Happy Cruelty Day!: Daily Celebrations of Quiet Desperation [Paperback]

Bob Powers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though comedian Powers may be tongue-in-cheek when he says to disregard the instructions of the 365 short vignettes on how to "devote yourself to a life of passion, vengeance, and heartbreak," readers may ignore this cobbled-together, flat collection. Powers proposes that each day of the year be distinguished by its own unique holiday, a structure he uses as an excuse for his dark and not all that funny musings. Selections include the muddled message on race relations in January 14's "When You Overturn the Hyundai at Tonight's Race Riot, Make Sure the Chicks Are Watching Day!" and May 30's "The Sk8r Boy Who Can Help You Day!" in which the title character provides a cure for cancer and relationship troubles. In March 1's "Sit in Abject Terror Day!" Powers details instructions for a dramatic anxiety attack about one's "flat, static" life. On December 17—"Your Favorite Yoga Position Day!"—Powers reports that when asked why they do yoga, most people say, "Because I was told it will make my bowels stop aching when I am all alone in the night." This volume will only appeal to those with the most tortured sensibilities. 13 b&w photos. (Jan.)
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Review

365 dark, tortured and often hilarious new holidays...it's when he's at his bleakest that Powers is also at his funniest. -- From the New York Post

Comedian Powers's compilation of 365 vignettes is crass, witty, snarky, and unbelievably funny. It's for anyone-misanthropes and pessimists particularly-who's ever been fed up with books of daily inspiration. Go ahead and replace Christmas with "Stuff Your Underwear into My Mouth and Punch Me in the Nose Until I Can't Breathe Through It Day!" Readers will wonder how July 10 could ever have been anything other than "Tell Everyone You See, All Day Long, That They Can Do Whatever They Want Because It's Not Like It's Going To Bring Your Dead Brother Back Day!" This book is recommended for public libraries with the caveat that it contains profanity and material many readers may consider objectionable (sick would be an apt descriptor; the words raunchy and tasteless are also applicable here). Academic libraries may wish to add this title to their leisure collections. Reservations about appropriateness of content aside, it is a severely and morosely funny book. -Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L. -- Library Journal

Comedian Powers's compilation of 365 vignettes is crass, witty, snarky, and unbelievably funny. It's for anyone-misanthropes and pessimists particularly-who's ever been fed up with books of daily inspiration. Go ahead and replace Christmas with "Stuff Your Underwear into My Mouth and Punch Me in the Nose Until I Can't Breathe Through It Day!" Readers will wonder how July 10 could ever have been anything other than "Tell Everyone You See, All Day Long, That They Can Do Whatever They Want Because It's Not Like It's Going To Bring Your Dead Brother Back Day!" This book is recommended for public libraries with the caveat that it contains profanity and material many readers may consider objectionable (sick would be an apt descriptor; the words raunchy and tasteless are also applicable here). Academic libraries may wish to add this title to their leisure collections. Reservations about appropriateness of content aside, it is a severely and morosely funny book. -Audrey Snowden, Cleveland P.L. -- From Library Journal

Makes the pieces in the Onion look like bedtime stories...Powers delivers with 365 unforgettable and rather disturbing holidays. -- From the Contra-Costa Times

Mordantly funny -- From Maclean's

Two Words - unbelievably hilarious. -- From Metro Toronto

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312359527
• ISBN-13: 978-0312359522
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bob Powers was born and raised in Upper Darby, PA, a suburb on the border of West Philly. He's lived in New York City since 1991, taking time out to have a three year breakdown in LA.

Bob's first book, "Happy Cruelty Day" collects much of the best material from his website, www.girlsarepretty.com. It also features over 50 entries never before seen on the web or anywhere else.

Bob's second and third books are part of his "Just Make a Choice!" adventure series. "You Are A Miserable Excuse for a Hero" and "The Terrible, Horrible Temp-To-Perm Debacle" parody the children's "Choose Your Own Adventure" series, maturing the interactive format for 30-year-olds who are terrified of making choices. Book #1, "Miserable Excuse" has been optioned for a movie by Mandate Pictures, with the screenplay being adapted by DV Devincentis, the screenwriter of Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity.

Bob's latest book is "The Werewolf's Guide To Life - A Manual For The Newly Bitten." It is the essential guide for new and existing werewolves, offering advice for how to survive, post-attack etiquette, romance, diet, and career choices ideal for werewolves.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh, wince, repeat, January 8, 2007

By 

Adameft (West Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Cruelty Day!: Daily Celebrations of Quiet Desperation (Paperback)

Bob Powers has the amazing ability to to make each of these often painful vignettes brilliantly funny. If you like a little ground glass in your humor to help it go down easier (and who doesn't?), there is no better place to go than "Happy Cruelty Day."

Powers' website is great, but somehow these come across even more vividly on paper. [And remember - buy a book, save a... pixel. Or something.]

And you should buy two copies, because as soon as you start reading, I guarantee that you'll immediately think of that weird friend of yours who absolutely HAS to have this. It's that kind of book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My bathroom has never been filled with so much laughter!, January 4, 2007

By 

A. M. DUBOUCHET (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Cruelty Day!: Daily Celebrations of Quiet Desperation (Paperback)

Historically, my trips to the bathroom are morose affairs filled with pain and struggle. However, thanks to 'Happy Cruelty Day', my desperate grunting is now frequently interrupted by hearty laughter. This book is as funny as it is dark and absurd, and with 365 entries, I'm guaranteed at least a week of terrifically funny reading if I read one entry per bathroom visit. Thank you for your time.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like nothing you've ever read, January 5, 2007

By 

Christian Finnegan "private dancer" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Cruelty Day!: Daily Celebrations of Quiet Desperation (Paperback)

It cannot be overstated how talented Bob Powers is, nor how completely screwed up his brain must be. His writing evokes a world of brutal sadness and fleeting beauty. That may not sound incredibly funny, but trust me it is. Buy this book and revel in the feeling that you're the only person in the world who "really gets it".