Customer Reviews

Mental

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can I say to express my absolute joy at reading this book? Each chapter is a roller coaster of bliss--laugh out loud funny, deeply moving, slyly insightful. The stories reveal many facets of the author; yet, reveal even more about the reader.

Mr Sarfaty has been blessed with a gift of language. He uses his words like Van Gogh uses paint--bold and subtle at the same time. Whether it is talking about his Dad "winning the neurological trifecta" of disease, or referring to a man's peculiar sexual obsession with balloons as "Balloonacy," he shows himself to be an absolute master of the English language.

I was most impressed with the complete lack of bitterness or bitchiness that can infect autobiographical tomes. We are shown a man struggling to understand his world and himself with great humor, humility, and insight. Mr Sarfaty's infectious love of Life shines from every page and left this reader happy, satiated, and enjoying life a bit more!

Thank you Mr Sarfaty!

This is an absolutely wonderful book. You will keep turning the pages to see what the author has to say next. His experiences with his parents and with others in his life keeps the reader interested and laughing in every chapter. I highly recommend you buy this book!! You won't regret it!!

Here are the recollections of a man who doesn't fail to notice the absurdities of life in the gay lane - or any lane for that matter. The insanities and inanities that we bring upon ourselves in our attempt to make connections with others - including the occasional psychotic cat - are here for us to laugh (and cringe) at. Whether it's the pursuit of Mr. Right (well, maybe Mr. Right Now) on the web or coming to terms with our family in every way imaginable (and a few we don't want to imagine), Eddie Sarfaty pretty much hits the nail on the head - and lives to laugh about it.

And after she completely ignored the fact that I was already reading it and making me fight her to get it back, my niece might be the first to tell you that being gay is not a prerequisite to getting the spot-on zaniness of Eddie's point of view. This book is definitely 'funny in the head' but also very big in heart. And I'm sorry... I'm with him, what the hell IS wrong with talking during sex??

I laughed a lot and smiled when I wasn't laughing while reading this collection of autobiographical pieces. It starts a little slow, then picks up with the third story, "Helter Shelter," which details the adoption of the cat from hell. My favorite pieces were "Cheapskate," about the perils of dating someone who is close to the dollar, and "Can I Tell You Something?" about the experience of teaching standup comedy to a bunch of newbies. I already know that I'll go back to this book whenever I need a quick smile or laugh.

Mr. Sarfaty is a gifted writer with the courage to be vulnerable and the ability to make one laugh out loud and shed a tear in the same sentence. The stories in Mental drew me in, in a way that made it difficult for me to put the book down.

The world described therein is rich -- his characters fully formed and vividly described and his prose is filled with warm and touching insights. Much of the writing is seemingly autobiographical as he explores what it means to be a gay man at the start of the 21st century, making his way in relationships with family, boyfriend, friends and co-workers.

Reading his book, I felt that I had been let into a world which was not always comfortable, but where the human condition in all its splendor and pathos is fully revealed. Mr. Sarfaty creates a palpable tension between the ability to discern the feelings of the people around him, while still feeling like much the outsider and struggling throughout to connect and be understood. He is a natural wise guy that knows how to easily poke fun at himself and most everyone else along his path. But he seldom settles for the cheap joke at someone else's expense without connecting back to bigger issues of how we learn to love, show compassion, understand and be understood by the people that we meet along the way.

Mental is a fun read that can easily be digested in one or two sittings. It is perfect for the beach, a plane ride, or to wind down at the end of the day.

It's not every book that makes me laugh out loud at 3 am, but MENTAL did! There I was, giggling in the middle of the night... ten pages later I was nearly in tears from the poingnant story of a fading parent. Why was I up at 3 am? The thing is, that some books have a voice - you hear the characters talking or yelling or crying in your head. Mr. Sarfaty had half of Commack, Long Island yelling at each other in my head and I didn't want it to stop... it was too good! Whether it was his father hating his mother's best friend, his too-cute-for-words grandmother accepting him for who he is or his psychopathic rescue cat shrieking around his apartment, they all live and breathe in his work.

This book is a giant, fancy chocolate dessert (without the calories!) , you know you want it... Go ahead, c'mon, you know you deserve it!

The last few years, I have been doing some writing, in particular for a comic in my town. I firmly believe that in order to be good at any writing, you have to be an avid reader. So, while I've read my whole life, for the past two years, I've been hitting the humor section quite often. I picked up "Mental" because I recognized Eddie's name, and.......I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! His stories are my favorite kind of humor, simple, honest, and very touching. The characters in Eddie's world are incredibly familiar and likeable....yes, his friends and acquaintances at work (The Eton Club) are out of their ever-lovin' minds, but they are kind and supportive of each other; yes, the boss who hires him to manage a production of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (the knock-off version...cracked me up!) is a very manipulative man, but Eddie manages to find humor in his behavior. Oh, yes, I almost forgot...I laughed out loud...A LOT!!! This book is seriously funny....seriously.

Eddie Sarfaty is just HILARIOUS. He takes some of the most mundane situations and is able to see and reflect on the absurdity and humor that make them compelling stories. This is one of those books that makes you laugh out loud...and that you can't wait to read the next chapter. I've never seen this guy do standup, but if it's even remotely as good as this book, he must be amazing.

You may have seen Eddie Sarfaty doing his stand-up comedy act at your local gay pride event, on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend," at major comedy clubs or festivals nationwide, or in one of several specials on the LOGO gay cable channel. His comedic talent is not really in telling jokes, but making his rather dry and occasionally sarcastic observations about modern life, including such usually mundane tasks as adopting a cat, dealing with his parents, teaching comedy to students, online dating, and the need to make compromises while in a relationship. The book contains original rants on these subjects, stories about performing with other comics, an amusing yet very touching "mini-novel" about a trip to Europe taken with his mother and Alzheimers-afflicted father, and ending with the hysterical story of his misguided attempt to be a road/stage manager for an bare-bones acting troupe in Portugal. One of the stories in the book, "Second Guessing Grandma" (about the day he came out to his grandmother), has been made into a short film.

Despite his significant success as a comedy headliner (He also teaches standup and comedy writing at New York University and The Theatre Lab in Washington DC), NYC-born Eddie is - in his own words - "still a neurotic Jew who is my own worst enemy!" Dealing with the confusion of everyday life ("My father and my lover have the same name! ... Daddy!"), Eddie's comedy transcends any ethnic, sexual orientation or routine convention, and his book reveals him to be a unique and exciting storyteller whom you will enjoy reading. Loved it. Five schmoozing stars out of five!

I needed a good airplane read on my trip to Costa Rica and borrowed this book from my boyfriend. "Mental? Sounds like a book that I would relate too." Since Eddie Sarfaty won't see any residuals from my meager means of reading his book, and since I thoroughly enjoyed this his collection of short stories, I thought I would post a review in hopes helping him take a bit of your money instead.

BUY THIS BOOK.

Sarfaty's dry casual wit makes each chapter a pleasure to read. From stories of trying to vie for his grandmother's approval to dealing with his newly adopted pussy, I found myself laughing one page and crying the next then laughing again so hard I'd nearly wet myself. The characters are quite endearing and the semi-autobiographic situations are relatable but always with a sardonic slant that readers of Sadaris and A.Burroughs will completely appreciate.

A definite MUST READ.