Reviewing a memoir is always difficult, as how one reacts to them is entirely subjective. I'm not particularly into Huffington...I really didn't know who Sekoff was before picking this book up. I just really like memoirs.

A quick and easy read, this collection was very entertaining. I loved the search for the perfect place to dispose of his late father's porn collection. It's something many adult children have to do, yet no one talks about.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

Very funny, very American, profane, witty, and engrossing. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance ARC copy of this book.

I loved it. It was funny, the writing was amazing and the stories very cute, funny. I found myself laughing out loud at some point and when that happens, it's a very good sign

Not my personal favorite, but if you like memoirs by non-celebrity's, this is a pretty funny one. Though some parts are funny than others.

Oh my, I loved this book!!! this is a laugh out loud book. The stories were hilarious and well written. I didn't want the book to end. I cannot pick my favorite story (though the one about the cleansing was funny as you know what), as they were all good. Excellent read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

Just the brain cleanse I needed!

This book is like having a goofy, intelligent old friend over for drinks. Sekoff’s personal stories are hilarious and, at times, enlightening. He’s just self-deprecating enough to be believable and trustworthy, and adventurous enough to have some good stories to tell. I’m now wondering if I’m missing out having never had a high colonic.

I learned a little and laughed a lot. Definitely pick this one up – you’ll speed through it and enjoy every page.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Big A Books for the advance copy in exchange for my review.

We all had a version of Roy Sekoff in our classes when we were in school. Mine was a kid named Billy Shortell. He was odd and funny and predicable only in that you knew he’d liven up the class, even if you never knew exactly how.

We all have a version of Roy Sekoff in our adult social circles, too, and that’s what makes his collection of personal essays so relatable. If we haven’t experienced something similar, we’ve absolutely had a friend who’s regaled us at parties with similarly outrageous and hilarious stories.

I audibly chuckled a number of times while reading through these memories. Roy is willing to let it all hang out, and it pays off.
Well crafted, comedic without becoming schticky, and reflective.

Lacks Self-Control: True Stories I Waited Until My Parents Died to Tell by Roy Sekoff is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This guy had some very strange stories at times but I think the strangest I thought was his colon cleansing period was the weirdest. Him and his room mate decided to get healthy and try the new coffee colon cleanse method, daily, for a week... it was strange reading and there would be no way I would voluntary for self torture like that. I have heard good things from it but I don't care how good, I am not trying it. Some of his other life adventures were pretty intriguing too but that was tops them all, lol

From the title, cover and description of this book I thought Lacks Self-Control would contain hilarious stories of childhood shenanigans, like sledding down the staircase or getting your buddy to pee on the electric fence. Instead there is a whole lot of porn and blow. The stories were relatively interesting, but as a book reviewer on a website, this is not a book I feel like I can recommend to my readers. It is interesting to note what a success Mr. Sekoff has become in his adulthood considering the amount of time he invested in masturbation and cocaine. I guess that's the lesson of this book. A misspent youth doesn't necessarily lead to a life of degradation or homelessness. Maybe as a middle aged woman I just can't relate. Reasonably well written, Lacks Self-Control is just not a book I would recommend to anyone.

A lighter, less embellished, but just as entertaining compilation of vignettes reminiscent of David Sedaris' stories. The main theme that runs through Sekoff's book is porn - his father loves it, his 12-year-old self discovers it, he inherits a large collection of it. There's also a father/son bonding attempt by way of a nudie theater production, a play-by-play recounting of high colonic adventures, a decidedly unflattering encounter with Chevy Chase, and much more. Sekoff's writing reveals a Jewish sensibility, a (to my way of thinking) clear-headed skepticism, and a wonderful sense of the absurd. His talent for storytelling make this memoir a joy to read, all the while laughing out loud along with the author who has managed to succeed in life despite the unanimous opinion of his teachers that he "lacks self-control."

How could you pass up a book subtitled “True Stories I Waited Until My Parents Died to Tell”?? I couldn’t. I wasn’t familiar with Roy Sekoff, although I’m a fan of The Huffington Post  (he was the founding editor). Plus, there’s this promotional blurb: “If David Sedaris, Chelsea Handler, Larry David, and Caitlin Moran had the unlikeliest orgy in history, the resulting love child might one day write a book like this one.”

So, when I had the opportunity to read Lacks Self-Control in exchange for my honest review (thanks to Big A Books and NetGalley),  I felt compelled to do it! The final thing was that exact same phrase, that lacking self-control thing, appeared on my report cards with regularity starting in kindergarten. When I asked what it meant, I was told it meant I talked too much, which I still think is bull.

But, in any case, if you are generally bummed by the state of the world (and if you aren’t, you must be comatose), here is an antidote. This guy is FUNNY. His collection of vignettes/essays/stories/whatever covers a span of many years, going back to his trip to a Times Square porn superstore as a teenager, right up to his time at Huffington Post. It’s a little Hunter S., Thompson (as in raunchy) which may be a bit much for some people, but it was PERFECT for me. Yes, I am admittedly a fan of offbeat humor and satire. I also like people who overshare when there is humor, often at their own expense.

I tend to think “yeah, right” when I see the phrase “laugh out loud” in a review. But, in this case it is true. I couldn’t decide on a favorite story…it was a tossup between his encounter with a killer crocodile and “that time Chevy Chase grabbed his balls at a funeral.”

Five stars. Great stuff.

Amusing, entertaining, and definately not your average biography. If anyone enjoyed reading Kevin Smith's biopic, give LACKS SELF-CONTROL a shot.

Sekoff’s autobiographical snapshot into his life, is a hilarious look back on a boy to man and everything in between. The book jumps timelines so it is not a lateral a to z but it does offer insight into the high jinx of the founding editor of the Huffington Post.

The book is well written and there is a lot to entertain and marvel at his interesting view of his world. There is a hyperactive charm within the pages and his writing style makes it easy for the reader to delve into his mad cap life. The most interesting is that although he has his own view, he never really uses a person to poke fun at but more of the situation. His aim here is to look at the funny side of a situation to have a deeper understanding.

The episodic appeal of the book does lift this up from the norm and allows the book to breathe. Reading more like essays on a life than a straightforward autobiography which appeals to the novel strengths. Luckily, the book never goes into politics which in the current climate is a blessing though there is two slight digs which are obvious jokes but fortunately, he takes the higher ground.

Overall, this is a fun novel that doesn’t degrade those around him to find the humour but he finds it through situations which gives us a story about a boy who looks at the world to find value. The book passes by so fast that after you read the final page, it will leave you wanting more.

This is totally the type of book I would pick out, based on the title, cover, and description. I wish I liked it better than I did.

The stories were generally interesting, sometimes funny. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely interested in all of them. I was easily able to put this book down, and I wasn't dying to pick it up. While it is an easy read, I just didn't need to know what happened next. Sometimes that is a good thing-this is the kind of book that you can read a chapter at a time and not worry about not having time to read it right away. You can read a light chapter in between harder books.

I don't know Roy Sekoff. Of course I know Huffington Post, which makes him relevant, but before picking this up, I did not know who he was. He has led an interesting life, and Lacks Self-Control is a short, quick, easy read.

The author seems like a nice enough guy and I was interested to see what sorts of stories he would tell. Well, there are a few moments, (an encounter with Chevy Chase), but an inordinate amount of page space is devoted to high calonics, (enemas), and the author's father's porn collection. And it's all pretty much by the numbers stuff.

To be fair, the title accurately explains what to expect inside the book: essays that lack self-control and are certainly memories better left published after the author's parents died. Only, after reading the book, I was left wondering if the essays should've been published at all.

It is entirely possible that I am the wrong audience for this book; this seems strange to say given that I do not shy away from non-fiction essays, the topic of sex, or a wide variety of writing-styles. Maybe the essays would've felt substantial if, say, I were the kind of young twenty-something seen in an 80's Wall Street movie.

Unfortunately, from my perspective, the essays read like an unedited teenage-boy's diary, if teenage boys kept diaries. The writing seems raunchy just to be raunchy and none of the essays seem to have any real point; again, much like a diary. It may not be fair to expect more.

Other than knowing Roy Sekoff's ties to The Huffington Post, I knew very little about him before taking on 'Lacks Self-Control' and it's possible that if I knew more about the author, I would have understood what I was getting myself into. With auto-biographical, personal essays, it is often very important to understand the personality of the author and not knowing the author may be the sole reason I did not particularly care for the book. Still, I encourage others to make the decision on this book for themselves.

Well, I went into this book knowing nothing about Roy Sekoff, and I came out knowing a great deal (at times too much!) It's written quite conversationally, and I found myself wishing that Roy and I were real friends rather than book friends. The anecdotes included are comical and at times graphic, but always entertaining. I got the feeling that the stories contained in Lacks Self Control are only the tip of the iceberg, and I certainly hope there are more books to come! The blurbs contain references to David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler as similar authors, I might also include Dave Barry and perhaps Tina Fey. I enjoyed the personal aspect just as well as the celebrity interactions, the balance was great. I would definitely use this book as a gift, and I could even see it as a choice for a book discussion group.

This book is hilarious. It is stories from Roy Sekoff’s life, some embarrassing, and some quite crude but still funny.

There are stories from his life starting in his childhood and extending into his adult years. These are things he (anyone) wouldn’t ever want to admit to parents. I laughed through most of the book. He is a wonderful storyteller and gifted writer.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Big A Books for the ARC in return for my honest feedback

LACKS SELF CONTROL, by Roy Sekoff, is a laugh out loud series of stories from Roy Sekoff's unique past. Between growing up in a unique family, to having crazy celebrity exchanges through his work with Huffpost, to his own neurosis and borderline OCD, Roy seems to have a million stories to tell.
There are a few what I would say "anecdotal" stories that generate a smirk or too, but with some of the storier I had to stop and laugh and find the nearest person to tell them what I just read. There is a rather gross (and funny) chapter about Roy's experiences with high colonics that was a little hard to stomach, When I finished the book, I was surprised it was over, I got the feeling there are so many more stories Roy could tell. My favorite chapter was his crazy New Orleans trip, and a close second was the chapter about Khloe Kardashian and Snoop Dogg.
I wanted more, but nevertheless LACK'S SELF CONTROL was entertaining and comically and I would read another book of Roy Sekoff's life experience without hesitation.