A Comedy of Nobodies: A Collection of Stories

by Baron Ryan

Overview

Seinfeld meets Fleabag in A Comedy of Nobodies, the debut story collection from popular internet filmmaker Baron Ryan.

Charlie knows he’s not the main character in his own story. He’s just another schmuck in the Ivy League looking to be somebody. He plays in a terrible jazz band, falls in love too easily, and struggles with the human being business.

Written in a wry, comedic style, A Comedy of Nobodies: A Collection of Stories traces one fall semester in the lives of four typical but unforgettable university students who, as compensation for their existential anxieties, just want to feel understood.

As Charlie tries to find love using the scientific method, babysits a toddler for student financial aid, jumps out a window to escape a jealous football player’s wrath, and enrages a packed hockey stadium by replacing the national anthem with a jazz-trio rendition of “American Pie,” he discovers that the answers to life’s most pressing questions are almost always just more questions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212235341
Publisher:	Blackstone Publishing
Publication date:	05/21/2024
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	84,403
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Baron Ryan is a filmmaker, humorist, and Eagle Scout who earned all 139 merit badges. His popular sketches on the internet as @americanbaron—which he writes, directs, edits, and stars in—boast a hyperphilosophical, Larry David–esque perspective that have captivated millions of followers. Of Korean American descent and born in France, Baron now lives in Austin, Texas. A Comedy of Nobodies is his fiction debut.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2024

DEBUT Humorist Ryan's debut short story collection follows four friends, Charlie, Mike, Ted, and Nora, over the course of a semester at Harvard, as they go on bad dates, take advantage of free church brunch, and evade bullies and Russian mobsters. The quartet soak in every experience they encounter, often at their own peril, and refuse to stay inside their comfort zones. They hit numerous highs and lows, as in "The Last American Pie," when they work up the courage to play "American Pie" instead of the national anthem at a hockey game and are immediately booed out of the arena. The friends never cease to find the humor in a bad situation, meeting each challenge with a wryness reminiscent of Larry David. The stories are loosely connected through plot, but each has its own theme and wraps up nicely in a sometimes heavy-handed moral. The dialogue is fast-paced and quippy, with all the romance and pretensions of youth. VERDICT With their energetic narrative and relentless humor, Ryan's stories are both entertaining and thought-provoking, making this book endlessly quotable and hard to put down. Fans of Ryan's observational TikTok shorts will enjoy the same irreverent humor in this longer, immersive format.—Cate Triola

Library Journal

A witty and heartfelt exploration of modern love and the search for meaning.”

cashier at 7-Eleven Lorenzo

Funny, thought-provoking, and utterly charming. Baron Ryan captures the ‘I get misty’ aspect of love and friendship.”

sandwich maker at Jimmy John’s Kaitlyn Kuch-Ly

Brilliantly captures the absurdity of life right before ‘real life’ happens.”

second assistant accountant on Barbie Benjamin Holden

A college-era coming-of-age with an existential chuckle.”

crew member at Trader Joe’s Heather Robertson

This short book is an irresistible blend of humor and humanity that will make you laugh, cry, and then leave you smiling.”

manager at Aldi Kyle Dunstan

An earnest romp through the trials and tribulations of what we ought to do with ourselves—a true gem.”

financial analyst at wastewater treatment facility Erica Zito