Simon Rich

A hilarious collection inspired by a former Saturday Night Live writer's real experiences in Hollywood, chronicling the absurdity of fame and the humanity of failure in a world dominated by social media influencers and reality TV stars.

A bathtub, who is just as terrified of bath time as the little girl who bathes in him, offers suggestions on how to make the experience better for both of them.

In "Center of the Universe," God struggles to balance the demands of his career with the needs of his long-term girlfriend. In "Magical Mr. Goat," a young girl's imaginary friend yearns to become "more than friends." In "Unprotected," an unused prophylactic recalls his years spent trapped inside a teen boy's wallet. The stories in Simon Rich's new book are bizarre, funny, and yet...relatable. Rich explores love's many complications-losing it, finding...

Twenty years ago, Barney the Dinosaur told the nation's children they were special. We're still paying the price. This is a collection of stories culled from the front lines of the millennial culture wars. Rife with failing rock bands, student loans, and participation trophies, “Spoiled Brats” is about a generation of narcissists, and the well-meaning boomers who made them that way. A hardworking immigrant is preserved for a century in pickle...

From wild and wacky to knee-slapping, laugh-out-loud fun, these humorous tales represent some of the best of recent seasons of the hit public radio series Selected Shorts. Comedian Wyatt Cenac gives a killer performance of Simon Rich's hilarious tale of woe from the point of view of a condom in a young man's wallet. Alec Baldwin gives a delightful over-the-top performance of James Thurber's wonderfully silly classic tale of the day everybody in a...