Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Mirth of a Nation by Michael J. Rosen - Available

Mirth of a Nation

Audio Companion, Fellow Traveler and Friend for Life

by Michael J. Rosen
Tony Roberts
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

Perfect for commuter train rides, rush-hour gridlock, Pilates work-outs, or any time when levity might add to the very quality of life. With inimitable contributions by Merrill Markoe, Dave Barry, Garry Trudeau and Bruce McCall, you have a triumphant salute to one of America's greatest assets: its sense of humor.

A salvo of hilarity from that loose canon of American humor that Mirth of a Nation editor Michael J. Rosen has culled from some 1200 pages of brilliantly original works by our best contemporary humorists. This action-packed compilation of highlights (FYI, we have no intention of mentioning ""the funnybone"" and how these CDs are sure to tickle it) includes Bobbie Ann Mason's stint at the La Bamba hotline, David Rakoff's insights on families, Andy Borowitz's memoir of Emily Dickinson (basically, she was a drunken jerk), and Michael Feldman's helpful (re)locating of the Midwest.

Performed by Tony Roberts, Susie Essman, with guest performances by Stephen Collins, Michael Feldman, Cynthia Kaplan, Martha Plimpton, David Rakoff, M. Sweeney Lawless, Sandra Tsing Loh, and Mark O'Donnell.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    January 17, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780061153716
      • File size: 163891 KB
      • Duration: 05:41:26

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This humor anthology is a cocktail party of essayists' humor (including Garry Trudeau, Dave Barry, Bruce McCall, and many others), read and performed by an interesting mixture of guests. The more talkative ones--Tony Roberts and Susie Essman--hold your attention and rarely dribble their bon mots on your new shoes. Everyone reading seems to be having a good time, even when the writing occasionally veers into more mundane territory--but there's one at every party. Even after the tastier tidbits have been shared, you'll find the broad range of this verbal buffet a good "audio companion and fellow traveler," as advertised. D.J.B. 2003 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 1, 2002
      The audio medium is probably the best way to absorb this collection of comic pieces written by American humorists. The vignettes, which range from the hokey to the truly jocular, receive the royal treatment by seasoned actors Roberts and Essman. Other performers, notably Plimpton and Rakoff, add spunk and pizzazz to what might otherwise be dry, vaguely spirited essays. Rakoff gives a cynical and hilarious performance of his own "All Happy Families...," about a neurotic dude whose New Year's resolution is to explore "more natural avenues to happiness" (e.g., by eating four packages a day of Robert's American Gourmet Gingko Biloba Rings). Essman's reading of Carina Chocano's "The Self-Help Hot Line" is appropriately saccharine, while Roberts's delivery of Bruce McCall's "Who Wants to Keep His Job" is matter-of-fact. All the pieces were anthologized in either Mirth of a Nation and More Mirth of a Nation, and some originally appeared in the New York Times magazine, Tropic magazine, Salon.com, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, the New Yorker and other publications. While some tracks are bound to be replayed for friends more than others, this is overall a valuable and well-performed collection.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading