In his first book, actor-comedian David Cross presents essays, letters, articles, music, a PDF photo montage, and lots of lists expounding on his pet peeves.  In addition to the author’s narration, musical bits ("Les Savy Fav," "Yo La Tengo") and guest voices (Jon Benjamin, Robot Voice, Kristin Schaal) add to the mix, although Cross’s distinctly comical voice would have been sufficient.

The book pokes fun mainly at the unenlightened and uneducated.  By extension, the author’s vast vocabulary and wordy diatribes appeal to likeminded listeners who can absorb long-winded sentences that detour through various rabbit holes before returning to his original point.  Although the seemingly random compilation may annoy some fans of Cross’s more structured standup routines and roles in movies (Battle For Terra) and television (Arrested Development), others will surely take delight in not knowing what will happen next in this six-and-a-half hour audio book.

The many lists included in this work (reasons not to abandon your baby, names of new products, etc.) may work better in written book form, as we’re not given enough time to think them through before the next item is mentioned.  The letters and essays, however, fare better in audio book form, as Cross gives them the originally intended intonation, dialect, and emphasis that can only be appreciated by hearing his voice. Even when the writing fails to amuse, his delivery continues to entertain.

The self-conscious criticism of audio book listeners being lazier than book readers seems amusing at first, but after several reminders loses some of its humor—unless the listener remembers that everything Cross says is intended to be funny.  In fact, many of his rants about politics, religion, sexuality, celebrities, and the entertainment industry cross back and forth between lighthearted fiction and angry nonfiction without much clarification about which is which.  It’s up to the listener to wade through the dense comedic fog to determine how much truth is in his jest—or to merely appreciate the humor as part of his comedy shtick.