Self-Inflicted Wounds

Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation

By: Aisha Tyler

Narrated by: Aisha Tyler

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

self-inflicted wound (n): a spectacularly humiliating, and often hilarious, incident entirely of one's own making. see also: you did it to yourself.

Have you ever made a decision you instantly regretted? Humiliated yourself in a room of your peers, or shamed yourself in front of your massive crush? Ever blown a job interview, frozen during a presentation, acted like a total idiot on a date? Ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time, unable to keep your tongue from flapping out the stupidest words you've ever said in your life, ever? If you are a human being, the answer, of course, is yes. Take heart. You're not alone. This is known as the self-inflicted wound, and every one of us bears a scar. Or several.

Here, Aisha Tyler, comedian, actress, cohost of CBS's The Talk, star of Archer, and creator of the top-ranked podcast Girl on Guy, serves up a spectacular collection of her own self-inflicted wounds. From almost setting herself on fire, to vomiting on a boy she liked, to getting drunk and sleeping through the SATs, to going into crushing debt to pay for college and then throwing away her degree to become a comedian, Aisha's life has been a series of spectacularly epic fails. And she's got the scars to prove it. Literally.

Through it all, Aisha's triumphs haven't come in spite of the failures, but because of them. Because with every failure comes a lesson learned, a strength revealed, a fear overcome, or an adventure braved. Self-Inflicted Wounds isn't just about surviving failure. It's about embracing failure - pursuing it, even - on the winding path to success. And after you've failed a time or three, hopefully you'll have learned something. Or at the very least have a really killer story. Because to err is human, but to fail epically is hilarious.

©2013 Aisha Tyler (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Self-inflicted awesomeness

Where does Self-Inflicted Wounds rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the closest thing to a "Bossypants" equivalent in 2013. Brilliantly written and narrated, this is not only good for a "comedy book", but great altogether.

What about Aisha Tyler’s performance did you like?

Ms. Tyler is having a wonderful conversation with the reader. Her narration seems effortless, and yet supremely polished. She makes funny look easy, which is one of the hardest things to do.

Great Story Line

If you could sum up Self-Inflicted Wounds in three words, what would they be?

Funny, Interesting, informative

What other book might you compare Self-Inflicted Wounds to and why?

As I listenned to it, I was thinking of Bossypants

Any additional comments?

I did not like the long descriptive narrative about vomit and the like

loooooved it!

Would you listen to Self-Inflicted Wounds again? Why?

this is a book that is both funny and encouraging. why wouldn't someone want to hear something like that again?

What did you like best about this story?

tyler has a unique voice that feels true. that's what i love about any writer. a true voice. it's the resonance that i need. listening to it on audio made that maybe even more of a complete experience, with the lovely dimensions of timbre and expression in her voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

i gobbled it up!

Any additional comments?

thank you, ms. tyler! :)

Starts strong, fizzles.

This book starts out very strong, telling stories I and most people over 30 can relate to about childhood. We played outside, got dirty, and more than occasionally got hurt. It was great and Aisha Tyler's experiences dredged up old memories. In short, I could relate to a lot of the stories from her childhood and enjoyed those chapters very much. The problem I had with the book, though, is the direction her life takes, and that's not really her fault. This book was seemingly written as a collection of experiences that the audience can relate to and learn from the same way the author did and this format works fine if you're a butcher, or a mid-level manager, or just about anything other than a celebrity. Once Aisha Tyler gets to the portion of her story where she's attending Dartmouth, she's left most of us behind. We all have college experiences (if we go to college, obviously) but we're not all Ivy League, so her experience of "boot and rally" isn't some I personally related to. The experiences quickly escalate to a level only other celebrities can really identify with (like a bad dress choice at an awards show) and the stories begin to remind me of the one friend everyone has who tells a story about how embarrassed she was when this one thing happened, but really it's a story about how she's ultimately more successful than you. Now, I'm not disparaging Aisha Tyler's character or hard work; I enjoy her work immensely and I know she worked extremely hard to get where she is, but the 'Advice for Everyman' format of the book she's written breaks down early and then feels forced with stories about snowboarding accidents at the Sundance Film Festival. I feel like she got some bad advice writing this one.

Just okay

This book was just okay for me, I either was already in a reading slump or this put me into a reading slump but it was okay-enough for me to finish but not anything I was really pushing to read. I also wasn't a fan of the writing style and tone.

not a good read for me

I tried to contact with writer. it just did not hold my attention. I guess I was expecting quite different from a comedian, actor, etc..maybe I am just not into this type of book. I don't want to put it down but sorry, it was boring to me.

I really enjoyed this book, I love her humor...

aisha tyler is the hardest working woman that I've come to know. she is beautiful, funny, and a nerdist.

Delightful but wordy

Wonderful voice acting. Couldn't stop listening. At times over explained stories but delightful all the same.

recommended and a good read

I loved it. a good book and worth reading. and recommend it. love alisha peace

Great autobigraphy

Would you listen to Self-Inflicted Wounds again? Why?

Probably not since it's an autobiography.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Self-Inflicted Wounds?

The whole thing

Have you listened to any of Aisha Tyler’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

That was the first one.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation

Any additional comments?

N/A