Nate is one of the best comedians out there. Me and my folks adore him. This collection of stories isn’t exceptionally hysterical BUT it’s damn good and I can read it in his voice. He’s definitely gifted and I hope his screenplay is as good

Nate Bargatze is an absolute superstar. Since he first exploded onto the comedy scene, he has been nonstop.

"Big Dumb Eyes" is hilarious and refreshing right from the start. The whole book feels like one big conversation with Bargatze, filled with amusing anecdotes with surprisingly emotional insights hidden within them.

I would recommend this book to any type of reader and guarantee that they will laugh out loud.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What is there not to love about Nate Bargatze? As a "family-friendly" (aka non swearing) comedian, his dry humor covered with self-deprecation is one of my favorite voices out there. I discovered him years ago and have been waiting patiently for his book to come out. He's one of the few writers that will always make me ugly snort laugh. This book did not disappoint

Nate Bargatze's debut book is everything his stand-up fans want. He admits more than once that he doesn't even think about books or reading, which made it difficult to try writing a memoir. It worked just fine after his two years of making it. He credits the help of talented copy editors who may have done quite a lot to make his spoken words easier to digest for readers. None of the editing process decreases the pleasant Tennessee drawl of Nate Bargatze. If you are a fan, hearing his voice while you read may be easy.

Big Dumb Eyes calls back to one of Bargatze's bits where he talks about himself not being smart, and how people generally speak very slowly to him which he attributes to having big dumb eyes.

Whether or not you've seen his performances, this collection of anecdotes and vignettes of his life makes for an enjoyable experience. He dives into more details about growing up with a born again clown-magician father, an equally strict mother, his brother Derek, and baby sister, Abigail, who is ten years younger. On stage, Bargatze keeps the stories of his family light, funny, and cheery, even when talking about the death of a beloved pet. In Big Dumb Eyes, expect the boundary of the stage to disintegrate. Bargatze reveals sad details about his father's side of the family. Looking at his father's stage presence and style of entertaining audiences, Bargatze explains that his father's jokes "came from a place of darkness."

Faith and certain traditions have been a large part of Bargatze's life and weave into his formula for making stories about his life appealing to a wide audience. His lack of swearing (cussing, cursing) keeps his billing as a "clean" comic which means family-friendly. He built onto his stand-up comedy by forming Nateland Entertainment which produces stand-up comedy specials, showcases, sketches, and scripted episodic content for film, TV, podcasts, music and more. The titular Nateland Podcast features Bargatze, Brian Bates, Aaron Weber & Dusty Slay.

Summary:

You don't need to have seen any of Bargatze's stand-up routines to enjoy Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind. Big Dumb Eyes is a smooth memoir that makes for an easy reading experience. Though Nate Bargartze states that a reader can take the chapters in any order they like, I recommend starting at the beginning and flowing straight to the end in order so that every time there's a call back (like the origins of his best friend P-P's nickname), it will all make sense. There are silly footnotes about parts of stories that Bargatze's family recall differently. The book also includes delightful family photos allowing people even more insight into this Southern, peculiar, competitive, and loving family.

Rating: 5 stars

Nate Bargatze is one of my favorite stand up comedians. This book was probably the first laugh-out-loud funny autobiography that I've ever read. I enjoyed this book and look forward to his next comedy special and any future books!

Nate Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes is as funny and silly as expected, with some sweet little sprinkles of endearment. There’s a lot of stories in here that will make you laugh out loud but my favorite is his life long running bit of Michael Loafman. Classic. I’ll probably say it in my head the next time I do something super lazy or real dumb. Congrats to @natebargatze and more importantly, his magical clown dad who I hope he has open for him at the Emmy’s. And thanks to Grand Central Pub for the gifted copy. Five stars!

3.5 stars: **Familiar, funny, and a little uneven — but hey, that’s Nate**

Having enjoyed Nate Bargatze’s stand-up for a while now, I figured I’d give *Big Dumb Eyes* a shot, and for the most part, it’s exactly what I expected -- in a good way. His occasionally over-self-deprecating humor translates pretty well to the page (particularly given how adamant he is about not being a reader), and if you’ve heard him tell stories about his family, marriage, or growing up, a lot of this will feel like settling into familiar territory. Especially if, like me, you grew up in the South -- there were a lot of people, places, and incidents that sounded really familiar.

The stories are longer than his stand-up bits, which works in places and kind of drags in others. It’s got that same clean, "you can retell this story to that lady you know from church" tone that's given him a broad audience, so no big surprises there.

What did rub me the wrong way, though, was the "The Dog Chapter." The death of poor Cosmo the cat was pretty callously played for laughs, with an attempt to keep it "family friendly" by joking about the blood being red Kool-Aid. I get it, Nate. You're a dog guy, and Cosmo was "just a cat." There's a lot of love for various dogs in that chapter, but this is a total trigger warning for cat people on that chapter: just skip it. It's not like "I don't like picking up dog poop" is one of the funnier confessions in the book anyway.

That aside, it’s a light read that Bargatze fans will enjoy — but it didn’t quite land for me the way I’d hoped. If you love his stand-up and don’t mind a few meandering stories, this one’s worth a look just for all the magician and P-P callbacks. Just maybe skip the cat part.

(Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central publishing for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

All the stars. Adorable. If I could give it a sixth star, I would. I love his Netflix specials and now I can say I love his books just as much. Thank you and goodnight. * takes a dramatic bow.*

Nate Bargatze has quickly become my favorite comedian with his quick observant wit, his distinct delivery, and his family friendly humor. This book is just the same. It's delivered exactly how his comedy is but in long form. Not a vulnerable memoir, so much, but I didn't expect it to be. It tells his life story in a similar style to his comedy, true moments with a little exaggeration and a lot of self-deprecation. I also appreciated reading him unapologetically talking about growing up in a Christian household and clearly still holding those values. It made me like him even more.
Obviously, there are whole chapters (albeit short) that were basically just bits like his comedy jokes, not made to be taken seriously but telling a little about his personality (i.e. the food chapters). Some of the reviews I've seen for this book make it clear that some people just didn't "get" the book, which I find odd when they clearly like his comedy. To me, they were the same. He told stories of his family and of his early jobs and how he met his wife. I'm sure there is a lot more to his life story, so I hope he continues to write more books. I'd love to hear more about how he came to such fame (this one sort of stops short of his big hit moments) and how he and his family have handled it. That will be fun to read one day.
(P.S. the audiobook is FABULOUS if you love his comedic delivery!)

**Thank you netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for a review copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This was a funny, offbeat read that captures Bargatze’s laid-back, self-deprecating humor perfectly. His storytelling voice comes through clearly on the page, full of dry wit and understated absurdity. That said, the book feels like it would be even better as an audiobook—his delivery is such a key part of what makes his comedy land. Still, it's an enjoyable, easy read that fans of his stand-up will appreciate.

Nate Bargatze (b. 1979) is an American comedian who's known for his family-friendly act. Bargatze likes to say he never reads books (too many words) but he guarantees folks will like THIS book because it's funny and has lots of stories that aren't in his act. And Bargatze's right; this is an entertaining memoir.

Bargatze grew up in the tiny burg of Lakewood, Tennessee, which was later incorporated into Old Hickory - a DuPont company town. The burg had six police officers whose only job was to give traffic tickets, and the cops would 'sit across from the Piggly Wiggly, shaking down families on their way to church.'

When Nate was a kid, his father Stephen was a professional clown who later morphed into a funny magician. Bargatze writes, "My dad's story is like the stories of a lot of funny people I know, in that it doesn't start out funny at all." Stephen had a difficult childhood with an abusive alcoholic mother, and he hit rock bottom before relatives helped him turn his life around. Afterwards, Stephen believed "we needed to laugh at ourselves and at each other" and he became a clown.

For Nate, having a clown dad was normal and fun, except when kids at his birthday party preferred watching Yo-Yo to playing with him. When Bargatze began his comedy career, he got his magician dad to open for him at a 2007 Nashville show. Bargatze asked his dad not to be TOO funny, since Nate wanted to be the funniest guy that night. But Bargatze's dad absolutely KILLED - and Nate still has Stephen open shows for him to this day.

Bargatze was a good student until the 7th grade, after which things went downhill. Bartgatze blames this on a concussion resulting from a terrible fall. Afterwards, Nate barely graduated from high school, had one year of community college, and flunked out of Western Kentucky University. Along the way Nate hung out with his friends, watched TV, ate pizza, and had sundry temporary jobs. In a fun story, Nate writes about being a water-meter-reader who helped guard a Tennessee water facility from the Taliban after 9/11.

For transportation, Nate's parents bought him a 1985 Mazda 626 jalopy that he named 'Old Blue', and Bargatze confides, "Every single one of my passwords, to this day is OldBlue626# - and now, I will have to change them all."

Bargatze riffs on a variety of subjects in the book. These include: His obsession with the correct socks; His conviction that competing brands can't be worn together (Adidas clothes and Reebok shoes are a no-no); Getting cut from his high school basketball team but making it to the NBA (Nashville Baptist Association); Being a dog owner (in Old Hickory, people didn't leash or clean up after their dogs); His love for the Vanderbilt Commodores; His food preferences (McDonald's two cheeseburgers meal is a favorite); Being Christian in small-town Tennessee (the first thing you ask people is 'Where do you go to church?'); And the culture shock when he moved away from his hometown and not everyone was Christian.

Note: Vanderbilt's athletics teams are called the Commodores in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided a million dollars in 1873 for the university's establishment.

Bargatze also has lots of anecdotes about his parents, his younger brother Derek, and his little sister Abigail. Nate and Derek had an ongoing rivalry, and one afternoon Derek rushed home and reported to their mother Carol that Nate had used the 'f-word'. Bargatze recalls, "Even my mom, with her sailor's mouth, was appalled." Mom then found out Derek meant 'fart', and laughed, but decided she wasn't a fan of that f-word either. Nate loved his sister Abigail from the day she was born, and they bonded over Disney songs and 'Men in Black' movies. It's clear the Bargatze brothers are VERY competitive, sister Abby is much loved; and the entire family is close and supportive.

When Bargatze was twenty, he decided to try a career in stand-up comedy, and moved to Chicago to get a start. Bargatze has lots of amusing tales about life in Chicago, like the giant rat that chewed through a baseball glove and pushed a heavy old-fashioned TV out of the way. When Nate's future wife Laura visited Chicago, Nate managed to hide the rat problem, and now that they're married, Laura is in charge of any rodent infestations in their home.

Bargatze later moved to New York, and suddenly life and dogs got a lot more complicated. Nate writes, "I'd barely ask [people] what church they went to before they'd tell me to get to the point: I'm in a hurry! Don't you see how much dog stuff I still got to clean up?" During this time Nate worked day and night to advance his career, struggled to take care of his dog Sasha, and got married to his fiancée Laura - and the memoir has gobs of fun yarns about those days. Bargatze's career took off when he was in New York, and of course he's a very successful comic today.

Bargatze jokes about how cheap his father and wife are, but it's good-natured ribbing. For instance, Nate and Laura got married in Old Hickory on Friday the 13th because the club basically said, "We will pay YOU money to get married on this date, because everyone else will be home hoping they don't get murdered by a dude in a hockey mask." After more 'frugality' anecdotes, Bargatze quips, "Next time you need your lawn mowed, your driveway sealed, your brick drilled, or a refrigerator dragged flat on its back across your front yard, just call 1-800-BARGATZE. We work real cheap."

There's lots more entertainment in the book, and Bargatze's sincere affection for his family and friends comes through as well. If you're a Bargatze fan, you'll probably like the book, and if you're unfamiliar with the comic, the book can help you get to know him.

I liked 'Big Dumb Eyes' and enjoy Bargatze's specials on streaming services.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

I saw Nate live last summer and could not stop laughing the entire hour of his set. He is a hilarious comedian! This book though…I sadly just didn’t enjoy it. It took me almost a month to read because it just wasn’t very funny, and I had to force myself to keep reading a chapter at a time. I laughed out loud only a few times. I did find parts of his life to be interesting, especially seeing how he rose to such fame, but as a whole was relatively bored and disappointed by this one. I still love your stand-up though Nate!!

Nice guy Nate Bargatze is known for his clean comedy and dry delivery. But if you want to know what’s really behind his comedy, just look into his Big Dumb Eyes.

Big Dumb Eyes is his book of comedic essays which tell the story of his life. He grew up in the South, in a small town near Nashville. His father was a clown (literally, like for birthday parties) and a magician. His mother sold tickets for Vanderbilt games, sparking a lifelong fandom for the school’s Commodores, no matter how many times they lose.

Bargatze tells stories from childhood, how he got started in comedy, and dating the woman he would later marry. He talks about growing up in the South, about going to church, about giving up school. There are chapters about the odd jobs he took along the way, about living cheaply, about loving fast food and hating exercise.

These stories are full of warmth and sentimentality, whether Bargatze is talking about hir first car, sharing Christmas elf secrets with his daughter, or his pet snake that his dad used to scare the mailman with. There is a lot of love in his family, and that comes through in these stories, whether his dad is cutting him from the basketball team he coached or forcing him to ride every ride in the amusement park just to make sure they didn’t waste the tickets.

Bargatze is now a very successful comedian, with several Netflix specials and a Grammy nomination for best comedy album. He’s no longer the guy sharing a small apartment in Chicago with a friend and at least one large rat while learning at Second City. But he does write about that and many more things with heart and humor and humility.

I really enjoyed Big Dumb Eyes. It was a lot of fun to learn more about Bargatze and hear the stories from his family and how he got started in comedy. Longtime fans of his will probably recognize a lot of these stories, but those who have discovered him more recently (like me) will appreciate this introduction to all things Bargatze and see why so many people love his comedy.

Egalleys for Big Dumb Eyes were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

Going into Big Dumb Eyes, I was unfamiliar with Nate Bargatze's stand-up comedy. I had only previously seen his Door Dash commercial and a couple of clips of him on SNL as George Washington. I enjoy reading memoirs and saw this book as an opportunity to discover someone new to me. The chapters are not very long and there is humor throughout. It did make me want to look up his specials to see him perform his jokes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced reader copy of Big Dumb Eyes in the return of an honest review.

Nate Bargatze had me out of breath laughing at points — absolutely hilarious! His humor is so authentic, so relatable, and refreshingly clean. It’s rare to find a comedian who’s this funny without being brash or vulgar, and Nate pulls it off perfectly. This book captures his voice so well — I could practically hear him reading it in my head. Highly recommend for anyone who loves smart, lighthearted comedy that leaves you grinning (and sometimes gasping for air from laughing so hard).

A fun book to read filled with hilarious stories from Nate Bargatze's life. I would highly recommend his memoir to anyone looking for a book that will keep you laughing!

We have been following the career of Nate Bargatze since we stumbled onto his very first Netflix special - for so long that at our house we just call him Nate. ("Nate has a new show on." "Nate got that one right." "Oh, that Nate.") This book is relatable, as someone who grew up in Indiana with relatives in the Deep Southern=Adjacent area of Southern Indiana (IYKYK), there were many stories that were extremely relatable and funny. And if the thought of those areas amuse you - and believe me, they are very amusing, we get it - this book is for you. There are several laugh out loud moments, and many more humorous "I get that" moments. Throughout your time together, you hear Nate's voice and cadence, which makes it an experience. In short, Nate is THAT cousin....you know the one where you won't commit to the holiday until you hear he is coming because he makes the after dinner story time so much more fun. And seeing the photos included with the book? A great enhancement to filling that cousin fantasy..

Comedy is best delivered the way Nate Bargatze does it-onstage. The book is missing the pregnant pauses, facial expressions and audience participation that are part of his presentations, but is nonetheless entertaining. Relating to a book makes me appreciate it = and the chapter on the NBA made me cackle. Sadly, Baptists are much the same everywhere.
As America reads less and watches more, writing a book with so many words and few pictures was brave. Enjoy it, I did. More? Yes, please.

First and foremost, unless you want to read this book, I suspect it would be best as an audiobook read by Bargatze, because I spent most of this book "picturing" how he would speak the stories aloud and missing that. That doesn't mean it's a bad book or that it wasn't a fun read. I just think it is more solid as something you listen to because the beauty of Bargatze's comedy is in the telling and the hearing.

This is not a memoir per se, although there are stories throughout that give a glimpse into who Bargatze is and his rise to fame. The book was definitely more musings and interconnected stories told in Bargatze's comedy style. Some stories link to his comedy shows directly so worth watching probably before you read.

There were some good chuckles throughout the book and I appreciated that it wasn't much longer because I'm not sure that it would have kept me entertained to keep reading this memoir-adjacent book.

If you like Bargatze and find him a hoot, then you should definitely read or listen to this book. If you have never seen any of his sketch comedy or just saw him on Saturday Night Live, I suggest getting more familiar with him through other media before you jump into a book format.

Fun Bargatze humor for all occasions. A summer read, a family book talk, a wine and opine title. Serves all purposes and is fun for all ages.