"Paul Scheer delivers a deeply funny, personal and moving account of how joy and pain are the perfect ingredients for a happy and funny life." — Amy Poehler
"I loved this deeply vulnerable book with its original style, revealing stories, and profound lessons. It made me cry with compassion but I also cried from laughter, because—true to its title—this is also a laugh-out-loud read. Don’t miss it." — Jane Fonda
"Paul’s book is full of heart, humor and heartache. So proud to call him a friend and fellow author." — Phoebe Robinson
"This book is a SCHEER delight!! (Note: Patton Oswalt was committed to a low-security mental help facility after writing this blurb.)” — Patton Oswalt
"At once wildly entertaining and achingly poignant. Paul Scheer takes you on a courageous dive through the darker waters of his past, and his irrepressible spirit shines through and beckons us to join him in the light." — Casey Wilson
"Read Paul Scheer’s Joyful Recollections of Trauma for an unexpected journey where humor and heartache collide. Scheer masterfully navigates the tightrope of life's absurdities, delivering a poignant, yet uproariously funny, exploration of personal tales that resonate deeply and delight endlessly." — Jessi Klein
"Paul Scheer is good at everything. A writer, performer, and director who’s entertained millions onscreen and in podcasts over the years, it’s almost unfair he’s also a fucking amazing memoirist, too. The stories in this book are funny and dark at the same time. Honest and true. The kind of writing that sticks with you." — Ed Brubaker
"An endearing underdog story that will have readers cheering for the author from a troubled beginning to a sweet, happy end." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Scheer is able to pack in the laughs that fans of his irreverent comedy will expect as well as showcase a uniquely intimate writing voice that successfully tackles topics as wide ranging as an adult ADHD diagnosis and his own love story with fellow comedian June Diane Raphael. Scheer’s recollections add up to something entirely substantial that fans of comedy and confessional memoir writing will appreciate." — Booklist (starred review)
"Charming, disarming, candid, and warm . . . Readers will find the sincerest form of self-acceptance through hard lessons learned. . . . Scheer’s memoir addresses somber truths of adolescence and abuse while never losing a sense of hope and humor along the way." — Library Journal (starred review)
★ 2024-03-15
The comedian and actor wasn’t kidding around when he titled his memoir.
Scheer, best known for his work on The League, Black Monday, and Veep, begins with some harrowing tales of abuse from his stepfather that he balances by recognizing how they helped make him the successful father, husband, and entertainer he is today. “All the chaos and abuse were so normalized that only in the retelling do I realize just how abnormal they were,” he writes, adding that there were moments when he felt victorious, “like the time I outran a pitchfork he threw at my back.” It’s these triumphs, cut with his self-deprecating humor, that makes Scheer’s memoir so charming and uplifting, despite the often difficult subject matter of his childhood on Long Island. Given his storytelling experience as an actor and a podcaster on How Did This Get Made?—which he co-hosts with his wife, June Diane Raphael, and fellow League actor Jason Mantzoukas—the author manages to make it all entertaining. Even his story about learning that he was lactose intolerant after a serious health scare at Disney World becomes hilarious in retrospect. Scheer also writes about his love of improv, especially with the Upright Citizens Brigade; the auditioning process; and his enjoyment of movies and working at Blockbuster Video. However, the author treats his higher-profile jobs, like his regular gig on VH1’s Best Week Ever, as asides to his life with his wife and family. It’s part of the serious point Scheer wants to make, despite the humor. He chronicles his journey through abuse and into the life he dreamed of to show how he did it: through therapy, self-acceptance, and prioritizing his family.
An endearing underdog story that will have readers cheering for the author from a troubled beginning to a sweet, happy end.
