Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind

I love Nate Gargatze. My wife and I have seen him live twice, and we have tickets for a third time this fall.

He’s just so, so funny. He can take any story and make it hilarious, and I have no idea why. Whenever I watch him, I say to my wife: “Why is this guy so funny?!” I can’t explain it.

This is sort of an autobiography, but told as stand-up basically. As such, it doesn’t have the same impact as it would if he were telling it live, and it wears a little thin at the end.

First, if you haven’t experienced Nate in concert, it probably wouldn’t be funny at all. The trick is reading it in his voice.

Second, even if you love Nate (guilty)… it’s just not the same. I thought the same thing 10 years ago when reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). I love Mindy Kahling too, but that book just didn’t capture her, and towards the end, you’re kinda over it.

One interesting thing about the book: Nate is much more open about his faith in print. If you’ve seen him perform, you know that he’s the “clean comedian,” and he does talk a but about his church and Christian school upbringing in his act.

However, in the book, he’s much more… strident (?) about declaring himself a Christian, and even has a paragraph about how his father accepted Christ in the processing of recovering from an abusive relationship with his own mother. It’s rather nice to read – you couldn’t come away from this book without understanding where Nate stands spiritually.

So, a mixed bag. Not awful, but just not the same as seeing him perform. I’m glad I read it, if only to support my favorite comedian.

Book Info