50 Relatives Worse Than Yours (Hardcover)

~ Justin Racz (Author), Alec Brownstein (Author)
Key Phrases: Cheek Pincher

Editorial Reviews

Review

�Justin Racz has done a tremendous service to us all with 50 Jobs Worse Than Yours, a work probably best kept on your job site for bad days.� (Chicago Tribune )

�Take this humorous tour of the world�s worst work.� (Entertainment Weekly )

Product Description

The author of 50 Jobs Worse Than Yours is back with fifty relatives so bad they might make you actually look forward to your next Thanksgiving.

 

They’re kooky, they’re crazy—50 Relatives Worse Than Yours is a nightmarish family reunion that will have you appreciating your own weird clan. There’s the Family Newsletter Publisher who keeps you updated on how Uncle Carl’s hip is doing; there’s Holistic New Age Aunt, who knows Madonna from Kabbalah class but refuses to introduce you because that would be bad karma; and there’s Child Who Was in a National TV Commercial, who has more money than you do. And then there’s Uncle Speedo, the Monopoly Bank Thief, and Your Son, the Tenant.

 

Filled with hilarious photographs and bullet points listing all their horrible characteristics, 50 Relatives Worse Than Yours is the perfect gift for anyone who’s embarrassed by some members of their family, which let’s just admit it is about everyone. And who knows, you might even recognize a relative or two…

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596910550
• ISBN-13: 978-1596910553
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #673,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guess who's coming to holiday dinner?, February 16, 2006

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"50 Relatives Worse Than Yours," by Justin Racz, is a cleverly designed work of humor that catalogues 50 different types of annoying or embarrassing relatives--Buffet Loiterers, Holistic New Age Aunt, Power-Hungry Hosts, Family Newsletter Publisher, Glory Days Dad, The Computer-Illiterate Generation, Slutty First Cousin, Religious Zealots, The Force Feeder, Cheek Pincher, The Vegan, and more. Each profile features an illustration (generally a photograph), as well as characteristics of the type that are broken down by category. Some of the categories used throughout the book are the relatives' mottos, typical gifts they give, their secrets, the benefits of having them, and the drawbacks of having them.

Racz's humor is occasionally rude, cruel, or repellent, but I found the book undeniably entertaining. And I imagine that the average reader will recognize some of these types in his/her family, or in other people's families. As a bonus, the 51st entry is labeled "Your Relative"--the reader can supply an illustration and characteristics for a type of irritating relative not covered in the book. A good book to reference around holiday times, when you are likely to run into some of these types.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 50 relatives, November 25, 2006

By	PA girl (Plainfiled, IL) - See all my reviews

One of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Some pages brought me to tears!

4.0 out of 5 stars Relatively Funny, December 22, 2009

By	Spudman (Pasadena, MD United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

I read this book after reading 50 Jobs Worse than Yours by the same author. Fifty jobs is so hilarious that my expectations were high for 50 Relatives, maybe unrealistically. The format of the two books is similar. In 50 Relatives, 50 generic family types are listed with picture and six descriptive categories such as profile, gift, motto, fame, benefits, secrets, drawbacks, or gift. The problem with this book, for me at least, is that too many of these relatives are already in my family and are not worse than mine.

My favorite relatives in 50 Relatives are: the cheek pincher (just like an aunt of mine), the force feeder (my grandmother, my father, etc,), Uncle Stan the camera man and his endless poses, the gold digger, and the slutty first cousin, one of whom I did not have in my family.

Anyway,50 Relatives has its funny moments, is easy to read, and fun to share. I will concede that many of the pictures are a hoot. If you're deciding between 50 jobs and 50 relatives, get "50 Jobs Worse Than Yours." Just be forewarned. You might even find yourself in this book.