DANI KLEIN MODISETT discusses her new book TAKE MY SPOUSE, PLEASE, together with JOHANNA STEIN

Take My Spouse, Please (Trumpeter Books)

In love as in comedy, timing is everything. One bad night doesn’t mean it’s time to quit. Have patience: great marriages, like a successful comedy career, take time. Turns out the cardinal rules of comedy have an uncanny resemblance to the “rules” of building a strong marriage. With humor and grace, writer and comedian Dani Klein Modisett shares a map for navigating your marriage through rough patches, bad jokes, and even nights when you bomb.

Take My Spouse, Please shows how thirteen tried-and-true rules of comedy, when applied to marriage, keep you and your spouse connected, enjoying each other, and getting through those inevitable tough times. Bottom line: there is (almost) always room to laugh at a trying situation and, more important, with each other.

Along with anecdotes from well-known comedians, comedy writers, marriage counselors, and long-term spouses, Dani delivers the core premise: humor matters.

Praise for Take My Spouse, Please

“This book makes you realize how valuable laughter is in a marriage. Buy it for your spouse and add years to your relationship.”—Ben Stiller

“A wonderful, humorous read for anyone in a marriage or thinking of being in one. My wife, Estelle, and I had the good fortune of being married for sixty-five years. When anyone asked her about making a marriage last, she always replied, ‘Marry someone who can stand being with you.’”—Carl Reiner

“My wife and I are either killing or bombing in our marriage, and Dani Modisett’s book explains how that’s actually a good thing. Finally, some validation that a marriage between two insane people can be a beautiful thing.”—Jim Gaffigan, comedian

“Having been married for twenty-seven years and writing about relationships for thirty-five years, I can see that Dani Modisett has captured the straight truth in this book. If you aren’t laughing through the years, you aren’t sticking together through the years. Sustaining a marriage is tough stuff, and this book, crammed with stories of resilience and humor, is proof that it is possible.”—Iris Krasnow, best-selling author of The Secret Lives of Wives

“In her quest to get more humor into her family life, Modisett has written a book with great passion and huge heart. A delight for anyone who is, was, or might ever be married.”—Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Treasure

“Filled with humor, aspirational stories, and practical tips, Take My Spouse, Please helped me reflect on my most cherished relationship: my marriage. It made me feel hopeful about what it takes to stay connected, to grow, and most important, to keep laughing together—always.”—Mallika Chopra, author of Living with Intent

“A welcome relief from typical how-to marriage manuals. Highly recommended for everyone who wants more joy and more love in their relationship.”—Ken Page, author of Deeper Dating

“Other than having sex, I can’t think of anything better for two people who love each to do than to laugh together. Modisett knows this and delivers a book with inspiring stories of happy marriages and highly doable advice to help couples of all kinds.”—Jill Soloway, writer and comedian

“For many Irish Catholics, the idea of leaving a marriage after vowing to stay is an idea that if acted upon will lead to eternal damnation. In Dani Modisett’s funny, insightful book, she provides wonderful examples of many marriages that last because of shared happiness and understanding rather than fear of a forever spent in hell.”—Mike O’Malley, producer, writer, and actor

“My life’s work is all about comedy, love, and laughter. Dani manages to look at the most important love relationship we have—our marriage—and see it through the lens of a comedian, coming up with meaningful ideas that can’t help but provide results. What a book!”—Yakov Smirnoff, stand-up comedian and actor

“I got married six months to the day after I met my now-husband. Best and most irrational thing I have ever done. People laughed at me. Now I know why my marriage works so well—it’s because we were two physicians inadvertently following the rules of comedy. Dani nails it, prescribing strategies to keep relationships healthy, honest, and fun. Doctor’s orders: read this book!”—Dr. Cara Natterson, New York Times best-selling author of the American Girl advice book The Care and Keeping of You 

Dani Klein Modisett is a comedian and writer who has been working in the comedy world for the past twenty years. She created and produced several live shows, most notably “Afterbirth . . . Stories You Won’t Read in a Parenting Magazine,” which ran for ten years in Los Angeles and several major U.S. cities. In addition, Dani has written and produced a variety of online video content, including a series for Deepak Chopra, and a short video that is also titled “Take My Spouse, Please,” which was featured in the New York Times. Dani is the editor of the anthology Afterbirth: Stories You Won’t Read in a Parenting Magazine. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Parents Magazine, LA Parent Magazine, Mom.me and the Huffington Post. Dani lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her two sons. 

Johanna Stein is a writer/director/author/forward/slash/abuser whose work has been on Comedy Central, CBS, HBO, The Disney Channel, and recently in the viral video, "MomHead". Her comedic essays can be seen in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Parents Magazine and in her book, How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane (and Other Lessons in Parenting from a Highly Questionable Source). For more info: www.johannastein.com.