People Are Unappealing: Even Me (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“These days, the market is pretty well saturated when it comes to memoir. Which means it has to be good; it has to be different. Sara Barron's essays about her childhood, her parents, her life in acting school in Manhattan and her fellow actors are, dare we say it, as funny as David Sedaris'. . . . Barron swats these quirks around like a cat with a big, juicy catnip toy. When you aren't squirming, you're laughing out loud.”
—Los Angeles Times

“[W]hat happens to a bildungsroman in the Craigslist age. It follows the author on a mad-as-hell/not-taking-it-anymore complaining spree through the dregs of thankless, low-wage jobs. Along the way, Barron makes several keen observations about the strange things people do, and also manages to canonize John Stamos as ‘the most flawless man who has ever lived,’ which had to be done by somebody.”
—Gothamist

“Humorist and former Highland Park resident Sara Barron thinks many people, including her, are unappealing. Sexed-up college roommates, freaky online suitors, dads who know way too many show tunes -- they're all rib-ticklingly eviscerated in Barron's relentlessly self-deprecating new book, People Are Unappealing.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“With People are Unappealing, a collection of hilarious personal essays, Sara Barron will attract comparisons to David Sedaris and Sloane Crosley. But anyone tempted to buy into that idea should know that Sedaris and Crosley come off as adorable children in Barron's presence.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Barron [is] a delightful combination of Saturday Night Live's Kristin Wiig and a frizzier-haired Lucille Ball.”
—Independent Weekly (Raleigh/Durham, NC)

“Sara Barron has written one of those books that force readers to make a choice: Either you’re willing to find the humor in... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

“These days, the market is pretty well saturated when it comes to memoir. Which means it has to be good; it has to be different. Sara Barron's essays about her childhood, her parents, her life in acting school in Manhattan and her fellow actors are, dare we say it, as funny as David Sedaris'. . . . Barron swats these quirks around like a cat with a big, juicy catnip toy. When you aren't squirming, you're laughing out loud.”
—Los Angeles Times

“[W]hat happens to a bildungsroman in the Craigslist age. It follows the author on a mad-as-hell/not-taking-it-anymore complaining spree through the dregs of thankless, low-wage jobs. Along the way, Barron makes several keen observations about the strange things people do, and also manages to canonize John Stamos as ‘the most flawless man who has ever lived,’ which had to be done by somebody.”
—Gothamist

“Humorist and former Highland Park resident Sara Barron thinks many people, including her, are unappealing. Sexed-up college roommates, freaky online suitors, dads who know way too many show tunes -- they're all rib-ticklingly eviscerated in Barron's relentlessly self-deprecating new book, People Are Unappealing.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“With People are Unappealing, a collection of hilarious personal essays, Sara Barron will attract comparisons to David Sedaris and Sloane Crosley. But anyone tempted to buy into that idea should know that Sedaris and Crosley come off as adorable children in Barron's presence.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Barron [is] a delightful combination of Saturday Night Live's Kristin Wiig and a frizzier-haired Lucille Ball.”
—Independent Weekly (Raleigh/Durham, NC)

“Sara Barron has written one of those books that force readers to make a choice: Either you’re willing to find the humor in a young Jewish woman talking about getting diarrhea after meeting John Stamos and suffering through Schindler’s List or you're not. For those willing to go on this adventure, welcome. Everybody else, please continue on to the ‘S’ section of the bookstore, where you'll find the milquetoast humor of David Sedaris, to whom Barron will undoubtedly be compared…. [S]he possess a good pen for breezy narrative and a well-tuned awareness of the line separating the everyday absurd from the entirely too-much-personal-information-to-share-in-your-out-loud-voice…, but even better is the shameless glee with which she crosses that line again and again and again and again.”
—Baltimore City Paper

“A wickedly funny and dirty treasure trove of modern-day oddballs. The darker and more unsparing Sara Barron gets, the more her essays transform into a warped love letter to life’s most unusual citizens.”
—Sloane Crosley, author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake

“With this smart and funny debut, Sara Barron establishes herself as the Michael Phelps of complaining.”
—Andy Borowitz, New Yorker contributor

“Truly a pee-inducingly hilarious book. . . . Unrelenting, fearlessly funny essays.”
—Mike Albo, author of The Underminer

“Fast, reckless, and precarious–an out-of-control tour bus careening though the horrors of Nerve.com dating and waitressing at the Olive Garden and bar-top dancing for NY rednecks: The ride will leave you reeling and breathless.”
—George Dawes Green, author of The Caveman’s Valentine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307382451
• ISBN-13: 978-0307382450
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,005 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you - it's a lovely read, October 15, 2009

By	Monica Hamburg "mhamburg" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I absolutely loved this book and didn't expect to!

I originally bought it because I was looking for a funny memoir to read and figured I'd give this one a shot. I was so excited when I began reading and discovered that not only was it relatable, it was also hilarious and well-written.

I particularly enjoyed how she explored her quirks and experiences without trying to come across as "cute" or impossibly self-effacing, something I have noticed in a few other gal-penned memoirs.

Usually when I see a writer being compared to David Sedaris, I get the book and come away disappointed. This time I feel the comparison is accurate. She has a knack for writing about embarrassing experiences in a way that makes you relate - but without any self-pity.

Don't let the title fool you - the book isn't catty & it has heart.

Simply put: awesome.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite David Sedaris (or even Chelsea Handler), August 20, 2009

By	Jennifer (USA) - See all my reviews

Sara Barron succeeded in writing a moderately funny book in "People Are Unappealing," but it's a long way from being on par with David Sedaris, or even Chelsea Handler (who is quite funny, but her writing lacks the depth of Sedaris'.)

The initial chapters were pretty good. I chuckled out loud a few times, but as the book progressed, it felt like she tried to hard. There was too much of a stretch to get a genuine laugh. When the end rolled around, I was ready. In comparison, I read and re-read the work of David Sedaris because his content has so much more to offer in terms of social commentary.

Not bad, not great. I'll be interested to see if she writes more books and how her content and style progress.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book, however, IS Appealing!, April 14, 2009

By	Christine Andersen "guacamolegal" (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this book. It's just the thing to pose with in a cafe, in the hopes that someone not challenged by humor will strike up a conversation. This author is amazing, and can almost make me feel like my childhood was veering towards normal. I can't wait to see what she writes next.