MEMOIR

Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results

by Josh Gondelman
Harper Perennial. Sept. 2019. 272p. ISBN 9780062852755. $16.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062852762. MEMOIR
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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.
Reviewed by Erin Shea, Ferguson Lib., CT , Jun 13, 2019
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