I’d Like to Play Alone, Please: Essays

Tom Segura knows funny. He has made his career in stand-up comedy over the last twenty-plus years, garnering more fans through his Netflix specials and his podcasts (Your Mom’s House, Two Bears, One Cave). I’d Like to Play Alone, Please offers a compilation of essays from the comedian detailing his background, his life in comedy, and various encounters with fellow celebrities. The abrupt ending of conversations with his military veteran father (“My Father, the Savage”) leaves Segura and his friends flabbergasted but are complimented by his mother’s painful straightforwardness (“Concha Mi Madre”). The path to the soul-bearing instrument of the microphone wasn’t straight as Segura pondered careers in medicine (“Paging Dr. Stupid”) and as a football player, but fate had other plans.

I’d Like to Play Alone, Please is a funny and intelligent book. Segura proves his writing chops are as sharp as his wit. Each chapter proves capable of eliciting a hearty laugh, a smile, and even the occasional cringe-worthy sigh. Loyal fans will love this book for the new stories and the legendary (“Lost Wallet,” “Mike Tyson”). Those uninitiated to Segura’s comedy may just be converted after finishing this hilarious book.