Book Review: I Hate Other People's Kids

I found out about this book by accident. I happened to come in on the middle of CNN's entertainment news program, and there was an interview with the author, a New York-based comedianne named Adrianne Frost. She explained that she, a childfree woman, had received some flack about the title of her book, as well as the contents.

It is an amusing, even laugh out loud funny at times, tirade against the behavior of other people's kids, or OPK, as Ms. Frost refers to them. She goes into how children tend to ruin the peace everywhere, from parks to movie theaters to restaurants.

Ms. Frost does not let parents off the hook, either, blaming them for not curbing their kids behavior. I found myself nodding in agreement at her clever sarcasm directed at a child-centric society. For example, she grumbles about kids treating pets as toys: "It's a simple lesson: If Other People's Kids don't aggravate a cat, they won't become little, screaming scratching posts." Or upon encountering kids on the way into a movie theater: "God, if you exist and care about me and the ten dollars and fifty center I just spent on this ticket, please let these carousing kids have tickets to Digger the Dog's Journey to Monkeyland. Amen."

It is a short read; you could easily polish the book off in one day. The book puts a humorous and truthful light on a subject that many shy away from.