by Gary Janetti
First published 2019
Gary Janetti brings his television writing expertise and Instagram wit to personal essays about life's persistent frustrations. The writer and producer behind major TV comedies examines his younger years in New York, where he harbored soap opera ambitions while working hotel jobs. He recalls obsessing over an unreachable coworker and clashing with a bellman who hated being summoned by actual bell rings. Janetti explores the pre-internet job hunt torture that required constant phone conversations and indulges in Oscar acceptance speech fantasies about settling scores. These pieces span from childhood memories through early career struggles, all focused on experiences that continue to irritate him decades later. Janetti's approach combines sharp observational humor with personal vulnerability, transforming mundane annoyances into laugh-out-loud moments while revealing deeper truths about ambition, disappointment, and the absurdities of daily existence.
Genres: essays, american-fiction, humor, autobiography, comedy, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-narrative, slice-of-life
Setting: New York
Period: 21st-century
159 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books