The Suburban You : Reports from the Home Front

Rating:
Summary: Peter M
Review: I have just finished Mark Falanga's "The Suburban You" and I haven't read anything recently that made me laugh so much. As a middle-aged male who has lived in the suburbs for a number of years, it has made me realize that what has seemed to be mundane is really an exciting, entertaining and humorous life. Our familial battles with our wives, our encounters with the swimming teachers/coaches, the adolescent next door, our parents' visits or the neighbor's affairs are all funny and poignant events. Falanga reminds me of Larry David's self-deprecating humor where David may find humor in standing in a cocktail party with a Sata spear, Falanga finds it in being deprived of grape juice by his wife. If you have made the move from Chicago to the North Shore, NYC to Westchester, LA to Pasadena you will truly relate and enjoy the short vignettes that Falanga writes about.

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Summary: The Suburban Seinfeld
Review: I watched Al Roker interview Mark Falanga on the Today Show. Roker is accurate in his summary....Falanga's first book is "the Suburban Seinfeld". The book is a fun-filled accurate read on living in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Falanga's prose causes me to laugh out loud because of his unique ability to accurately capture the true humor of common suburban family living. Of course, when you finish this book you'll realize that his family must be a particular magnet for quirkiness. Great fun!

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Summary: Life, Love and Laughter
Review: Mr. Falanga's book is a refreshing bite of life in a world that is hungry for humor.

His "male" perspective is in many ways universal and reminds us that perfection in life is not the aim so much as love. Which begs the question, "What is love"?
Mr. Falanga shows us through his cleverly written stories that love is comprised of foibles, forgiveness, friendship and above all our immense capacity to laugh. Through all of his suburban adventures, at the end of the day (sex or no sex...) his wife really is his best friend.

It is refreshing to enjoy and remember that in everyday life, with all of it's lunacy there is much to smile about.

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Summary: Get more laughs in a day...
Review: My 10-year old son recently read me a statistic that kids laugh about 1400 times a day while adults are only laughing 14 times a day. Clearly this is not the case in the Falanga household, where we meet a couple who has one funny experience after another. Our family of four has read the book individually, and we often read these stories aloud. Tales about simple aspects of life such as hearing aids, holiday dinners with friends, and keeping the car windows open or closed told with a dry wit make us laugh out loud, and I am often crying from laughing so hard. I know my daily laugh quotient has increased since reading The Suburban You, (perhaps making me feel younger) and sharing laughs with my family is a joy.

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Summary: Everyone Can Relate
Review: My whole family has read this book and we all found it to be hilarious with something that everyone can relate to in every chapter. Who doesn't have a reletive with a whistling hearing aid? Who hasn't run across the same scenes in Little League and at school functions? If you don't see the humor in your everyday suburban life, this book will give you a new slant on the world around you. A must-read if you like to laugh!

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Summary: Ick! Please do not give Mark Falanga any of your money!
Review: Please do not buy this book. The author is a smug, self-important guy who thinks he is funny. As a recent transplant from Chicago to a northern suburb, I looked forward to this book and was so diappointed. The stories hardly have to do with living in the suburbs (deciding on a religion for you kids?!, fighting for a parking space at the gym?). Please..... This is an insulting piece of dribble from a man who wants to weave into his story how much money he makes, what kind of cars he drives, and how hot his wife is. Don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: the suburban wit.
Review: the author's internal honesty, generous (where deserved) sense of humor, and keen powers of observation make this collection of vignettes worthy of shared shelf space (one hopes built-in, and custom) with david sedaris and woody allen. at the end of the day, or the essay, falanga's take on the day-to-day keeps us human, and laughing. a must read for any suburban grown-up as well as those on the urban sidelines.

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Summary: the suburban ME
Review: The Suburban You really is the suburban Me, I can relate to every anecdote that Falanga describes in humorous detail. Whether you live in the suburbs or the city you will find that The Suburban You captures all of the quirky, mundane, chaotic points of our lives and divulges the humor in every aspect of our existance. Reading a few passages in bed at night is a great way to end the day with a smile (if not rib-splitting laughter) and to help put the trials of our lives in the proper perspective. Beyond the humor I found it to be insightful and reflective on the fabric of our society...Falanga is kind of like Sienfeld meets Dr. Phil. Whatever your take is on it, you'll certainly take something from it.

Rating:
Summary: very even, interesting, not bad, not great
Review: this is a good solid bunch of essays about moving to and living in suburbia. nothing all that hilarious, really, but it wasn't dreadful or boring. it was non-threatening, clean humor. it almsot reminded me of something you would find in a reader's digest, or on a spot on NPR. even though i don't live in suburbia, i can appreicate the humor in each situation, but there wasn't anything drop dead hilarious. it is a quick read, great for a pallate cleanser between books. it's a book you can put down and pick up a few days later without feeling like you ruined the flow.

Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: What a great read. I read it on the train, on the way back to my suburb, which seemed just like his suburb. I almost missed my stop I was so caught up in flipping the pages. I kept laughing, thinking, "this is my life". Forget self-help books and marriage counseling - after you read the book and give it to your guy friends, then give it to your wife. She'll get a look into how guys really view this crazy world we live in.