Simple Times
Crafts for Poor People
Amy Sedaris
Read by the author

Hachette Audio
November 2, 2010 / ISBN 978-1600247286
General Fiction/Comedy / Crafts / Parodies
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Amy Sedaris has written a spoof of the many craft books purchased by veteran crafters every year. I am a crafter and have been since I was a young teenager. It was something to keep a teenager’s hands busy while I watched TV. It kept me from snacking or smoking, both of which would have been detrimental to my health. It also recycles items that would ordinarily wind up in our nation’s landfills.

However, this practical side of handcrafting appears nowhere in this book, because it doesn’t discuss crafts seriously. It gives directions for making several useless items that would never create anything but laughter. No self-respecting crafter would glue movable eyes on a coconut and call it a finished craft.

Helping Ms. Sedaris describe these crafts is the husband-and-wife team of Gene and Jean Woodchuck. This is a pair with less sense than a potted palm. They can’t stand each other’s company, but their crafts keep them from killing each other. They weigh in on almost every subject, including the two or three chapters describing the craft of having sex. If you want to live long and do well, don’t follow all these instructions either.

The book was okay, but not outstanding in my opinion. I must admit that Amy Sedaris doesn’t play favorites. She pokes fun at all crafters, rich and poor, gay and straight, handicapped and able-bodied. No group of people come away unscathed. The real key to enjoying this book is to remember that it is nowhere near a serious treatise on handcrafting. It is intended as pure comic entertainment and nothing more. Give Simple Times a listen and have fun with it. Who knows, you might get some ideas for real craft projects from it!

Reviewer's Note: Contains profanity, sex / Unabridged Audio CD / Appx 2.5 hrs