Staff Book and Media Recommendations

Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything

By Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

What’s the deal with books about TV shows? If you want a book, read a book! If you want a TV show, watch a TV show! Who are these people writing these books?!? (That was my Jerry Seinfeld impression. Just for the visual, I was wearing a light blue oxford shirt and holding a picture of Superman while I wrote this.)

I grew up during a time when Seinfeld was airing for the first time on NBC, not yet in syndication. I watched a few times, but I never thought it was all that funny, at least not worth more than a chuckle. If you ask any millennial worth their dad hat though, they will tell you that Seinfeld is the apex of comedic perfection. While I’ve never been a fan of Seinfeld, I am a fan of television and film, and am very interested in how those things get made. When I saw this book, I thought, “Why not? Maybe I can finally understand the appeal of Seinfeld?” That is exactly what happened. From learning about how Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld met and developed the show, to the time Larry David only owned a Porsche for a week before returning it, to the world’s reaction to the final episode, this book was fascinating. While I feel like I do better understand why it is funny now (and feel like the master of my domain), the thing I enjoy most about watching Seinfeld now is remembering back to the anecdotes told in the book about specific scenes and instances. Also, the real J. Peterman and the actor portraying J. Peterman went into business together, I am not even kidding you. Read the book and find out more.

If you like Seinfeld, I’d highly recommend this book. However, if you don’t like Seinfeld, I’d highly recommend this book.