"Don't Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, the Torments of Low Thread Count, the Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems" by David Rakoff (published 2006)

It was a pleasure to listen to David Rakoff read his book “Don’t Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, the Torments of Low Thread Count, the Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems” (2006). His book of criticism and personal philosophy made for the very best rides to work and back home. I sat in the driver’s seat and chuckled, laughed, and joked as if Rakoff was right there, saying things like, “That’s unbelievable”, “Oh my god!”, and “That’s too funny” to myself while listening. This book, I admit, is the first audiobook I’ve ever finished. It helped that David Rakoff, the author himself, read it with his own voice. It isn’t shocking to find out that Rakoff worked for NPR, GQ, NYT Magazine, and Vogue. He is sharp, funny, and unabashedly honest - while still being pleasantly modest - about his thoughts and opinions on matters that very well could have made him some enemies. I was sad to find, when, three quarters through with the book, I checked if he had a live Instagram account. I couldn’t find him - he passed in 2012 and I am sad that I won’t ever know his thoughts on the world’s current situation as we approach 2020. Some of my favorite stories told in this book include Rakoff’s un-grandiose (for lack of a better word) journey in becoming an American citizen (he was born in Canada), the banality of cryogenics (I was shocked to find that yes, this is a real and serious thing that does not only exist in the 2001 film “Vanilla Sky”), the meaninglessness of the couture fashion industry, the extreme narcissism involved in fasting (for spiritual reasons not related to religion), and the ridiculous irony of gay Republicans. When Rakoff observes people, certain enterprises, or anything, he asks why. And he doesn’t ask why just to shoot off his opinion at you – he genuinely cares about these topics, wants to understand, *tries* to understand, and comes to a conclusion so thoughtful – in terms of the subject he speaks of as well as his final thoughts on it – that he gains a trust and respectability that is, well, comforting. While some people may deem “Don’t Get Too Comfortable” just another nonfiction book written by a self-deprecating author, either in the very best or the worst way, I would argue that Rakoff is not self-deprecating. He is exceptionally interested – in the way others think and create things as well as the way he himself thinks and creates – and that makes him different than just someone pointing out the idiocy of the world. David Rakoff successfully turns criticism into an art form by the clarity of mind with which he seeks to understand, a clarity he gains not from distancing himself from the things that make him uncomfortable but instead, by fully engaging himself with/in those things and paying very close attention to how everything makes him feel. To me, doing that is one of the most human things of all.