Customer Reviews

Free-Range Chickens

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Don't be thrown by the high ratio of negative reviews for FREE-RANGE CHICKENS. As many readers point out, the book was a free addition to their Kindle purchase, so they went "into" the book cold.

As for me, my only real complaint is that the book has far too many blank pages (about 16) in an already slender volume.

But will YOU like Simon Rich's humor? Here's your acid test: Read the following excerpt, and if it tickles you, you're in.
***
GOD: Did you start that war over in South America?
ANGEL: Yes sir, just as you specified.
GOD: And you gave Fred Hodges that migraine? In Fayette, Maine?
ANGEL: Of course, I followed all your orders to the letter.
GOD: Okay, great. So the next part of my grand sweeping plan is... the next part is... um...
ANGEL: Yes?
GOD: Wait, hold on... I know I was going somewhere with this...
ANGEL: . . .
GOD: It's the [darndest] thing. I had this giant, all-encompassing plan, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.
ANGEL: Did you... write it down somewhere?
GOD: Nah. It was all up here. (Points at head.)
ANGEL: Well... maybe if I say some of the things that you've done so far, you'll remember?
GOD: That's a good idea. Let's try that.
ANGEL: Okay... um... assassination of Julius Caesar... the great San Francisco fire... World War I... World War II... is anything coming back?
GOD: I know all those things are connected somehow.... they were all part of this awesome plan I had... I just can't remember what the payoff was.
ANGEL: . . .
GOD: I guess I bit off more than I could chew.

When all else fails, humor is the saving grace of a world awash in crisis. Thus, a sob becomes a hysterical segue into burst of laughter inspired by a twenty-four year old writer for- why not?- the infamous "Saturday Night Live". Rich's random flights of wit and fancy are presented in sections: "Growing Up"; "Going to Work"; "Relationships"; "Daily Life"; "Animals", and- again, why not? "God".

A quirky kid already hip to the craziness around him, Rich's collection kicks off with threat assessment, the same old canards adults have poured into the fertile imaginations of children for generations: "Got your nose.-Please just kill me. Better to die than to live the rest of my life as a monster." Then there is the matter of the tooth fairy: "Is she... a cannibal? What else does she take? Does she take eyes?" Or an intimate conversation between two frogs: "Why do human children dissect us?"

As the inquisitive boy grows through the awkward stages of adolescence no one can avoid, he betrays his geekiness, vaguely hoping to slide through a series of social blunders. The oddities only become more specific and embarrassing. Reality is closing in, time travel the only option for changing the past, unsuccessful Opium Wars, a Greek marathon, a creative approach to a seriously bad actor's presence in the world, life's absurdities served up as a rich buffet no mean feat for this young torturer of logic.

And who else but Rich could manufacture the hubris to challenge God, to ask the harsh questions ("Why did Seth Brody of Hartford, Connecticut, have a seizure while ordering a hamburger at Denny's?"). The age-old question of why bad things happen to good people is sometimes resolved as a simple case of mistaken identity. Okay, so certain types of humor are an acquired taste. But you never know until you sample the menu. It takes a unique mind to imagine these bizarre scenarios, the perspective of an absurdist and the free-floating anxiety of youth channeled into a universe that sorely needs a good laugh. Luan Gaines/ 2008.

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.

Tis an amusing collection of short and pointed witticisms on a veritable plethora of subjects. I especially enjoyed section V. Rich's work is particularly suitable for times when one hungers for insights intertwined with laughs.
The only downside to the book is its extreme brevity, I finished it in about 30 minutes(give or take). Than again, I really shouldnt be complaining since I received the kindle version for $0.00

Five stars * * * * *

I am sad to say I just couldn't get into reading a bunch of short "jokes". I tried to sit down and read it but nothing about it hooked me to want to read more or want to finish it.
It is sad but the funniest thing about me checking out this book from the Library was the Librarian seriously asking me if I was planning on raising chickens.

I loved this book! Very funny comedy book with some unusual takes on things. Laughed so hard with with some of the stories. Written with different people's points of view. Loved the part with Batman trying to get better jails built!

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.

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!

A great book to tuck in your bag when you're heading out for a plane ride or waiting room. The little individual vignettes can be read and enjoyed independently of each other.

What I love about this book is if you only have a few minutes to distract yourself, you pick up this book (or Rich's other book, Ant Farm) and read a short story or two. They are absolutely hilarious, and you can read them again and again. My copy is currently in the hands of a friend, after already having been passed through 5 other friends. They all loved it. A great small humorous book, and a great gift idea for any friends who love to laugh/chuckle/snicker. :) Enjoy!