Don't Get Too Comfortable

David Rakoff's bestselling collection of autobiographical essays, "Fraud," established him as one of today's funniest and most insightful writers. Now, in "Don't Get Too Comfortable," Rakoff moves from the personal to the public, journeying into the land of unchecked plenty that is contemporary America. Rarely have greed, vanity, selfishness, and vapidity been so mercilessly and wittily skewered. Somewhere along the line, our healthy self-regard has exploded into obliterating narcissism; our manic getting and spending have now become celebrated as moral virtues. Whether contrasting the elegance of one of the last flights of the supersonic Concorde with the good-times-and-chicken-wings populism of Hooters Air, working as a cabana boy at a South Beach hotel, or traveling to a private island off the coast of Belize to watch a soft-core video shoot--where he is provided with his very own personal manservant--Rakoff takes us on a bitingly funny grand tour of our culture of excess. He comes away from his explorations hilariously horrified. At once a Wildean satire of our ridiculous culture of overconsumption and a plea for a little human decency, "Don't Get Too Comfortable" shows that far from being bobos in paradise, we're in a special circle of gilded-age hell.

About the Author :
David Rakoff is a regular contributor to Public Radio International's "This American Life," "GQ" magazine, and "Outside." He has also written for "The New York Times Magazine," "Vogue," "The New York Observer" and "Salon," among other publications. He lives in New York City.

Review :
PRAISE FOR DAVID RAKOFF "Rakoffknows the incantatory power of a story well-told, the art of keeping words aloft like the bubbles in a champagne flute. He possesses the crackling wit of a '30s screwball comedy ingenue, a vocabulary that is a treasure chest of "mots justes", impressive but most times not too showy for everyday wear." --"Los Angeles Times ""To be sure, Rakoff can issue a withering snark with the best of them. But once his rapier wit has sliced the buttons off his target's clothing, revealing the quivering, vulnerable mass within, his fundamental sense of decency gets the best of him." --"Salon ""Rakoff's humor is acidic without being poisonous, snarky without sacrificing emotional generosity. And with gentle precision, Rakoff manages to paint phrases, gestures, and situations . . . As a storyteller, Rakoff makes believers of us." --"The Boston Phoenix ""Sounding like the love child of Dorothy Parker, Oscar Wilde and 'All About Eve's' Addison DeWitt, [Rakoff] is smug, insufferable and self-infatuated to a fare-thee-well. He's magnificent." --"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ""There's another side to Rakoff the Outraged. In spite of himself, a sweetness comes through . . . He can make you laugh, and then, suddenly, there comes a passage that touches you with wonder." --"Gotham Magazine ""It is not unusual to find a humorist that is funny. But it is unusual to find a humorist that is smart and wry and sensitive as well. We find all that in David Rakoff." --"Charleston Post and Courier" A "Globe and Mail "Best" "Book of the Year "If you've ever thought that the world makes no sense, there is one author who will help you laugh along...." "Whether Rakoff is detailing one of the last flights on the Concorde, touring the craft department of Martha Stewart's Living magazine, or visiting a private island near Belize to witness a Playboy video shoot, Rakoff's humorous cultural critique balances his distain with a sharp wit that has one chuckling along for the ride." --" The Calgary Herald" "He's funny, he's smart, and not merely does he not suffer fools gladly, he doesn't suffer them at all. The pleasure of reading what results when an exceedly sharp pen encounters an exceedingly inviting target are not to be denied, and Rakoff offers many such delights in these pages. ...bloated wallets and bloated egos are his subjects here, and he deflates them with precision and self-evident satisfaction." -- "Miami Herald" "David Rakoff is at his cynical best in Don't Get Too Comfortable,.". "[He] takes no prisoners in this book... There's something to amuse and offend everyone.... Rakoff is a master wordsmith whose rapier wit and shrewd story manipulation are matched only by his ability to find poignant humanity in the most unexpected places... [A] thoroughly entertaining book." - "The Edmonton Journal" Praise for "Fraud": "Fraud marks the debut of a significant new voice . . . Rakoff is something special." --"The Globe and Mail" Praise for David Rakoff: "With Fraud, David Rakoff manages to successfully pass himself off as the wittiest and most perceptive man in the world." --David Sedaris "Rakoff likes to paint himself as urbane to a fault, anoutsider anywhere unpaved. But then, in the woods or on a mountaintop, he reveals himself, despite his searing and hilarious observations, to be a completely unrelenting romantic." --Dave Eggers "Possessing a wicked wit and a sharp, elegant writing style, [David Rakoff] has become known as one of our most potent humourists." --"The Oakland Tribune" "From the Hardcover edition." A "Globe and Mail "Best" "Book of the Year Praise for "Fraud": "Fraud marks the debut of a significant new voice . . . Rakoff is something special." --"The Globe and Mail" Praise for David Rakoff: "With Fraud, David Rakoff manages to successfully pass himself off as the wittiest and most perceptive man in the world." --David Sedaris "Rakoff likes to paint himself as urbane to a fault, an outsider anywhere unpaved. But then, in the woods or on a mountaintop, he reveals himself, despite his searing and hilarious observations, to be a completely unrelenting romantic." --Dave Eggers "Possessing a wicked wit and a sharp, elegant writing style, [David Rakoff] has become known as one of our most potent humourists." --"The Oakland Tribune" "From the Hardcover edition." Praise for "Fraud: "Fraud marks the debut of a significant new voice . . . Rakoff is something special." --"The Globe and Mail Praise for David Rakoff: "With Fraud, David Rakoff manages to successfully pass himself off as the wittiest and most perceptive man in the world." --David Sedaris "Rakoff likes to paint himself as urbane to a fault, an outsider anywhere unpaved. But then, in the woods or on a mountaintop, he reveals himself, despite his searing and hilarious observations, to be a completely unrelenting romantic." --Dave Eggers "Possessing a wicked wit and a sharp, elegant writing style, [David Rakoff] has become known as one of our most potent humourists." --"The Oakland Tribune "From the Hardcover edition.