Nice Try

June 10, 2019
Gondelman, a comedian and writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, debuts with a collection of funny and sweet personal essays. Gondelman self-deprecatingly describes himself as having a “wet paint personality, bright and shiny and vulnerable to the elements.” He used to be a nice kid, and now he’s a nice grown-up: “When you’re outwardly nice, people assume you’re a pushover, which in my case is fair because I am one.” The book moves entertainingly through the stages of his life. In “Screech,” he addresses his uncool high school years and the time he “tried to grow an Afro, which came off kind of like accessorizing an old, beat-up car by gluing a satellite dish to the roof.” He discusses failed relationships (“A Worthy Adversary”); his stint as a preschool teacher (“Weathering the Tantrums”); his struggles to become a stand-up comedian and TV writer (“Gap Years”); and his love for his wife (“Tickle Me Fancy”) and dog (“Bizzy”). Gondelman’s chops as a comedy writer are on full display throughout, and his observations are hilariously spot-on: toddlers are “tiny, inconsolable war widows,” and his pug is “a loaf of white bread with a face.” Gondelman’s fun, witty book is a marvel of emotional depth and cutting one-liners.

June 14, 2019

An Emmy Award-winning writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, comedian Gondelman approaches life with the best intentions, but the results are not always optimal. He tries the drug MDMA with his girlfriend on New Year's Eve after buying it from a friend of a friend in Brooklyn, and later finds out it was fake. He almost faints while on a date with his future wife after watching a gory scene in the movie Gone Girl. He adopts an elderly pug named Bizzy only to discover she has a more checkered history than he was led to believe. While the author's heart is always in the right place, the outcomes of his actions are often mixed, but always charming and relatable. VERDICT Fans of Gondelman will find these stories delightful, and readers unfamiliar with his comedy will still discover a connection to a nice guy making a nice try.--Erin Shea, Ferguson Lib., CT

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
A genial memoir by an Emmy- and Peabody-winning comedian and writer. Working against the adage that "nice guys finish last," Gondelman has done well for himself. Happily married, he has sustained a career onstage, on TV, and in print after spending his earliest days following college teaching preschool. Though comedy is often considered a cutthroat arena, a survival-of-the-fittest challenge where the comedian must either kill or die, the author seems to suggest that there are other paths to perseverance. Early on, he confesses, "for a comedian, 'nice' can be shorthand for someone's work being bland. And on a personal level, 'nice' is about as meaningful as saying someone 'has decent breath' or 'is usually punctual.' " Throughout the book, the writing risks blandness, as Gondelman rarely aims for comedic punch, settling for gentle taps. In many ways, he brings to mind Bob Newhart of Tom Papa, a gentle man with a wry sense of humor who makes himself the butt of most of his jokes. Gondelman remembers that well into his 20s, he was considered not merely nice but " 'too nice, ' which is a very sweet euphemism meaning 'simply not a person I am interested in having sex with in the foreseeable future.' " When he did meet a woman who was interested in him, it was through exchanges on Twitter, where he also received a career boost by collaborating on an account titled Modern Seinfeld, offering pitches for the series that had ceased to exist, and somehow attracted 800,000 followers. He also gained some traction on social media with his "Twitter Pep Talks," offering personalized encouragement to strangers in need. Somewhere between grade school and marriage, an expanse that he covers in detail, he began performing stand-up and eventually found great success writing for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Desus & Mero, and other programs. Gondelman describes performing as an opening act for more famous comedians, and this book could easily be read as a warm-up for a much funnier one to come.

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September 1, 2019
In this sweet and laugh-out-loud-funny memoir, comedian and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver staff writer Gondelman shares anecdotes from childhood through marriage. Gondelman is an old pro at being called adorable and nice, but his whip-smart observational humor pierces through at every turn. He writes of prank phone calls; Jewish summer camp; the first time he fainted (reading a John Grisham novel in elementary school); his early days trying out stand-up comedy in Boston; and the time he tried to impress a girlfriend by agreeing to take MDMA on New Year's Eve, only to spend 75 dollars on placebo drugs with no effects (much to Gondelman's relief). More recent stories delve into Gondelman's married life with his wife, Maris. He addresses his role as a Nice White Guy in an era of increased social tension, and how he hopes for success in his role as an ally for the marginalized but knows that he always has room for improvement. This reads like a delicious, extended season of The Wonder Years.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)