Alan Zweibel Books In Order

North

In a cross country comic odyssey, nine year old North goes to court to win ”free agency” from his parents and proceeds to search the United States for parents who deserve him.Movie tie in.

The Other Shulman

Shulman, a chubby, middle aged stationery store owner from New Jersey, has always claimed that he’s been gaining and losing the same thirty five pounds since junior high and that if you added all of that discarded weight together, he had lost an entire person. Another Shulman. A Shulman he never really cared for. A Shulman he d always tried to lose by dieting and exercising. A Shulman he d cover by wearing extra large shirts in an attempt to hide his existence.

This has been just a joke until, at a crossroads marked by overwhelming marital and business stress, he actually encounters this Other Shulman an incredibly successful man who s made life and career choices that Shulman has spurned.

At first, The Other Shulman is but a mere nuisance, a source of frustration brought about by mistaken identity. But as time goes by, his actions become increasingly destructive and threaten to sabotage all aspects of Shulman s existence.

The struggle between the two Shulmans comes to a head while Shulman is running in the New York City Marathon. And it is during the course of this race, as he runs through the old neighborhoods where his life took shape, that this ordinarily passive family man examines all the choices he s made and realizes that in order for him to get his life back on track he must confront and overcome his haunting demons as presented in the form of this angry doppelg nger, this Other Shulman.

In 26.2 chapters, one for each mile of the marathon, The Other Shulman is a hilarious and affecting tale of identity and aspiration from one of America s best known comic writers.

From the Hardcover edition.

Bunny, Bunny

In a series of funny, tender, and touching dialogues, former Saturday Night Live writer Zweibel recalls his buddy and almost lover friendship with SNL actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer. Zweibel claims he ‘merely scribbled the dialogues playing in my head,’ and, indeed, these recreated conversations have a neurotic, sarcastic, and vulnerable air of aunthenticity. The actress and writer become fast friends on the SNL set and segue into personal revelation.

Our Tree Named Steve

Dear Kids, A long time ago, when you were little, Mom and I took you to where we wanted to build a house…
. I remember there was one tree, however, that the three of you couldn t stop staring at…
.

After the family spares him from the builders, Steve the tree quickly works his way into their lives. He holds their underwear when the dryer breaks down, he’s there when Adam and Lindsay get their first crushes, and he s the centerpiece at their outdoor family parties. With a surprising lack of anthropomorphizing, this is a uniquely poignant celebration of fatherhood, families, love, and change.

Clothing Optional

Garry, it’s Alan. Look, I m calling because I just felt the need to tell someone that I m forty four years old, and about an hour ago, for the first time in my life, I put suntan lotion on my ass. I ll explain later. Bye.

In Clothing Optional, Alan Zweibel offers a collection of laugh out loud personal narratives, essays, short fiction, dialogues, and even a few whimsical drawings. Zweibel first made a name for himself as one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live, but his career s humble beginnings included creating one liners for Catskill comedians at seven dollars a pop. That experience is only one of the hysterically inspired anecdotes Comic Dialogue in this quirky compilation.

Zweibel confesses his first love, as a young Hebrew school student, for Abraham s wife, Sarah At this point, Sarah s husband had been dead for more than three thousand years so, really, who would I be hurting? ; recounts the time he was sent to a nudist resort to write an article The fact that I brought luggage is, in itself, worthy of some discussion ; offers a touching tribute to Saturday Night Live writer and mentor Herb Sargent Herb was New York. But an older, more romantic New York that took place in black and white like the kind of TV I grew up on and wanted to be a part of someday ; and imagines a scenario in which Sergeant Joe Friday, the stiff, monotoned character from Dragnet, is inexplicably partnered with Snoop Dogg Damn, Friday. You gotta learn to chill. Take some free time and kick it with your boys

Every piece is punctuated with the same wit and insight that have come to define Zweibel s humor.

Unhinged and hilarious, Clothing Optional is an unguided tour through the uniquely peculiar life and mind of a man who The New York Times said has earned a place in the pantheon of American pop culture.