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Sleepwalk with Me: and Other Painfully True Stories Hardcover – January 1, 1994
| Mike Birbiglia (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1994
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.8 x 8.44 inches
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Product details
- ASIN : B004Q7E0WM
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; 4478th edition (January 1, 1994)
- Language : English
- Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.44 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,571,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Mike Birbiglia is a comedian, storyteller, director, actor and New York Times bestselling author who has performed in front of audiences worldwide. His shows, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend and Thank God for Jokes, were both filmed for Netflix. His most recent show, The New One, ran for ninety-nine shows at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
In addition to performing live, Mike wrote, directed, and starred in the films Sleepwalk with Me and Don't Think Twice. His first book Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
As an actor, Mike has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer, HBO's Girls, and Broad City, as well as in films like Trainwreck, The Fault in Our Stars, and Popstar. He played recurring roles in Orange is the New Black and Billions. He is a frequent contributor to public radio's This American Life and The Moth Radio Hour and was honored in 2017 with the Kurt Vonnegut Award for humor.
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This is the unlikely similarity that led me to buy this book written by (to me) an unknown comedian. Ninety per-cent of the book revolves around his non-sleepwalking life story. Mike describes his childhood with the opposite of braggadocio. He admits his shortcomings regarding, brains, athletics, attracting women... and everything in between. His childhood aspirations were quite diverse... and very short lived. Ranging from wanting to be a priest... a rapper.... a break-dancer... and perhaps because he felt he had no athletic talent at all he could be the next Larry Bird if he just worked hard. Uh... uh!!
It's quite interesting when Mike goes after his latest goal of becoming a comedian... especially after his parents paid for a college education. The author expertly lays out the low paying... much traveling... agenda... of his quest for comedic success. You really feel for Mike when he is in the middle of multi-low-paying-college-gigs in multiple cities in very few days. The locations of his performances are not only disheartening for Mike... but a reader with any empathy will also be saddened when one of his performances actually takes place in the middle of-and-during study hall. Between his economic problems and his romantic problems... and his Father's (who's a neurologist) old-school rants, such as "THIS KID NEEDS SOME GD REALITY TESTING"... this sleepwalking "nebbish" continues to endure in his quest for comedic success.
I enjoyed being taken "wide-awake" through Mike's life story... and now need to actually see him in action.
So how did his stuff make the transition to the printed page? Quite well, I am happy to report. You get some of his old material, along with plenty of fresh stuff. Some of it is far more personal than anything he has ever done, except perhaps a piece (not present here) about a car crash he had some time ago. What surprised me was how different some of the stories sounded when reading them (as opposed to listening to them). A lot of the genuine pain that underlies these stories shines through a lot more poignantly. When you hear Birbiglia tell them as a stand-up or at a reading, he is laughing off the pain. When you read them, it is harder to giggle about stuff like a break-up or being rejected by girls. The sleepwalking anecdote that gives the book its title is a good case in point. Only after reading this do you realize that it isn't simply a funny story to tell your friends but rather a serious, life-threatening illness.
I hope the book sells well but not too well. When Birbiglia becomes a big shot, he will lose the perspective he needs to continue chronicling the minor humiliations of everyday life.
This book is a collection of stories by Mike Birbiglia, a comedian whose biography has been discussed many times here so I won't repeat it, except to say that I did not know who he was before I read this book. These stories include his beginning steps into the world of comedy, his family, and his first love, his friendship with fellow comedian Mitch Hedberg, and, of course, his little sleepwalking problem. These stories are gently funny, warm, comforting, and just all-over enjoyable. Birbiglia opens up to the reader in a way that I would definitely not have expected from a comedian (though why I wouldn't have expected it, I don't know exactly). I was also a bit surprised by the quality of the writing...again, I'm not sure why, but perhaps it has something to do with Birbiglia's self-effacing personality.
I really cannot recommend this book highly enough. Reading it just felt like a wonderful, relaxing, and fun vacation. I loved it.





