Tom Papa

Tom Papa is a very talented guy. The list of job titles on his resume is almost hard to believe: stand-up comedian, writer, movie actor, television actor, television host, radio host, and podcast producer. And what makes it more remarkable is that he is good at all those things, in addition to being very, very funny while doing them. I have long been a big fan of his work and his comedy specials available on various streaming services are among my absolute favorite things to binge when I show more need a quick pick-me-up from the daily grind.

In We’re All in This Together, Papa gives us his unique take on a wide variety of topics involving life’s mundane occurrences, including the travails of traveling with your family, the useless stuff we tend to accumulate, unexpected things that can kill us, the joy in several glasses of wine, bug infestations in the house, picking up roots and leaving home, rules for the food we eat, the art of not complaining, and even how cats can be conniving jerks. Written in more than three dozen short essays, collectively this volume is a little hard to classify—it is not quite a memoir, not quite a set of philosophical musings, not quite a lot of rants on random peeves. What it does add up to is one man’s easy-going and cheerful insights on the modern human condition.

I enjoyed reading this book, which is hardly surprising given my regard for virtually everything I have seen the author do. Papa is a good writer, but mostly where he excels is as a great storyteller. I did not find any of the essays to be enthralling or even side-splittingly funny—it seems very hard to be as humorous in writing as one can be in person—but each was interesting in its own way, whether dealing with events from the past (his boyhood) or the present (his current family life). Although somewhat haphazardly organized, this collection of observations is an easy one to recommend, whether you are a long-standing follower of the author or someone discovering his work for the first time. show less

Silly, well-written and full of heart. Tom Papa illuminates through observation what all parents typically have to deal with when it comes to their kids. Children are irrational beings growing up in a (somewhat) rational world, and this author shares his particular slice of that story. You'll laugh and nod your head in agreement throughout the book. But mostly you'll laugh.

Because I listen to NPR, I downloaded this book. It has been a wild ride deconstructing the emotional, psychological roller derby that is your family. With Tom, I was able to re-visit why I hate my family, but I also had to confront how my family made me the writer, satirist, and jerk that I am.

Mr. Papa confirms that the writer's personality is a different, naked, and gorilla-sized animal when compared to the socially graceful person portrayed at the surface level. Tom allows me to show more appreciate why I will never regret my writing career.

And while I have not published a book yet. I have written the essay and the poem several wonderful times over the course of 25 years. Becoming an English major shows that I have yet to truly peak when it comes to literary success. It's books like this one that remind me that people need to hear blunt, funny, hilarious recollections of human experiences to share hope that those train-wrecks of family vacation and reunion are not just dramatic foregone tele-plays lingering in the "Twilight Zone" of the writer's psyche.

The dilemma can and should make you some money, too.

Tom can "steal my rake" any time. We've all got creepy relatives that we're afraid to write stories about. I'm gonna have to get over that fear, and take it straight to NPR or a national publisher like Saint Martin's Press. show less

Tom Papa’s book reads just like he sounds. Almost as if it’s one of his stand-up routines—which some parts feel like at times. And that’s okay. He’s just riffing on the murky, underside of stuff we know we shouldn’t do but, you know, we do it anyway…with relish: 7-Eleven snacks, Oscar Peterson, baking and eating bread, dogs, coffee, DNA, iPhones, Doritos, red wine, and, of course, more eating. And he’s right, we are doing great.