COYOTE v. ACME

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

My first encounter with the title essay of this collection was when I saw it cut out of the New Yorker and posted on the wall next to the door of one of my history professors in graduate school. Having a few minutes to wait until my appointment, I began reading the essay. I am certain that the only reason the other history professors didn't think I was a lunatic for laughing so hard was that they had read the article and also found it funny. . . a law brief written for Wyle E. Coyote against Acme.

I would like to say the rest of the essays in this all too short book are as funny as the title essay. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. Many of them are as funny, and "Have You Ever," which purports to be an insurance questionnaire from a company which underwrites Soap Opera characters, is even funnier. All of the essays are brief, good on the few weak essays (such as "Webbing"), but when Frazier hits his mark ("The Bank With Your Money On Its Mind"), the reader can only wish the joke went on longer.

Although the pieces are short, it probably is not a good book for the bathroom. You'll get strange looks when you emerge after the sounds of laughter carry through the door. Also, in a bathroom there is nobody you can grab and say "Read this", at least not in most cases. And this is a book you'll want to share. I frequently found myself reading portions out loud to my wife when I came across a particularly good essay.

The cover blurb declares that "Ian Frazier is still the most riotously sophisticated humorist in America." Although I'm not entirely sure this is not a case of hyperbole, Frazier is definitely funny and deserves a larger following than he has.

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