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Awkward Family Pet Photos by Mike Bender and Doug Chernack
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Awkward Family Pet Photos

Best Seller
Awkward Family Pet Photos by Mike Bender and Doug Chernack
Paperback $16.00
Nov 01, 2011 | ISBN 9780307888129

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    Nov 01, 2011 | ISBN 9780307888129

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Product Details

Praise

Online buzz for AwkwardFamilyPetPhotos.com:

“The folks who brought the Internet the face-palming absurdity that is Awkward Family Photos have struck comedy gold again with Awkward Family Pet Photos.” –AOL

“Hilariously awkward.” –MSNBC.com

“The genius minds behind the hilarious site Awkward Family Photos – which features cringe-worthy, embarrassing photos of fairly creepy, fashion-challenged families – have taken their collection of awkward photos to a whole new level with their hysterical new site, Awkward Family Pet Photos.” -AnimalPlanet.com

Praise for Awkward Family Photos:

“This is the best book of embarrassing and strange photos of people who look like my family that I have ever seen.” –Judd Apatow

“A living, breathing, laugh-out-loud reminder that no matter how badly you dressed, how oddly you posed, and how weird Uncle Dave who lived in the basement was, somebody out there had it worse.” –Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author of In Her Shoes

“Being a test tube baby doesn’t seem such a bad idea after looking at these folks. I laughed till it hurt. To paraphrase Tolstoy… every family is freaky in its own way. There’s so much love here- but maybe a little more pain, or desperation, or bewilderment. I often feel slightly sad or guilty that I’m not closer with my own family- but looking at this bunch I sense we all have something in common and I’m far from being alone.” –David Byrne

“Anything that both makes me laugh and think my family isn’t so embarrassing deserves to be a book.” –Joel Stein, Time magazine columnist

“I wept with laughter fourteen times while reading this book and snorted aloud twice. I dare you to find a higher weep/snort ratio in any other publication.” –Karen McCullah Lutz, screenwriter of Legally Blonde and The Ugly Truth

Awkward Family Photos is the funniest book that I’ve read in a long time. It reminds you that it’s okay to laugh at yourself and celebrates the family that made you awkward in the first place.” –Mia Kirshner, The L Word

Awkward Family Photos is absolutely hysterical, yet at the same time, it’s a stunningly accurate photographic record of the late 20th century American family. Now I can be certain I was not alone in my awkwardness.”  –Adam Herz, Writer, American Pie I, II, III

Author Q&A

A Conversation with New York Times bestselling authors and all-around swell guys Mike Bender and Doug Chernack, the geniuses behind AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS

 
Q) Your first book Awkward Family Photos spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was featured everywhere from People and Maxim to the Today show and Nightline. Did you ever think when you first posted your own embarrassing family portraits to share with friends and family that you would one day be managing an “awkward family empire” complete with calendars, a board game, and greeting-card line?
A) No, it was the furthest thing from our mind. We were just shocked that people were sending in their photos at first and we’re still so appreciative of all the awkward families that contribute to the site.



Q) Speaking of your website, in addition to getting over 15 million impressions per month, Awkwardfamilyphotos.com receives between 100 to 150 photo submissions every day. That’s a lot of photos! What is it that makes people want to send you pictures of their most embarrassing moments?
A) We think that there’s something cathartic about sharing your uncomfortable family moments. After all, the site started with our own family photos and we hope that set the tone. 



Q) A little birdie (pun intended) told me that after your site launched in 2009 pet photos quickly became the most popular and most commented upon pictures on the site. So you launched www.awkwardfamilypetphotos.com and the book of the same name will be going on sale November 1. The new book is filled with outrageous photos—how on Earth did you select the final shots that ultimately ended up in the book?
A) Well, our theory has always been that if it surprises us in some way or makes us laugh, then it deserves a spot in the book.


Q) Is it true that one of the photos in AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS features a girl with her pet skunk? A skunk? Really?! Who are these people and why would they want to immortalize themselves in print forever for the world to see?
A) One thing we’ve learned is that to pet owners, it doesn’t matter what kind of animal they have. Bottom line—they love their pet and they’re proud of it.



Q) Do you guys have pets of your own (please dear lord tell us you don’t have a skunk) or do you get more than enough animal awkwardness in your world from managing the site?
A) We do . . . [Mike has] a sweet-dispositioned rescue dog named Din-Din who’s never lost a staring contest, and [Doug has] a very uniquely shaped goldfish named Porky who has a special relationship with Doug’s son. And believe us, we too are guilty of overindulging them! Just like with Awkward Family Photos, we’re no different from the folks who are submitting photos. J
 
 
 

Q) Based on your experience, which group of pet owners (dog owners, cat people, exotic-pet fanatics) is the most awkward?
A) It’s impossible to say one kind of pet owner is more awkward than another. They’re all awkward in their own glorious ways.


 
Q) Quick–name your top 3 favorite pet movies of all time!
Any Which Way But Loose
Babe
Finding Nemo


Q) While every pet featured in AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS is a star in its own right, there are more than a handful of megawatt celebrity pets—many of them with their own uniquely awkward relationship with their humans. Timmy and Lassie; Michael Jackson and Bubbles; Lilo and Stitch; that monkey from The Hangover; Dorothy and Toto; Garfield and John; Bruiser from Legally Blonde . . .the list goes on. Do you guys have a particular celebrity pet favorite, or which famous pet-human relationship stands as the most awkward of all time?
A) Micky Rourke and his Chiuhauhas . . . he’s a boxer w/ tiny dogs. Enough said.


Q) Since it’s all anyone seems to want to talk about these days, we might as well jump on the bandwagon—politics. It’s going to take a pretty solid duo to take down Obama and Bo. Any tips for the GOP challengers when it comes to picking a four-legged running mate?
A) It’s time for them to open their minds to other possibilities . . . as we’ve learned making this book, opossums also make wonderful pets.
 
 
Q) Flipping through AWKWARD FAMILY PET PHOTOS is enough to make anyone wish they had a little fluffball of their own to hang out with (and, really, to take awkward pictures of). What advice can you give someone looking to adopt this holiday season? 
A) We would encourage everyone to adopt a pet . . . it changes your life in so many positive ways, and you’ll finally have a reason to make that miniature matching outfit.



Q) And since we’re talking about holidays, we have to ask—what is your favorite awkward pet holiday photo featured in the new book and why?
A) “Santa’s Little Helper” . . . quite simply, it’s a work of art.



Q) One of the favorite features of your sites and books is “Behind the Awkwardness,” where contributors explain the scenario behind the awkward photo they are submitting. Do you have a favorite Behind the Awkwardness story that someone has shared with you?
A) We love the story about the dog that would climb onto the roof to wait for its owners to come home. It shows that no matter how awkward we are, our pets will always be devoted to us.

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