by Paul Scheer
First published 2024
Paul Scheer built a career making audiences laugh with bizarre stories and cringeworthy characters. Behind the humor lay darker truths he never shared publicly. In this collection of personal essays, the actor and comedian finally opens up about his chaotic upbringing and its lasting impact. Scheer examines his stepfather's drinking problem, his journey toward self-acceptance, and his efforts to break cycles as a parent. He applies the same fearless approach that defines his comedy to these intimate revelations. The book traces how childhood experiences shaped his adult relationships and career choices. Scheer demonstrates that life's most painful moments often contain unexpected sources of laughter and wisdom. His essays explore the gap between public persona and private struggle, showing how authenticity emerges from embracing rather than hiding difficult experiences. The memoir reveals that healing happens not through forgetting trauma but through understanding how it shapes identity and resilience.
Genres: autobiography, contemporary, memoir, biography-memoir, comedy
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: authenticity, embracing-difficulties, public-persona-private-struggle
256 pages · Hardcover · HarperOne
Content warnings: abuse, addiction, mental-illness