Famous People

A Novel

By: Justin Kuritzkes

Narrated by: Justin Kuritzkes

Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by the author.

This fresh, smart novel in the guise of a celebrity memoir probes the inner life of a mega-famous pop star

Honestly, what amazes me the most with a lot of the people I meet is that they think they’re so big. They think, ultimately, that the universe revolves around them. And I’m beginning to think that it’s only when you live a life like mine - it’s only when you’re in a position where you don’t even really own yourself, when you can’t even really say that you’re a citizen of any particular country - that you realize that we’re all just tiny pieces of cosmic dust floating through the void until we disappear forever and we’re never heard from again.

So begins the life story of our uber famous 22-year-old narrator. A teen idol since he was 12, when a video of him singing went viral, his star has only risen since. Now, haunted by the suicide of his manager-father, unsettled by the very different paths he and his his teenage love (and girl pop-star counterpart) “Mandy” have taken, and increasingly aware that he has signed on to something he has little control over, he begins to parse the divide that separates him from the “normal people” of the world.

Sneakily philosophical, earnest, and funny, Justin Kuritzkes's Famous People is a rollicking, unforgettable look at the clash between fame and the human condition.

©2019 Justin Kuritzkes (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Whoa. Masterwork.

Funny and smart and surprising. I stumbled on this book after hearing Justin Kuritzkes on the New Yorker podcast. I’m so happy I did.

deceptively deep

I know what you're thinking.
a parody celebrity memoir to sound like a Justin Bieber type popstar having an existential moment of realization sounds tedious, especially with it's cadence of casual California drenched distance and parlance (like, lol, wtf appear no less than 90,000 times in this audiobook)

but if you're willing to give it a shot there's some really interesting ideas in here about celebrity and the human condition above the same five jokes about Justin beiber everyone has made for the last fifteen years. about the ways people try find connections to each other, the replaceability of art and artists, the overwhelming feeling of life as a cavalcade of disasters and nonsequitrs. it really does communicate very well a kind of internet addled ennui that I think was really neat.

pick it up on sale

Kuritzkes does not disappoint

A genius breakdown of celebrity autobiographies that weaves irony and meta-commentary with genuine thought exercises.

Loved it!

Very smart, thought-provoking contemporary novel, splendidly narrated by the author himself, whom I taught when he was in high school (no joke, lol :)

great story

amazing narrator, the seller of potions, what more to love? Very engaging, almost thought it was not fiction at some points. Rather sad at some points though. Love your vids and your book!

Absolutely amazing!

Kuritzkes really understands people. I'm a fan!
Some characters like Odvar are very memorable for both humorous and emotional reasons.
The way he talks about things like the lack of freedom the higher class people have is very eye openings, or talking about the strengths and weaknesses of both of the father figures in the story.
In the middle of listening to the audiobook, I remember one moment where I actually forgot that these celebrities were fictional whatsoever and it entered my thoughts of my real world thoughts.
I also notice that the name of his girlfriend I'm this story is Mandy, which is a name he used in his funny song Dance all Night with my Wife on his YouTube channel.
I learned about Justin Kuritzkes a couple years ago and watched pretty much every video on his YouTube channel. I think his ability to make fun of certain stereotypes of people takes a certain observance on people and the way they act.
I was recently rereading some of this book both for the emotional repeatability and for just the pure fun and joy of it.
I think the nameless protagonist of this story is a very kind person, although in a way he always talks about how he can relate to every other kind of person, despite how most people might assume they're different.
I love when people write about the way people accept and reject certain parts of themselves.

Wow, was I surprised!

I heard a review of this book on the radio, and thought it sounded interesting so got it. After about the first 5 minutes I thought, "oh good grief, it's going to be so jazzy and stupid contemporary I'm not going to like it because of all the "with it" language....."lol", "dope", "you know" (there's much more)..... "and I'll probably turn it in." I couldn't stop listening. It is funny, touching, sad, happy, crazy, philosophical, and the characters are terrific. I'm going to miss them. Justin Kuritzkes has quite the imagination, and he pulled me right into it. And, he has a terrific voice and presentation to boot. If you listen to it, I hope you like it as much as I did—I can see where someone might not. And, by the way, I'm 76!

Incredible

You know it perfectly captures our culture of fame and disposable youth with an uncanny authenticity. The book is like funny and heartbreaking all at once. It is an epic poem - deeply nuanced, intelligent and stirringly empathetic. Lol.