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Elliot Allagash

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 605 ratings · 123 reviews

Simon Rich dazzled readers with his absurdist sense of humor in his hilarious collections Ant Farm and Free-Range Chickens. Now comes Rich’s rollicking debut novel, which explores the strangest, most twisted, and comically fraught terrain of them all: high school.

Seymour Herson is the least popular student at Glendale, a private school in Manhattan. He’s painfully shy, phy...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published May 25th 2010 by Random House

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Feb 22, 2013 David O'neill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seymour Herson is a Jewish boy looking back at the past five years of school, in which he formed an unholy alliance with Elliot Allagash. The latter is a Machiavellian scion of a family that made money by accidentally inventing paper. Seymour attends Glendale (an alternate form of Dalton, which author Rich attended) and, until he befriends Allagash, has no redeeming characteristics, in fact few characteristics at all, save for ubiquitous victimhood. Allagash takes it as a challenge to make this...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Rudi rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a nice easy read but the ending was perhaps a little rushed. The idea that power goes to your head and that if someone gives you power, they can more than easily take it away make it fairly obvious what’s going to happen. The nice part of this story though is that Seymour along the way realises what’s most important to him while Elliot sadly continues to live his life the only way he knows how, not realising that he could have a friend in Seymour or even realising that his father truly...more This was a nice easy read but the ending was perhaps a little rushed. The idea that power goes to your head and that if someone gives you power, they can more than easily take it away make it fairly obvious what’s going to happen. The nice part of this story though is that Seymour along the way realises what’s most important to him while Elliot sadly continues to live his life the only way he knows how, not realising that he could have a friend in Seymour or even realising that his father truly does care for him.

I found Elliot and Terry’s relationship the most sadly touching part of the novel, as neither really manages to figure out how to communicate with the other and so Elliot seemingly never really understands how much his father cares for him, nor does his father understand how to communicate to his son that he does.

I don’t believe that power and money prevailed here but rather relationships came out on top. Although rich and powerful and deriving so much joy from their schemes, I felt pity for the Allagashes as the only thing they seemed to lack was actual friendships. Elliot clearly doesn’t know how to be someone’s friend and we feel sorry for him as a result. Elliot’s and Terry’s schemes, while rather unlikely but still remotely possible were rather entertaining if not somewhat uncomfortable to read, like the position Terry puts Hodges in, or the shocking lengths he goes to in an attempt to save his wife or the one of Seymour’s lies that people are most appalled by when he is revealed.

I think one of the areas where this novel fell short was in its length, as there were several fascinating characters whose stories simply couldn't be explored in 224 pages. The most interesting characters in the novel for me weren't Elliot and Seymour but James, Terry and Ashley and even Seymour's forgiving parents.

Elliot Allagash has its flaws but it’s an easy read with a message more appropriate for a young adult audience and with enough humour thrown in for adults to enjoy it too.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

This was a very strange and weird YA book, that thankfully was an easy read. While easy, weird can trump all sometimes and make me not like something and this was just at the cusp. As an adult, I thought the book was pretty stupid, but kids might like its weird and craziness. A total loser/nerd becomes friends with a fellow loser but rich kid who because of his money can manipulate anyone anyway he wants. I found this annoying, especially in today's society, it still teaches kids that the more m...more

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Jun 25, 2011 Jeff James rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read Elliot Allagash in one three-hour sitting. It was mildly entertaining, and I remember laughing once or twice, but ultimately it's a remarkably slight novel that felt like a padded novella with pretensions of more. However, it's a quick, easy read, and I finished it before it could lose my interest or outstay its welcome.

The book charts the transformation of one Seymour Herson from chubby high school outcast to aloof popular kid cheating his way through life. His ascendancy comes thanks t...more

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Oct 20, 2010 CëRïSë rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this book based on a glowing review, and though I can't now recall the source, I was sufficiently moved to place a hold on it at the local library, and to consider buying it online in case I couldn't wait.

It was a welcome enough diversion (and thankfully arrived at the library before I was forced to purchase it), and the speediest of reads: I finished it in a single afternoon. I didn't think it was terribly funny, although there were certainly some creative bits. I think I would probably...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youth

I was recommended "Elliot Allagash" by a fellow teacher when I was looking for something to read on the bus ride home. She told me that while, for adults, "Elliot" is a bit divisive (she loves it, another colleague hated it), it seems that boys of a certain, middle school age, love it unconditionally. I can see why. The book is as close to standard wish-fulfillment as you could get for a teenage boy and still be found in a school library. Elliot, the character, is basically a boy's version of th...more I was recommended "Elliot Allagash" by a fellow teacher when I was looking for something to read on the bus ride home. She told me that while, for adults, "Elliot" is a bit divisive (she loves it, another colleague hated it), it seems that boys of a certain, middle school age, love it unconditionally. I can see why. The book is as close to standard wish-fulfillment as you could get for a teenage boy and still be found in a school library. Elliot, the character, is basically a boy's version of the fairy godmother trope: he can get you anything, anything at all; he does it in ways that are, for the most part, in the dark grey to black part of the black and white spectrum; and the consequences, when they come, only trim the fat from what we've been given, taking away things we didn't really care about and leaving us with exactly what we wanted.

The story reminds me, in some abstract way, of when I first read "The Great Gatsby". I don't really connect with the protagonist. I barely found his rich and eccentric friend deep enough to wade in, let alone believe. I can recognize, reading the book, why some people like it, but it's not for me. Either make Seymour's journey actually transformative, or make it transform Elliot. You can't fail to make both things happen.

I will give "Elliot" points for using one of my favourite narrative tricks, that of telling stories within the story to give background or characterization for us. Elliot's father, Terry, does plenty of this, as does Elliot. Terry is the one character that I actually was surprised by. He doesn't redeem the book for me, but he does make it palatable.

**Potential spoilers from here on.

Elliot is essentially some combination of The Cat In The Hat and a fairy godmother. He grants wishes, but first he makes you realize what those wishes are. For our protagonist, Seymour, the first batch of wishes (or, what Elliot makes him think his wishes are: popularity, good marks) eventually give way to every boy's secret wish, a set of plausible superpowers that he gets to keep when the wish fulfillment ends. That's what the red notebook is. That level of organization, of planning, of keen observation skills is exactly what Seymour needs to succeed in life. His wits have been sharpened, he's been physically honed, and no one can take that away from him. Deep down, Seymour is still himself, is still the boy we met at the beginning of the book, but on the surface he's changed (Clark Kent/Superman parallels are there for the taking). In the end, Seymour doesn't actually change. He ages, he gains some abilities, but he's still the same kid from grade 8 by the end of the book. Except he's legitimately happy now.

I would have been much more impressed with the story if Elliot's characterization had continued along the path that was established early on: he operates as a morally unfettered Sherlock Holmes, experimenting with the world around him in order to make it possible for him to manipulate it for his own amusement and comfort. He might actually represent a child Moriarty, except that he fails, quite soundly, to destroy the one enemy he wants to destroy. Moriarty chased Holmes across a continent, and Holmes is, quite literally, saved by coincidence and chance. Elliot screams a little, ruins all of the "good things" in Seymour's life that Seymour didn't want anyway, and gives him the opportunity to meet the girl he actually wants and reconnect with his parents.

In the end, Elliot is essentially the Lex Luthor chracter, not from comics, but from the TV show "Smallville". He's a tragically inept villain masquerading as our protagonists best friend. He seems to be the villain, but really, he's just there to advance the plot with money and schemes
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Jan 29, 2011 Raimy rated it 4 of 5 stars

“He just sat there, writing. Sometimes he ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook, crumpled in up and tossed it onto the floor. And once in a while he snapped his fingers before jotting something down with a flourish.”

From the minute you start reading this book you can tell that Elliot is not a normal boy. He’s introduced by Seymour telling his parents that Elliot had pushed him down the stairs, and Seymour’s parents throw this comment away by telling him that Elliot was rich. It was like w...more “He just sat there, writing. Sometimes he ripped a piece of paper out of his notebook, crumpled in up and tossed it onto the floor. And once in a while he snapped his fingers before jotting something down with a flourish.”

From the minute you start reading this book you can tell that Elliot is not a normal boy. He’s introduced by Seymour telling his parents that Elliot had pushed him down the stairs, and Seymour’s parents throw this comment away by telling him that Elliot was rich. It was like wealth was Elliot’s reason for pushing someone down the stairs, or for the strange things he did.

I was convinced that there was something magical about Elliot while I was witnessing him changing Seymour’s life. I was convinced he was some kind of fairy godmother sent to help Seymour out. It turns out that I was wrong, Elliot isn’t magical, he’s just powerful, but I suppose power is just like magic, you can do nearly anything with power! I think the main thing you can’t get with power however is strong relationships, this came across with Elliot and his father. It upset me a bit that Elliot didn’t seem to understand that underneath it all his father was actually a caring person. Maybe Elliot was just too mean to understand it, he just wanted to treat everyone like a toy, but I liked Elliot’s dad a lot.

I often think that the smaller characters in a book should be important too, they should have their own personalities and not just be there as a backdrop. I loved that there were very important aspects to the smaller characters in the book as well as the two main characters. As well as Elliot’s dad, Seymour’s dad played a great part and Ashley is probably the coolest person in Seymour’s school towards the end of it all.

I loved the coming of age aspect of this book, that’s was what made me want to read the book. There were many parts of it where I couldn’t believe what Seymour was doing but I guess that’s what shy, geeky, teenage boys will do if they know it’ll get them the thing they want the most, girls and popularity!! I wanted to know where everything was leading so much that I read the book in just a couple of sittings. It was exciting and fast paced and as always with a good book, I was happy to get to the end to find out what happens but also sad because it was over!

I did think the book might be a little bit too guy-based, but in reflection I reckon it’s for anyone who knows what like as a teenager is like and who knows that during this strange time in your life there’s gunna be people out there who are stranger than you! (less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Devin rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Elliot Allagash, Rich has created a fascinating, compelling, bewildering -- even tragic -- character. The book focuses on the relationship between Elliot and the first-person narrator, Seymour Herson. In many ways, Elliot embodies that figure we all wish we knew during our awkward middle and high school years: someone who, lavishly wealthy and ensconced in a world of entitlement and power, can make anything happen with a snap of his fingers. In mere months, Elliot transforms dorky, awkward Se...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Anthony Eaton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one came to me highly recommended as ‘a fun read’ and I would have to say that the description was dead accurate. it's kind of like a particularly nasty version of Cinderella, written for 14-year-old boys. There are touches of the Grimm brothers, of Clueless, and of any number of US high school films lurking in the background of this one. The title character, the eponymous Elliott Allagash is possibly one of the most compellingly revolting characters I have read in recent times. And yet, de...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Sophia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. On the whole, I did not particularly enjoy this book. This is in part due to some suspect marketing. The blurb likens it to a modern day 'Clueless' for boys, or a John Hughes film. However, whilst I can vaguely grasp what they were getting at, overall the promise was not fulfilled.

In summary, the story centres on Elliot Allagash- a cold, Chuck Bass meets Malfoy-esque character- and his protegee, Seymour. Elliot uses Seymour to entertain himself in the form of elaborate schemes developed under t...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars

I bought this book at Barnes & Noble and now I do not even want to look at the back of it to see how much it cost, simply because I was so disappointed that I am certain to regret the purchase. I found it in the Best New Paperbacks section, and from reading the blurb, I was under the impression that it would be a darkly funny adult novel that was about high school. Such things exist, and it is likely that that is how the shelvers classified it upon placing it in that section.

But it was shel...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Funny send-up of high school and the super rich. Seymour is the least popular kid in his Manhattan prep school. Elliot is devious and rich beyond measure. Elliot decides, as a way to amuse himself, to make Seymour the 9th grade president. The story is about Elliot's manipulations, and about how lonely and out-of-step he is himself.

I actually liked the sidebars best, such as Seymour's description of his more humble family--their obsession with brisket, his parents' placement of post-it notes to c...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Danna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended

Simon Rich tells a witty, entertaining, and creative tale of two teenage boys. Elliott Allagash is filthy rich, descending from the inventor of paper. He is also difficult, brilliant, and a con-artist. He plots to help Seymour - the narrator, an unpopular, picked-on nobody to become the most popular kid in school. The book tells wild stories of Allagash's family schemes, and also of Seymour's unorthodox rise to the top of his high school. The book is very short and a page-turner, which is good,...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Euryale rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Entgegen der Anpreisungen ist das Buch nicht zum Schreien komisch (obwohl ich an einer Stelle wirklich einen Lachanfall bekommen habe - der unsportliche Seymour soll Basketball lernen und damit er auch genügend Trainingspartner hat, gründet Eliot eine ganze Jugend-LIGA für ihn - göttlich!)

Je weiter das Buch voranschreitet, umso tragischer wird die Geschichte. Die Stories und Betrügereien von Elliot und seinem Vater sind teils unterhaltsam, aber oft mit einem unangenehmen Beigeschmack verbunden...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Shana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Even after finishing this novel, I still can’t decide if I think it’d be better as YA or adult fiction. I guess it’s a good crossover, in a sense. The main character, Seymour Herson, is your typical unpopular nerd character who lacks charisma, intelligence, and ambition. Along comes Elliot Allagash, a bajillionaire with too much time on his hands, who makes Seymour is personal pet project. Predictably enough, Seymour eventually does mature to the point where he understands that he shouldn’t be a...more

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Dec 20, 2011 jingybopa added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish

Not sure why I tried this book. I skimmed Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations, and also Free Range Chickens. I was less than impressed by both of those books. Nothing in either of those books struck me as even slightly clever, let alone funny. This book did nothing to change my opinions on the merits of Simon Rich as a humorist, or a writer. It was an easy read, but was so uninteresting, I was unable to finish it. For a vastly superior book (in both the writing, and the humor department) wh...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I felt really sorry for Seymour to begin with. For starters, the way he introduces his parents to Elliot is by telling them that he pushed him down the stairs. I was kind of glad, but a bit worried, when Seymour and Elliot became friends. If you can call it friendship anyway. As the two start to spend more time together, it is quite clear that Elliot is walking all over Seymour, even if Seymour cant see that. Seymour does start off well though, questioning Elliot’s choices in his schemes and pla...more I felt really sorry for Seymour to begin with. For starters, the way he introduces his parents to Elliot is by telling them that he pushed him down the stairs. I was kind of glad, but a bit worried, when Seymour and Elliot became friends. If you can call it friendship anyway. As the two start to spend more time together, it is quite clear that Elliot is walking all over Seymour, even if Seymour cant see that. Seymour does start off well though, questioning Elliot’s choices in his schemes and plans but being young and naive, he was easily influenced.

Elliot and his father were both interesting characters. Being from an extremely wealthy family, they have never really had to want for much in life as it has always just been handed to them. Both characters think that money will buy them anything but the one thing it cant seem to buy them is genuine friendships and relationships and it was quite sad that neither had these things in their lives. Elliot was so sure of himself with a lot of confidence but he also had quite the temper when things didn’t go his way. What I found most strange about him though was his strange obsession with watercress sandwiches though!

Elliot Allagash has a really interesting take on schools and one that I haven’t seen done in a book before. This book takes a look at how a high school works and what would need to be done in order to make a student go from unpopular to extremely popular and how other people would react. I loved all of the crazy ideas that Elliot came up with in order to further his experiment/ Seymour’s popularity and some of them I really couldn’t believe were happening. I would love to know if someone ever did try to do this in a real school so that I could see if it would work or not though.

Elliot Allagash is a fascinating, fast paced coming of age story and one that I enjoyed thoroughly. Simon Rich injects new life into characters which could have turned out bland and unoriginal. His witty writing had me hooked and I found myself giggling to myself throughout the book. Beforehand, Rich was an unknown author to me but now I will be looking out for anything else he writes. I do think that Elliot Allagash is aimed slightly more towards boys but I still really liked it regardless.
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May 20, 2012 Marsia added it

ELLIOT ALAGASH is a story of the narrator's extraordinary friendship with an extraordinary person (Elliot Alagash) and his equally unusual father, Terry Alagash. They are two of the richest males in the world, and the story tells how they use their money to satisfy their infantile desires--because they can.
(Well, wouldn't you?)

The story is funny, a bit touching despite its antisentimentality, and full of surprises. The antics to which Elliot and Seymour, the narrator, get up are generally inven...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Tristan Yi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Uber-hilarious. Wildly entertaining. Elliot Allagash is a gleeful journey through a world where an adolescent boy has the power to do anything, a world where money really is power. This novel is a true picaresque, and a good reflection of society's consumerism blah blah blah, that's not why you should read it. You should read it for the aforementioned fun-filled joy it will give you as you read it. Laugh-out-loud? Yes. Really. You will burst out laughing, and it won't be attractive. And you won'...more

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May 06, 2013 Brandon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Elliot Allagash sat on my bookshelf for quite a long time suffering from several afflictions: I could not remember who recommended I read this book. It has a dreadful cover. It has an awkward title. And, so, it sat for quite a few months before I finally decided to just pick it up and start reading... to get it over with.

Lucky for me, the book quickly eliminated any reservations I had about reading it, and got me turning pages very quickly. In fact, I read it over the course of just a couple sit...more

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Aug 31, 2010 CheshRCat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: absolute-favorites

*There are some minor spoilers in this review, but not large enough ones that I felt the need to click the "this review contains spoilers" button. If you are really paranoid, don't read it, I suppose.*

I saw a write-up for this book in my city's newspaper, and based on what I saw in the review, immediately became desperate to read it. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was not disappointed.
Elliot Allagash tells the story of Seymour Herson, a chubby boy in grade eight who is the lowest of t...more *There are some minor spoilers in this review, but not large enough ones that I felt the need to click the "this review contains spoilers" button. If you are really paranoid, don't read it, I suppose.*

I saw a write-up for this book in my city's newspaper, and based on what I saw in the review, immediately became desperate to read it. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was not disappointed.
Elliot Allagash tells the story of Seymour Herson, a chubby boy in grade eight who is the lowest of the low popularity wise at his New York school. All this is changed when he meets new student Elliot Allagash.
Elliot is the heir to one of the world's largest fortunes. He is arrogant, brilliant...... and a juvenile delinquent. The only reason he is at Seymour's school is because it's the only one that would take him: his father has donated an astronomical amount of money to ensure he isn't kicked out. Bored out of his tree, Elliot decides to take up a new hobby: raising Seymour to the most popular boy in the school.
The first half of the book is light and hilarious. The two boys have a series of highly entertaining escapades, culminating in Seymour's winning the title of ninth-grade president, and ending up being the most popular kid in the school after all.
The second half, however, is much darker. In the second part of Elliot Allagash, we have fast-forwarded to Seymour's grade twelve year. He has gotten ahead by lying and cheating his way through every exam, under Elliot's instruction. Officially speaking, he is the extremely popular--but because he appears to be so perfect and good at everything, no one, in actual fact, really likes him. His relationship with his parents, which was close and loving in the first half, is now terrible, and he has no real friends except Elliot.
Managing to be both hilarious and tear-jerking, Elliot Allagash is a terrific read, recommended for the tween-to-infinity set. It's quick and easy to whip through, but good summer reading. Simon Rich is an excellent new author and I'll be watching for anything new he may produce! (less)

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Jan 22, 2011 Trin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-lit, fiction

Rich’s books of humorous sketches—especially Free-Range Chickens—totally cracked me up. However this, his debut novel, disappointed me. The plot sounded promising: Seymour, an unpopular nonentity at his New York private school, is befriended/falls into the clutches of rich, deeply fucked up con artist Elliot Allagash. Sounds sort of like The Great Gatsby if Gatsby were evil, or The Catcher in the Rye if Holden had the emotional energy to scheme. (Note: I said sort of.) I usually love that type o...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I went into this with cautious optimism. This was the lowest rated of Rich's books, and I had just read "What in God's Name?" and thought it was good, but no "Ant Farm". I was surprised at how much I like EA. I never found myself losing interest, despite it being far more dry than WIGN. You can definitely tell why it was picked up by a guy like Jason Reitman, though. He'll make an awesome movie out of it, plus Rich is also adapting the script. All in all, another great book from Rich. Definitely...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, humor

At its best, this approaches the works of Daniel Pinkwater in its zany and original hilarity. The tale is simple enough: the most unpopular boy in middle school is adopted as a pet project by Elliot Allagash, a new classmate of unimaginable wealth. Elliot promises he can make even the nerdiest, most hopeless case the most popular person in school. The short novel can't quite sustain the height of its beginnings, and by the end has become more conventional and the narrator ends up learning a less...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Elliott is a brilliant, disturbed character, and I wish Rich at some point explained how he became that way. He's very much like his father (who buys 3 or 4 kidneys so that he can have the "best match" for his dying wife and tosses the unused kidneys).

Good example of how middle and high school students can make you or break you if you don't stand up for yourself.

The ending, was a little weak and too predictable, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

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Nov 19, 2010 Kathy Spencer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up at the library and almost didn't read it, but I am glad I did. It was really funny. Kind of reminded me of the Artemis Fowl books I read with Will (Jessica you should check out Artemis Fowl at some point with your boys. I think Will was older though when we read them). Then when I finished, I flipped to the back flap to see the author and he looked like he was 12 years old! Turns out he must be in his young 20's, so I bet he was influenced by Artemis Fowl. Anyway - short an...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Alecia rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is another book I would like to give a 2.5/5 star rating to. Not quite a 3, but extra cred for it's very funny conceit...a brilliant, disturbed, uber rich kid (Elliot Allagash) is manipulationg the protagonist, Seymour, as a kind of sport. Elliot's goal...to make Seymour, a fellow 8th grader who is extremely unpopular, into the most popular kid in school. Some of the parts are funny, but the novel as a whole is too thin and uneven to work as well as it should.

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Feb 26, 2011 Kristenfalsocapaldi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-ya-books

This is a YA title. I thought this book was really contrived...I have seen the same plot in movies a million times (and I know it's a take-off of Pygmalion, but not a good one in my opinion). I didn't find it particularly funny as the book jacket said I would. I found the character of Elliot just sad, and I didn't like how the story just wrapped up quickly after five years of havoc in a short chapter. Not my favorite, I guess.

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Sep 20, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Elliot Allagash is a really tongue-in-check, humorous book. I thought it was really well written and fun to read. It was a little too unbelieveable for my taste - I dont like getting reminded that I'm reading a book - and the outrageousness of some scenarios kept doing that for me.

It was a quick read, so overall I enjoyed it, but would have liked it to be just slightly more believeable to make it more engaging.

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May 06, 2013 Gary Cohen rated it 4 of 5 stars

If Chuck Palahniuk was hired to give a final polish on a John Hughes film, the result would be Elliot Allagash. A stinging indictment of wealth, power and privilege deftly interwoven with the classic, "I bet I can make the least popular kid in school the most popular" trope. There are some really dark moments in this book but most of the time it's just really funny. And brief. It's a quick read. Enjoy it.

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About Simon Rich

Simon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist whose first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, was published by Random House in April 2007.

Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 200...more

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