How could you pass up a book subtitled “True Stories I Waited Until My Parents Died to Tell”?? I couldn’t. I wasn’t familiar with Roy Sekoff, although I’m a fan of The Huffington Post  (he was the founding editor). Plus, there’s this promotional blurb: “If David Sedaris, Chelsea Handler, Larry David, and Caitlin Moran had the unlikeliest orgy in history, the resulting love child might one day write a book like this one.”

So, when I had the opportunity to read Lacks Self-Control in exchange for my honest review (thanks to Big A Books and NetGalley),  I felt compelled to do it! The final thing was that exact same phrase, that lacking self-control thing, appeared on my report cards with regularity starting in kindergarten. When I asked what it meant, I was told it meant I talked too much, which I still think is bull.

But, in any case, if you are generally bummed by the state of the world (and if you aren’t, you must be comatose), here is an antidote. This guy is FUNNY. His collection of vignettes/essays/stories/whatever covers a span of many years, going back to his trip to a Times Square porn superstore as a teenager, right up to his time at Huffington Post. It’s a little Hunter S., Thompson (as in raunchy) which may be a bit much for some people, but it was PERFECT for me. Yes, I am admittedly a fan of offbeat humor and satire. I also like people who overshare when there is humor, often at their own expense.

I tend to think “yeah, right” when I see the phrase “laugh out loud” in a review. But, in this case it is true. I couldn’t decide on a favorite story…it was a tossup between his encounter with a killer crocodile and “that time Chevy Chase grabbed his balls at a funeral.”

Five stars. Great stuff.