Being mean pays off nicely for Chicago-born comedian-writer-actress

By KEVIN AMORIM
NEWSDAY
"Deliberate Acts of Needless Meanness: A Miscellany of Mischief-Making" by Justin Rosenholtz (Running Press, $9.95)
For the meanie who has everything, "Deliberate Acts of Needless Meanness: A Miscellany of Mischief-Making" offers a year's worth of dirty deeds. Justin Rosenholtz, a Windy City-born comedian-writer-actress who blew across the pond to live in London, figures since we're always trying to be nice, it's good to be a little naughty, too. None of the book's entries "involves vandalism, lawbreaking or criminal damage being caused to anyone or anything," she writes. Rats! But "Needless Meanness" -- which hits bookshelves next month -- is no less a fun read, with an impish-act-a-day for 365 days, plus one to grow on.
Over the course of 384 pages, Rosenholtz manages to skewer strangers ("Pick a name out of the telephone directory. Call and tell whoever answers that you are the child of the man of the house. Don't hang up until you hear fighting on the other end of the phone"), family ("Stick some green vegetable dye in your parent's shampoo. Hey, they criticized punk first time around, and now they can see what they missed") and ex-lovers ("Call someone who was devastated when you dumped them just to see if they still love you. They do? Good. Just checking"). Nice.
Los Angeles Times-Washington Post