I've watched Tom Papa's standup comedy specials so many times, I have them memorized. There's something about listening to stories about his family that make it feel like there's someone else out there who understands. I doubt other people have his stories embedded into their brains the way I do. That's important here because his books are those same stories with a lot more detail. Plus, there are plenty that even I haven't heard before.

Readers of Generation X age who grew up before cell phones and the internet will easily relate to a lot of the life lessons and anecdotes in We're All in This Together...So Make Some Room. If you also happen to be a New Jersey reader, you'll find a bit extra in the nostalgia department. Papa's fondness for his home state, the Garden State, is discussed often in his books.

If you were surrounded by drunk family or simply crazy people even when sober, essays like Quit Complaining and Don't Swim Alone will strike a chord. It could be that wacky grandma who morning drinks with her bridge club or your dad who never consumed a glass of water in his life. Bonus points for relating if there was always food. Food and drinking—the two mainstays of family interactions.

Something that became clear to me when reading We're All in This Together...So Make Some Room that I didn't garner from Papa's standup specials, is that he has a beautiful imagination and has had it since he was a child. Most kids have this until they're forced to be serious and grow up which our society sees as being mutually exclusive from playing in the woods and visiting the fairies. The chapter, What Gnomes Can Teach Us, is a breathtaking look inside the child's mind. It's a reminder that Once Upon a Time, we believed. We may not have believed in Santa Clause, but we believed in something. Unicorns. Magic. Gnomes in the garden. Or that our cats know exactly what we're saying. Tom Papa was connected to the natural world as a child in New Jersey's woods and shores. A copse of trees wasn't just a place waiting for the next buyer to chop them down and build a strip mall or condos. Those trees were places where a kid could climb, spy, play Tarzan, and get away from adults—all without the worries of things like Lyme Disease. You didn't need marijuana or shrooms as a kid.

There's also a chapter akin to the show The Good Place which starred Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, and William Jackson Harper. It's called The Good and the Bad. It shouldn't take a tragedy like 9/11 to bring people together and be a little nicer to each other. Tom Papa has had enough experience mingling with other humans in airports, hotels, resorts, and the streets of New York and LA to know that people are gross and selfish. He says the world would be better if we just had better manners. And I agree.

However, I only say "Sir" or "Ma'am" when I'm being facetious and snarky to people who don't know that inside my head, I think they're annoying d-bags. As Papa says, the world is also filled with scumbags who use politeness as a weapon. Those people are courteous and put-together as they revoke basic human rights from others. The difference is whether you can be genuine in your politeness. Say "Excuse me" when you knock into someone; hold the door for the person behind you (if they aren't 50 feet away of course); essentially, don't be a Grade A a-hole.

Summary:

Tom Papa's We're All in This Together...So Make Some Room is the kind of book that would make a great gift. Father's Day is coming up. The recipient doesn't need to know who this author is. They'll be fine going into it without any pre-conceived notions. Some of the chapters are the perfect word count for one of Dad's trips to the bathroom.

Comedian, author, actor, and podcaster ("What a Joke" with Fortune Feimster) Tom Papa's newest book "We're All in this Together: So Make Some Room" (St. Martin's Press, 2023), is chock full of essays and humorous tidbits, I thought I was a comedy fan (maybe I didn't know as much about Papa due to his "clean comedy" label?!) but with his keen observations and slice of life retellings I laughed and chuckled because he was so spot on in far too many instances. In a chapter about cats and their special mystical powers of control over households (terrifying accurate), he referenced cat owners as Cat Ladies. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Tom is sitting on a goldmine pet co-owner/parent name: Cat Papa. He should take it out for a spin!

Good day? Read a bit from this book! Crappy day? Read a bit more from this book! Grab a drink, a snack, and sit with your cat (or dog). And let your worries roll on by since "we're all in this together!"

Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

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 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.

As a stand-up comedian, Tom Papa knows how to make his audience laugh. This book combines his smart humor and human observation in 37 essays that tackle relationship issues, family, pets, drinking, and much more.

“ Tom Papa’s books make readers laugh, but–crucially–feel better about themselves while doing it.”

Fun anecdotes about life. Nothing earth shattering in terms of humor, but a humorous way to see the every day mundane. Enjoyable to read.

3.5 stars! This book was the perfect palate cleanser. Tom brings his comedic touch to lots of different topics with stories that are quite relatable and funny. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a fun and lighthearted read! This is a collection of short essays with Tom Papa’s reflections on life, dating, growing up, family, marriage, etc. Each story is written with a light comedic touch and a lot of heart. Each story felt very approachable and relatable. His clever writing will bring a smile to your face while reading this after a long day. Truly fun and delightful!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

I love Tom Papa's stand up and his previous book "You're doing great", so I wanted to love this book too. It's well written and interesting, but lacked the "lol" moments I was looking for. He has a distinctive voice and paints engaging, often touching vignettes from his past and his current life with vivid clarity. The tone and themes of this collection of essays just wasn't for me, but I think many other fans of Paps will enjoy it. He's a talented humorist and very funny stand up; I'll be looking forward to his next offering to see if it resonates more strongly for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think that essays like this are really my thing. The writing was good, there were some elements of humour, and they did resonate with me as an Italian-Canadian. But in the end, they felt very disjointed and I guess were not what I was shooting for. I was hoping for more humour from a comedian and more LOL moments which just didn't happen. And because of that, I kind of wanted this to then veer more towards the serious which it skirted at best.

Papa is a storyteller, so he does a good job when he gets into a story even with some exaggeration and attempts at funny. He is also well spoken so there is nothing to critique about his skills. I just felt like these essays were not very structured as a whole and as such felt very random. Glimpses into his youth. Glimpses into his young adulthood. Glimpses into his adulthood and now. But all kind of randomly jumbled together. I did appreciate the idea that we are all in this together. And I did appreciate his moments of trying to link situations with his lived experience to life lessons. Just not enough to really make up for my overall enjoyment of the book. It wasn't awful. It just wasn't great. Or wasn't great for me.

If you like Papa as a comedian and are a fan of his other writings, then I think you'll enjoy this one. If you are into essays about lived life without any major drama, then also a good pick for you.

Just as funny as his stand up with more insight.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Only recently having discovered Tom Papa on Netflix, it was a big thrill to receive this book. The stories/essays within range from amusing to thought provoking. The author really opens up on his own views in a way that keeps you reading and laughing out loud at some of the antics. Great break from some serious nonfiction reading and a motivator to go see him in person.

We’re All in This Together is a lighthearted and humorous collection of essays about growing up, dating, marriage, vacation, family, and more. Whether you are familiar with Tom Papa's comedy or not, I recommend this to readers looking for a quick and diverting read.

Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Tom Papa always makes me laugh. He is a great storyteller, and he knows how to make things like marriage and traveling funny without being mean or using bad language. He is witty and thoughtful, and one of the best comedians working today. I will read anything he writes.

Take on Italian-American father, mix in stand-up, NPR, and children to get an idea of Tom Papa. He opens this volume of 30+ essays with a ambling talk about connections. He then dives into his remembrance of being different in Kindergarten, an essay on what not to eat, why Mark Twain smoked cigars, marriage, love, regrets, and many more topics. Some of my favorite essays - "Cats: Ancient Menace" which is the topic that got me interested in this title, "Why We Return to the Sea" on time spent crabbing with his dad, and "What Gnomes Can Teach Us" regarding kids and nature. But all of these essays are enjoyable, nicely paced, and a reasonable length. Take the time to slow down and read these vignettes on life!

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this title!

Good family fun to get us through temporary grumpiness or just for a healthy laugh!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Tom Papa has become one of my favourite comedians over the last few years. He first came to my attention after his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. After that he appeared several more times and I grew to love him more and more. I was excited to read his last book You’re Doing Great and I really enjoyed it so I was equally excited to get the chance to read this book.

Each chapter discusses a different take the author has on a myriad of topics. This ranges from family vacations, diets, relationships and more. I really loved the quick hits from each chapter and the humour Tom provides. As any comedian does he finds reality in his points of view and I found a lot of points to be very relatable. The book is similarly written to his last one in terms of style so if you enjoyed that one you will certainly like this one too. I would highly recommend this one to comedy lovers everywhere

string of monologs that could have come from Papa's stand-up routines. Like most such collections, some were outrageously funny, others lukewarm.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tom Papa, an Italian American comedian shares stories from his life. From a young boy to present adulthood it was entertaining and enlightening to read. Being able to compare our own life experiences with those of Tom Papa made it open our eyes to various influences.

Sorta funny, sorta silly but sorta fun! Never heard of Tom Papa before but it’s seems he is really popular.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is very enjoyable collection of 37 essays addressing common situations we all encounter.

Tom Papa is highly observant and brings to the surface interesting commentaries about our reactions to life's ups and downs. He does this with humor and understanding - showing us that we are all human and make the same mistakes that others do in similar circumstances.