Customer Reviews

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I expected this book to be hilarious, and it is. (I'm not even going to qualify that by adding "...if you're a fan of Sarah's comedy." It's just funny. Period.) What I didn't expect were the sensitivity and sincerity that Sarah has brought to both the writing of the book and to its glimpses behind the scenes into her personal life and the thoughtfulness behind the humor.

The section in which Sarah's editor earnestly tries to explain to Sarah, a professional comedian, what's "really" funny (and why) is worth the price of admission all on its own.

I think there are some things that many people believe deep down they could also do just as well as the professionals, if only they had the time, the inclination, etc. I suspect that professional comedy is one of those things. So what I really appreciated about this book is the way Sarah explores comedy as a craft that is diligently developed and honed over time. You might not like her jokes, but you have to respect her commitment to the work that goes into them.

As a person who appreciates both Sarah's humor and the dedication of craftsmen in all walks of life, this book just worked for me on every level. I highly recommend it.

Sarah Silverman's approach to comedy is not like the approach of many comedians working today. Sarah approaches all taboo topics with the same enthusiasm, whether it be the usage of racist lingo, sex, or the Holocaust. This "nothing is sacred" approach to comedy defines Silverman's attitudes and, philosophically speaking, puts these taboo topics into perspective. In Silverman's memoir, we discover where she acquired these traits. In talking about her parents, it's very obvious that her adoration for her father is without doubt and that much of her humor comes from him. In a sub-chapter titled "The Only Reason I'm Not Completely Retarded," Silverman discusses her admiration for her mother. The book follows Silverman through her childhood, adolescence, and career, with much emphasis on family. Throughout, Silverman subjects the reader to relentless comedy that some would consider vulgar, racy, and inappropriate. But, that's just Silverman's charm - genius. Including a Foreward written by herself an an Afterword written by God, I wholeheartedly believe that this book is the comedic masterpiece of the literary world of 2010.

I laughed so hard during the first half of the book. It felt like the 2nd half was just "filler." It seemed like she had a great time writing the 1st half about her childhood and high school. But the second half felt forced. When I hit 90% on the Kindle progress meter, I kept finding myself watching the percentage like a hawk, turning each page, hoping to reach 100%. It wasn't like that for the first half of the book. That part flew by, almost too quickly. All in all, I would still recommend the book.

I am a big fan of Sarah Silverman, let me say this first. I was really looking forward to this book. I am about halfway through it so I don't know if I can judge the whole book already but so far it's really boring. I was expecting it to be really funny. I enjoy watching the interviews of Sarah Silverman discussing this book other than actually reading it. The whole book timeline is jumbled up, she will be talking about what a sex addict she was in her 20's and on the same page skip to a story about when she was still in high school and on the same page talk about when she was 7 years old. It's a bunch of jumbled stories. Boring stories. I can now see why Sarah Silverman was, and still is, depressed about her own life. This book would be so awesome if it was a story about her life instead of little snip-its of events that happened here and there. I am very frustrated at how this book has no organization, it makes you forget what happened on the previous pages.

If you are already a fan of Sarah Silverman, you know her irreverant brand of humor. Okay, maybe it's juvenile, gross and dirty. But it's so funny! I knew that the book would be hilarious and witty, just like Sarah is. I really think she went above and beyond with this book. Besides sharing stories of family and friends that will have you laughing til you cry or at least snort in an unladylike manner; you'll read things about her that really give you a rare insight into her life and past.

Being the ultimate Sarah fan, I thought I had ferretted out most, if not all, of the info available about her career and why she thinks the way she does. There is so much more depth and honesty in this book than I ever expected. I have an even bigger appreciation of her humor, and a deep admiration for the road she's traveled to get to where she is now. You'll see a new, deeper Sarah here, as funny and shocking as always, but with so much more. I think people unsure of what to think of her and her brand of humor will have a fresh viewpoint and new opinion of her after reading this book. Enjoy!

Despite being entitled "The Bedwetter" this book doesn't flow very well, but that's more than offset by the often hilarious content. There are a lot of great stories here and Sarah tells them well. It's clear that it's her talking too, not a ghost writer; it's refreshingly told in her own voice.

The childhood stories are probably the best, though some of her interactions with other comedians are amusing, too. The "flow" problem comes from her skipping around, age-wise; the childhood section seems to jump from Sarah at 8, to Sarah to 4, to 15 to 11, and this repeats in her "up and coming comedian" phase. Is it 1995, 1989, 2002? Only when she refers to her tv show can you immediately pin down the exact era without wondering for a few paragraphs, which is a bit disconcerting.

Also, I think she spends a wee bit too much time on the "controversies" in her career, explaining them and talking about the repercussions. It's a bit of a pisser to have to read about people who DON'T like her--in her own book!

I'd probably give The Bedwetter 3.5 stars if Amazon provided the granularity to do so, but I gave Sarah the benefit of the doubt since I did laugh out loud often while reading it on the bus. I whizzed through this book in two days so I was clearly absorbed in it, but like any good piss, it started strong and kind of petered out at the end. Naturally a lot Depends on whether you like Sarah. If you do, urine for a treat.

An odd book but a surprisingly quick and good read from Sarah Silverman. One would think that it deals with her rise but really it is a series of seemingly unconnected vignettes. Some are entertaining. Few are revealing. However what struck me about this book was the sincerity and authenticity of her voice. I know if she reads this and is eating Oreo's with a glass of milk the milk is probably squirting out her nose she is laughing so hard. However it's the truth.

In her glossing over the very big issues in her life like the death of her brother, the divorce of her parents, the break with Kimmel, and the firing from SNL after only a year you wonder OK what could be left. What is left is life. Distilled from a 'thousand natural shocks' (as it is for all of us) and while they seem minor when considered separately, collectively they obviously weren't to her. There were bed-wetting episodes. Friends coming. Friends going. Mothers of friends loving her and some not. Everyday things. And it is these everyday mishaps which I think she feels have shaped who she is today.

In that respect this book is refreshing. Sure she has a show on TV, which she is rightfully proud of but to her the show does not seem to be the entire final product. The people and the friendships that she has made as a result of it have to be considered. And in the world of the 'me' and 'all on my own' autobiography this was a surprise.

She talks about comedy and what it's about. She goes into her missteps with an inappropriate joke regarding Paris Hilton at an awards show and steps right back into it with another ethnic misstep on Conan. Both times she issued an apology to parties concerned. However the hate emails that she received when she did a piece suggesting that the Vatican liquidate its holdings to feed the world were... well.... chilling. I have always thought civility is a thin veneer most people wear and her emails are a very real and horrible proof.

She says frequently that her show and her standup comedy are about vagina's, penises, and fart jokes. That may be true but her book proves her to be more thoughtful, appreciative, and kind than anyone would imagine.

So Sarah, have another Oreo and smile. You deserve it. Well done.

I love a book that is comedy but reality at the same time. Plain and simple, we would all be better adjusted individuals if we could see our childhoods (the good and the bad) with the humor that Sarah does. I think we all have a story just as good as Bedwetters living is each of us. We would be better off to get it out in a humorous way instead of bottling it all up which is often the American way.

I must admit that I did not know much of Silverman's comedy work, but somehow I got redirected into this page, read the passage inserted, and I thought (hoped) that the whole book would be as funny. No way. This thing got boooring quite fast. Before midway thru the book, I was already sorry I bought it.

I have absolutely no problem with foul language or with crude jokes, so that was not the issue. The issue is, they were just not funny.

So, if this book was not intended to be funny, but rather to be an inspirational (or at least, interesting) telling of her life, then it also failed at that. Her life story is just not that interesting to begin with.

So what does the author do in her attempt to be funny and/or interesting to fill this whole book? She will tell you, every chance she gets, that she is jewish. Again, nothing wrong with it, but, where is the humor in that?

I regret buying this book, and regret the time spent reading it.

I was shocked (pleasantly) by the first half of the book. It's a great little memoir that focuses mainly on the horrors of wetting the bed up into her teenage years, plus her issues with depression, medication, school, and friends. It's well-written and focused, it made me laugh, but it was also sweet, yet sad, and crude naturally. After that, the book goes off the rails, and I admit I started skimming a few pages after the midword, when I realized that the rest is basically filler. The second half doesn't read like a book, more like notes she jotted down of funny stuff she remembered. There are a few good stories about her time as an SNL writer, but even the sections on The Sarah Silverman Program behind-the-scenes stuff could not keep my attention, even though I'm a huge fan of that show. They should have just run with the Bedwetter idea, because the first section of the book is great.