Wigfield: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not

by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert

Now in paperback comes a hilarious satirical look at a small town on the verge of extinction from the comedic team behind Strangers with Candy 22 photos throughout Now in paperback a hilarious satirical look at a small town on the verge of extinction from the comedic team behind Strangers with Candy In his desperate search for a small town dying in America intrepid journalist Russell Hokes stumbles upon a quarter mile stretch of concrete and gravel dotted with strip clubs and used auto parts shops Welcome to Wigfield Population vague Upon his arrival Russell Hokes wanders the streets searching for the salt of the earth Instead he finds a town in crisis Why State Representative Bill Farber wants to tear down the Bulkwaller Dam thereby flooding the town Will Russell Hokes save the town Is Wigfield merely posing as a town to collect federal disaster relief Won t you please buy this book

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Audiobook, Satire, Adult, Novels

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and The Book of Boba Fett (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy (1999–2000) and the prequel film Strangers with Candy (2005), which she also wrote.
Sedaris appeared as Hurshe Heartshe in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler (2013–2014), as Princess Carolyn in the Netflix animated comedy-drama series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and as Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). She received further critical acclaim as the creator and star of the TruTV surreal comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) which earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
Sedaris has appeared in various films, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), School of Rock (2003), Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Chicken Little (2005), Shrek the Third (2007), Jennifer's Body (2009), Puss in Boots (2011), Chef (2014), Ghost Team (2016), Handsome (2017), and The Lion King (2019).

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

I had actually been trying to score a copy of Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America for quite some time, but since my library hates me it still doesn’t have a copy. When I read the synopsis for Wigfield and saw the attached $2.00 price tag at my local Half Price Books I figured what the heck. After all . . .



and this book was almost guaranteed to contain all of the above.

Since this little diddy was written by the Strangers With Candy group of misfits, I also had a bonus of being fairly certain I would not hate it. And hate it I didn’t. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with a Stephen Colbert/Amy Sedaris combo. They’re both comedy geniuses and Sedaris also brings the sexy . . .



Wigfield is the story of – well, Wigfield. A tiny little hamlet nestled in the shadow of the Bulkwaller Dam. It’s the story of how a “town” banded together in order to save itself from eminent domain. It’s a story about the people . . .



their homes . . .



and their businesses . . .



It may not have been a real life-changer, but after reading a couple of “thinking” books my brain hurt and I needed a break. If satire is your idea of a good time and you have an extra couple of bucks burning a hole in your pocket the next time you’re at HPB, Wigfield might be a story for you too.

[Michelle Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

after reading some of the other reviews on here i would just like to point out a few things...

first of all, if you know any of the collaborative authors, (amy sedaris, stephen colbert, and paul dinello)and you think you like them... but subsequently managed to hate this book, or felt the plot was lacking, or didn't laugh at all, i'm not sure what you were expecting to get out of this book.

the book, and much of their other work, is meant to be laughed at for being ridiculous, satirical, and basically always politically incorrect... it's funny because it takes a current issue such as dissapearing small town life, and makes it something you can go through and just read and laugh at the quippy, silly phrasing and stupid people.

i mean, it's a humorous book if you can learn not to criticize from the start and then think that every line of stupidity from here on out is the ignorance of the authors... you see it's funniest because often times the "exaggerated" characters they create may not be that far-fetched after all.

(oh and by the way, the audiobook is read by all three of the authors, who use different voices and accents for different characters. Plus, stephen colbert is the narrator so his inflection and pacing make everything that much funnier.)

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really really wanted to like this book. look at the authors - those are funny people. i have read and loved other books they wrote. i forced myself through this book, laughing out loud occasionally and trying to make the various character/portraits a subject of conversation. my stepson puzzled over the pics, but they didn't seem funny. we read the interviews together. still not funny. every time this book made me LOL (about 6 times in all 205 pages), my spouse would ask "What's so funny?" and every time i had to say, "nothing, really. it's just stupid-funny." not funny-funny, just stupid-funny.

the guy who used to paint stripes and lines on the highway quits his job and somehow gets an advance to write a book about disappearing American small towns. his car breaks down outside Wigfield, an unincorporated, illegal squatter's town at the base of an ecological nightmare of a pork barrel concrete dam. the population of the town appears to be split evenly between truck stop strippers, used auto parts dealers, and damaged, sick people suffering from various environmental toxins. the townspeople hope to receive big payouts for eminent domain when the government wants to blow up the dam. the author interviews people around town to get their perspective on small town life, and how they feel about their town being destroyed. the only problem: their town isn't really what you might call "a town."

i totally understood the reason the writing style is so excruciating. it's supposed to be a guy trying desperately to produce 50,000 words to fulfill his contract. it's so painfully, disappointingly, excruciatingly bad and hard to read. i have no idea how i made it to the end. skip it!!

[Ed Erwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some funny character studies. But also lots and lots of filler where the fake author whines about how he can't think of anything to write. The humor is often at the expense of some stereotypical small-town characters.

I bet they wish they could go back in time and erase two of the joke photos, one of Colbert as a Pakistani and one of Dinello in blackface. (Some images from the book are on the photographer's website, but not those two. )

I enjoy Amy Sedaris more when she is spontaneous, like the many times she appeared as a guest on Letterman. I like Colbert most when he is not playing a character. (I don't really know Dinello's work.)

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When my rabbits get out of hand, I stamp my feet and clap my hands until they come to attention. Or sometimes I'll eat one of them in full view of the others. It helps drive home the point."

[Bronwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Amy Sedaris. And I love Stephen Colbert. I even love Strangers with Candy, so I was surprised to find myself so disappointed in this book. I've decided it's because their humor is best experienced in short bursts, or the same jokes just become overkill. I laughted out loud during the first couple chapters, though, and the photos were hilarious. I think a book of short stories of essays would have been more enjoyable.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert so it pains me to report that I just couldn't finish this book. It's a concept book and the concept is funny. Even some of the execution is funny, but it isn't quite a story and it isn't quite a comedy book. It's essentially a bunch of character sketches strung together. The characters would be really funny in a skit, but standing alone, they didn't hold my interest.

[Peter Coner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Definitely some jokes that didn’t age too well but overall I thought it was really funny!

[Tracey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Checked this out from the library -- and I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it.

It sounded clever, a wanna-be writer documenting a community's struggles against a State mandate to tear down the local dam, which would flood them out.

It turned out to be mean-spirited and semi-sordid. Wigfield is a squatter's town - with the main "industry" being strip clubs and used auto parts. The interviews with the townspeople weren't as funny as they wanted to be and the accompanying pictures were just kinda sad. "Jokes" about strippers, violence and rednecks get really old, really quickly.

IMHO, the book was very much a big city's caricature of The Rural Poor -- and it's definitely a laugh *at* them, not with them. I like dark humour as much as anyone - but this book was more malicious and occasionally stupid than anything else. If the Daily Show's interview with "freaky hicks" generally make you squirm instead of laugh - avoid this book.

[Patrick Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still lamenting the fact ‘Strangers with Candy’ has been off the air now for half a decade, one should rejoice that three of the “biggies” got together and wrote a book. (Stephen Colbert went on to do something, not sure what.) But alas, the funniest part of this mindless drivel is the fact they were contracted to write a book and had to come up with something. It’s a running joke—and a pretty good one. The town of Wigfield is about to be destroyed and a reporter (Colbert) arrives and spends the bulwark of the story trying to reach his goal of 50,000 words. Kind of like the trio of authors trying to fill in a book. They skewer the Middle America so sanctified in the last national election (more of ‘those’ people should have read the book). The photos of Colbert in drag are hysterical. Actually all the photos are funny. The writing is a little like Garrison Keillor on crack. Not a bad thing.

[Susie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book (and my other current read, stephen colbert's "i am america...") taught me the valuable lesson that i need to stop borrowing 'comedy' books from the library, no matter how much i love their authors. i think the audiobook reading of this was probably significantly more entertaining than if i were to read it in print, but even then -- with the funny voices and the tag team storytelling -- it was really bad. roughly 100 times in this book, the narrator mentions his needs for filler so he can meet his publisher's word count. in effect, that makes this supposed-to-be-funny book 90% filler so the authors could seemingly meet their publisher's word count. i also think this book may have been written when the authors were stoned. perhaps better enjoyed if the reader is stoned as well.

[Dream Animal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cheated and listened to the audibook version - which both helped and hurt the book. The writers all come from improv / performance backgrounds, and, surprisingly enough, most of the book's jokes really only work when said aloud.

The downside is that three authors are doing the voices of a good twenty or so characters - and there's only so many fake, goofy southern accents I can really stand to listen to before I kind of thing they all need to be slapped.

It has the same "precocious kid in a creative writing workshop" feel as a lot of their work, but hey, it all comes together into a fairly funny conclusion.

[Karlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. It is Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, but it was of very poor quality. It is lazy writing and a lazy story. I wondered why, after all these years, I had never heard of this book (it was written in 2004). After reading it, it is very clear as to why I have never heard of it.

[Courtney LeSueur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best audiobook on the planet. Had me laughing out loud consistently throughout. If you’re a fan of Strangers With Candy, this is for you. It’s like Sedaris, Dinello, and Colbert asked the question “what if Jerri Blank wasn’t a person but an entire town”. It’s perfect.

[Jonathan D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a good book to read, and my brother actually recommended this to me. After doing some research to see what the book was about, I found that it seemed interesting so I checked it out from my local library.

Russell Hokes is a journalist that needs to write a book about a small town in America for his publishing contract. If he doesn't write the book, he doesn't get paid. Before long, he stumbles across Wigfield. Wigfield is this very small abandoned "town" filled with strip clubs and car shops. The "residents" of Wigfield are a small group of unique individuals, all with weird and wacky personalities. From Donnie Larson, a strip club owner, to Hoyt Gein, Charles Halstead, and Burchal Sawyer, who all claim to be the mayor, Wigfield is filled with all sorts of people. Not long after Russell starts his book about Wigfield, he soon finds out that they are fighting a really big problem right now. Bill Farber, a state representative, wants to destroy a nearby dam. If Bill goes through with the plan, Wigfield will be flooded and all its "residents" will have no place to go. Now, Russell is on a journey to finish his book, get paid, and save Wigfield from Bill and his plan to destroy the dam.

Overall, I liked this book. It had a very unique story that caught my interest, and I enjoyed reading it. Also, throughout the book, there are pictures of the "residents" that Russell meets. All the pictures are pretty weird, but so are the characters in the book. It's something that Amy Sedaris didn't need to add, but I think it makes the book a lot better. Along with the pictures, the book constantly switches between first person, dialogue, interviews, and primary sources. It was a very unique book to read, and I thought that was cool. Lastly, I think the book isn't too long or too short.

Honestly, there was not much that I did not like about the book. However, I did start getting a little bored with the book near the end. It was fun to get introduced to all these wacky characters and the weirdness of Wigfield at first, but I felt like it got a little tiring near the end. This was not a big problem, though, since I was very close to the end when this happened. Even with this small problem, I still recommend giving this book a try.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come for the Strangers With Candy crew, fall in love with a drag Stephen Colbert.

[Doctor Thunder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, and read comically in character by Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello. As a huge fan of all three of them, and their shows Exit 57 and Strangers With Candy, this was delectable and I wish they'd collaborate on more projects.

[David Veith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just such a fun, fast read. I loved reading it, such an enjoyable tale. Lots of fun turns of phrase that will make you laugh out loud for sure, well at least I did.

[Joe Ricca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, this is clearly one of those times you must listen to the book. It is read by Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello. The satire drips, oozes and pulses from these experts and at times it hits a little too close to current climatic events.

[Jason Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book falls into territory of the "humor section" book. By that I mean its sole intention is to use its plot set-up to constantly get across jokes and humorous ideas. And while that's interesting and at times entertaining, it has its drawbacks.

It just gets repetitious. Characters saying things that are inherently contradictory, characters with false claims.

And it doesn't help that the three (and famous too) credited authors, that all three of the combined just can't seem to find any variance to the plot.

Basically Russell Hokes is going to interact with the residents of Wigfield, and they all are just very similar. The seedy stripper type, the corrupt politician type, and all the other characters that basically want gain for doing little to nothing, or do things that don't seem normal.

It's a surprising lack of imagination, and the predictable pattern of meet character, character monologues about wigfield, it's dull.

The plot sabotages its appeal. An unincorporated town with some criminals and strippers in it is not a great plot, and the potential destruction of the town is weighed down with very repetitive "we expect money" stuff and the plot doesn't build.

I'm a little kind on the score just because the book is readable despite its repetition and arguable at times comic flatness, it's relatively short and a quick read, and it's got some definite time capsule value of especially Stephen Colbert, but also Amy Sedaris and partially Paul Dinello, in a pre-fame "what were they doing in this time period" thing.

Maybe worth a read to some die hard fans, but a little disappointing. 3/5

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems like it is mostly a framing device for the authors, Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert, to create a cast of low-life characters in the squatters encampment that is the title town of Wigfield. All three of the authors play the roles of various townsfolk for both the silly photographs throughout the book and in voices for the audiobook. This time around I listened to the performances while I read the book, and it seemed to make the various vocal mannerisms of all of the characters stand out even better.

Part of this book seems to be "punching down" at the white-trash trailer park set, but as the book progresses, there does seem to be a bit more going on behind the scenes, with the urbanite fictional author of Wigfield, one Russell Hokes, being the biggest rube of the bunch. If someone liked Strangers with Candy I imagine they would like this book too, but it might be an acquired taste.

Rereading this one, first time I read it was probably 10 years ago.

[Bradley Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of an inept journalist named Russell Hokes, this novel is a humorous look into the life of a small town and its struggle against the government. Wigfield sits on a dry riverbed beneath a dam that generates no electricity and is hazardous to the environment, which is exactly why the government is looking to destroy it. The townsfolk consisting of squatters living in depilated mobile homes and tin roof huts make their case while Hokes chronicles their story in his ploy to become a rich and famous writer at their expense.

“Wigfield” was written by three of the four creators of the cult comedy television series “Strangers with Candy.” If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love the book. “Wigfield” features the same tongue-in-cheek humor with clever wordplay and awkward dialog. The citizen interviews are very funny and their photograph profiles paint a picture of this town and those who live among the mercury mounds, tire fires, and toxic waste. If you thought your small town was bad, just wait until you visit Wigfield.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another unusual find at my local library. I had read another book by Amy Sedaris and thought I would just see what else came up under her name and I found this little gem. Written by Amy Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello is the story of a, "Can-Do Town That Just May Not".

Somehow a book proposal was made regarding the disappearance of small town, main street America so our writer/narrator Russell Hokes goes off in search of the long lost little town. He breaks down near Wigfield and decides this is as good of a place to stop. So he does.

Russell, who sounds a lot like Stephen Colbert when he writes, finds out that Wigfield is at the bottom of a dam and that dam is about to be leveled, leaving Wigfield in a watery grave. Russell interviews the citizens and partakes of their hospitality and anything else not nailed down.

The writing is superb. Here is one of my favorite lines from the book - " I'm glad library's are showing the absoluteness of books. What better way then setting them next to DVDs" . Pure poetry.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for ridiculous, crude, stupid humor.

That's why I loved this book.

It's pretty stupid. Ridiculous. Perverted at times. But contains many classic lines, like this (from Cinnamon):

"I can't help the starving people of India because I don't know what they need. People can't help what they don't know."

Or this (from Julian):

"When my rabbits get out of hand, I stamp my feet and clap my hands until they come to attention. Or sometimes I'll eat one of them in full view of the others. It helps drive home the point."

Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello all read their characters perfectly. Especially Amy. She's classic as the stripper Cinnamon.

You'll probably never see this book reviewed in authoritative places like Reading Rainbow or The New York Times, but don't let that stop you from experiencing the disturbing joy of reading this book.

[Dick Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really funny, but the humor wears off because it's the same joke for the whole book. The beginning seemed funnier, but I suspect that if I had read the middle first, that maybe would have seemed funnier because I hadn't already read the same joke a thousand times. Probably my biggest complaint was that the narrator makes such a big deal about reaching 50,000 words to meet the requirements set by the publisher. This is funny, but the way it was handled, it started to feel like they actually were just wasting words and space, hoping to reach 50,000. And, the funny suffered as a result. The personalities of the three different writers totally comes through, which made it really fun to read. Anyone who enjoyed 'Strangers With Candy' or Stephen Colbert's parts on 'The Daily Show' should definitely read this.

[Victoria Kage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s be honest, Stephen Colbert could wipe his mouth on a napkin and I’d call it literary gold. Still, they did a good job with this story, and the audiobook is especially funny, probably because it is narrated by Colbert himself. Definitely worth a listen.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I have to admit that I did not actually read this book... It was read to me by Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinelo via books on tape. I've heard there are some really good pictures in the book and I would love to see them some time, but if you ever feel the need to listen to a book on tape, this would be a great choice! The way these three read the story it's almost like a play. I can't imagine it being as fun to read as it was to listen to on tape. And that says a lot because I enjoy reading quite a bit. If you are a fan of "Strangers With Candy" you need to read (or listen to) this book. I listened to it on the commute to work, I laughed so hard that people stared at me. Wigfield is just straight up funny!!!!

[Guillermo Galvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy caca, man, this book was HILARIOUS!!! I picked it up at a second-hand store. The cover caught my eye. On closer inspection I read the thy graciously noble name, Stephen Colbert. A hundred yen later the book was mine.

It's this absurdly ridiculous tale about a reporter that goes into this little "town" that is complete satire of the American trailer part world. This reporter goes in Hunter Thompson style (minus the drugs) with the idea of putting together a story for newspaper that's just one step away from firing his worthless ass. It's all told from his point of view in a "mockumentary" style. This book had me laughing out loud several times which is always a beautiful thing. Man, I wish there was a follow up!

[Newly Wardell · Rating 4 out of 5]

its funny bit more racist than i like but this book did make me laugh out loud on public transportation. so loud in fact that ppl with earbuds in noticed. this slice of Americana should be served wit something grilled (alot of stuff taste like chicken) and macaroni and cheese. i dont have the nuts to pull of a Russell Hokes who is a much better photographer than he knows. this was a very interesting concept. the photgraphy in this book is rarely mentioned but it does lend something to the comedy. so im stealing from this one.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering how much I love Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, I was surprised how quickly I grew bored with this book.

It's clever and satirical and funny, with a hapless narrator. The authors' collective tongues are so firmly in their cheeks, they must all have sore jaws. I did chuckle during the first couple chapters, and there are definitely some monty-pythonesque moments, but I quickly realized this style of comedy works much better in small doses. Chapters 2 through 27 are just more of the same.

There are a couple fun twists at the end, and I'm glad I made it through to the finish, but it was definitely a challenge.