shows, there are some bits that are laugh-out-loud funny and some that lie dead in the water. Simon Rich's expansive range of topics is bound to find something that will tickle everyone's funny bone; from Batman meeting with the mayor of Gotham, through "I think my teenage daughter knows I read her diary", to an interview with the Marathon runner.I found this book most entertaining when read off and on, when I had a short break and wanted a quick laugh. The skits are short and quick with humor. Sitting down for an entire night of reading this novel would be like watching an SNL marathon; after too-long, your funny bone wears out and things aren't as humorous.One last note, with the wide range of topics, there is a section that has jokes centered around religion and God. Although I don't think the premise of the jokes was to blaspheme God,and I didn't find this section to be funny, some readers may be offended at Mr. Rich's attempt at humor.

Looking for a full length novel? Then this isn't the book for you. Do not listen to all the negative reviews on this book due to the fact that some readers misunderstood what it was going to be. This is not a novel, but a collection of hilarious jokes that only someone like Simon Rich can write. A fantstic piece for anyone who enjoys a laugh, Simon tells the tale of adolescence through the perspective of our sarcastic imaginations. "How My Mother Imagined the Police" can be paralleled with Ant Farm's "What Goes Through My Mind When I'm Home Alone, Through My Mom's Perspective" both are hilarious and this book deserves just as much praise as Ant Farm!

I really enjoyed this book. It is not a novel but a wonderful book when you want some quick, light but very funny reading and can be read in short sessions when you have a few minutes to kill. My favorite was "when I lost my first tooth". Although the language was a bit sophisticated for a conversation with a real child, it did demonstrate how children can take things VERY literally in a funny way. I was lucky to have gotten this for free during a promotional period but it is worth the price in laughter alone.

To a certain extent, Free Range Chickens is observational humor with a kick. It reminds me of what I find to be funny in Futurama. There isn't a story line here, but rather a collection of dialogues and chains of thought. If you've studied much philosophy, I think you'll have several laugh-out-loud moments, plus a good deal of laughing to yourself. I didn't find the language to be particularly offensive, but there was a section about God that might leave a strict fundamentalist cold.

This was a Kindle freebie and I enjoyed every story. I was laughing from the moment I started reading. I can't resist the urge of walking around the office and wanting to read them to my co-workers. OK, deep breath. I think I'm ready to plunge back in. hahahahaha

A book of short stories and sketch comedy wrapped up into one book that you won't want to put down. Once I started reading it on my Kindle I didn't shut it off until I was done. Simon Rich's voice is something I can relate to, many of his stories have a familiar tone to experiences I've had or thought about at one point in my life. Highly recommended read and I'll be looking into other books by Rich.

It was a pretty funny book. I thought it was a little too short. It left me wanting to read more.

Amazing book! So funny

One of those books you'll either love or hate - and I loved it. Deeply funny, very brief insights into childhood, adulthood and everything in between. Perfect writing.

content is amazing/clever/inspired but it's just a repeat of all stuff i read in his other book The World of Simon Rich. V annoying.

Fun book

This book is very funny with great riffs on subjects as diverse as children, Dracula and God. Rich has an ear for absurd voices and uses it well to create some hysterical dialogues. I lopped off one star based on value. It is a short book, and while I don't regret buying it for 11ish bucks it is a bit light for the price. Nonetheless; if you are affluent yet strangely sad; or really sad and willing to drop the price of a movie for some laughs at home this book might be worth it.