The Will to Whatevs: A Guide to Modern Life by Eugene Mirman
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve seen Eugene do stand-up several times, and he’s pretty funny, though not my favorite comic of all time. His style of humor is relaxed, sometimes self-deprecating, often ironic and … confused? It’s not uncommon for him to say something and then immediately ask “wait, what?” — the book pretty much follows the same template, combining amusing observations with off-the-wall statements that may not even make sense to the author, let alone the reader. It suffers slightly from the inability to display video, which is a big part of Mirman’s live act, but some of the illustrations and timelines are pretty great.
It’s an up-and-down book. There are sections that I thought were kind of lacking, but also multiple points during each chapter that made me laugh out loud. While I never had any trouble putting the book down, I never had any trouble picking it back up, either. It’s fun and funny, easily accessible, and a very quick read that will probably make you laugh a few times per chapter. It won’t go down as history’s greatest comedic work, but if you’re into comedy books or in particular if you’re a fan of Mirman’s work, it’s worth picking up.
