14 Surprisingly Earnest, Insightful Excerpts from Novels Written by Comedians

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14 Surprisingly Earnest, Insightful Excerpts from Novels Written by Comedians

We mostly know them for their stand up or their silly characters, but mediums like podcasts and novels allow them to speak their minds without the pressure of that laugh-a-minute pace. Comedians, whether they’ve had Ivy league educations or dropped out of high school, are usually the smartest, most aware people in the room. It usually comes out in silly ways, but we know there’s a message hidden in there somewhere. Since dozens of the world’s best comedians have novels out there in the cosmos, we wanted to find the rare moments where the message wasn’t hidden behind the punchline. 

They dropped gems, and we were eager to pick ‘em up. We liked their work enough to delve a little deeper into their lives. They hooked us. And hey, novels are long. We get a little autobiographical backstory, and yes we of course get some laughs (they can’t help it), but we were more than grateful for the takeaways. If you want joke after joke, buy a joke book. If you want surprisingly earnest and insightful moments from novels written by comedians, we rounded up 14 of them right here.  

You know you’re getting gems when the book’s full title is, Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life.

GRACKED JUST ACCEPT THAT YOU'RE NOT A GENIUS. ONCE I TOLD MYSELF THAT, I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY WRITE. DEAR GIRLS Ali Wong shuts off that judgey voice in her head, and you can too!

Goodreads / Kennedy Center 

Why not hyperfocus on the people and places that energize you?

GRACKED I AM A FIRM BELIEVER THAT EVERY FEW YEARS ONE NEEDS TO SHAKE ONE'S LIFE THROUGH A SIEVE, LIKE A MINER IN THE YUKON. THE GOLD NUGGETS REMAIN. THE REST FALLS THROUGH LIKE THE SOFT EARTH IT IS. YES PLEASE For Amy Poehler, the gold isn't just for comedy. It's for life itself.

Bustle / Glamurama 

Every move you make as a parent isn’t the be-all and end-all.

GRACKED FAILING AND LAUGHING AT YOUR OWN SHORTCOMINGS ARE THE HALLMARKS OF A SANE PARENT. DAD IS FAT Jim Gaffigan reminds us that parenting is hard, but we shouldn't take it so seriously.

Goodreads / IMDB  

Go on, get “blackout” in the club. I’ve got work to do!

GRACKED SATURDAY NIGHT IS PERFECT FOR WRITERS BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE PLANS. SLEEPWALK WITH ME AND OTHER PAINFULLY TRUE STORIES For Mike Birbiglia, there's no FOMO if you love what you do.

Goodreads / Vulture 

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