-
My Life as a Goddess
- A Memoir through (Un)Popular Culture
- Narrated by: Guy Branum, Mindy Kaling - foreword
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $18.89
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
I Was Better Last Night
- A Memoir
- By: Harvey Fierstein
- Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph.
-
-
Loved it
- By Mary Ellen Guadagno on 03-09-22
By: Harvey Fierstein
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
- Essays
- By: Samantha Irby
- Narrated by: Samantha Irby
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether Samantha Irby is talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making “adult” budgets; explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette; detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father’s ashes; sharing awkward sexual encounters; or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms (hang in there for the Costco loot!); she’s as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.
-
-
The perfect balance of humour and pathos
- By Salimah J. Perkins on 07-06-17
By: Samantha Irby
-
Meaty
- Essays
- By: Samantha Irby
- Narrated by: Samantha Irby
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smart, edgy, hilarious, and unabashedly raunchy New York Times best-selling author Samantha Irby explodes in her uproarious first collection of essays. Irby laughs her way through tragicomic mishaps, neuroses, and taboos as she struggles through adulthood: chin hairs, depression, bad sex, failed relationships, masturbation, taco feasts, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. Updated with her favorite Instagramable, couch-friendly recipes, this much-beloved romp is treat for anyone in dire need of Irby's infamous, scathing wit, and poignant candor.
-
-
Lazy attempt at another book
- By CN327 on 04-24-20
By: Samantha Irby
-
A Carnival of Snackery
- Diaries (2003-2020)
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Tracey Ullman
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus, a fight between two men on the street, pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death. There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing, then a dirtier one told at a dinner party - lots of jokes here. Plenty of laughs.
-
-
Tracey Ullman?
- By Kelley R. on 10-05-21
By: David Sedaris
-
Hello, Molly!
- A Memoir
- By: Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
- Narrated by: Molly Shannon
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.
-
-
Molly is a superstar!!!
- By Marlene on 04-29-22
By: Molly Shannon, and others
-
I Was Better Last Night
- A Memoir
- By: Harvey Fierstein
- Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph.
-
-
Loved it
- By Mary Ellen Guadagno on 03-09-22
By: Harvey Fierstein
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
- Essays
- By: Samantha Irby
- Narrated by: Samantha Irby
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether Samantha Irby is talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making “adult” budgets; explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette; detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father’s ashes; sharing awkward sexual encounters; or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms (hang in there for the Costco loot!); she’s as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.
-
-
The perfect balance of humour and pathos
- By Salimah J. Perkins on 07-06-17
By: Samantha Irby
-
Meaty
- Essays
- By: Samantha Irby
- Narrated by: Samantha Irby
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smart, edgy, hilarious, and unabashedly raunchy New York Times best-selling author Samantha Irby explodes in her uproarious first collection of essays. Irby laughs her way through tragicomic mishaps, neuroses, and taboos as she struggles through adulthood: chin hairs, depression, bad sex, failed relationships, masturbation, taco feasts, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. Updated with her favorite Instagramable, couch-friendly recipes, this much-beloved romp is treat for anyone in dire need of Irby's infamous, scathing wit, and poignant candor.
-
-
Lazy attempt at another book
- By CN327 on 04-24-20
By: Samantha Irby
-
A Carnival of Snackery
- Diaries (2003-2020)
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Tracey Ullman
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus, a fight between two men on the street, pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death. There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing, then a dirtier one told at a dinner party - lots of jokes here. Plenty of laughs.
-
-
Tracey Ullman?
- By Kelley R. on 10-05-21
By: David Sedaris
-
Hello, Molly!
- A Memoir
- By: Molly Shannon, Sean Wilsey
- Narrated by: Molly Shannon
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.
-
-
Molly is a superstar!!!
- By Marlene on 04-29-22
By: Molly Shannon, and others
-
Nice Try
- Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results
- By: Josh Gondelman
- Narrated by: Josh Gondelman
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this collection of hilarious and poignant essays (including his acclaimed New York Times piece “What if I Bombed at My Own Wedding?”), Josh celebrates a life of good intentions - and mixed results. His true tales of romantic calamities, professional misfortunes, and eventual triumphs reinforce the notion: we get out of the world what we put into it. Whether he’s adopting a dog from a suspicious stranger, mitigating a disastrous road trip, or trying MDMA for the first (and only) time, Josh only wants the best for everyone.
-
-
A sweet, funny, and relatable memoir
- By Kehley on 10-16-19
By: Josh Gondelman
-
Everything Is Awful
- And Other Observations
- By: Matt Bellassai
- Narrated by: Matt Bellassai
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the break-out star of BuzzFeed and the People's Choice Award-winning comedian comes a collection of hilariously anguished essays chronicling awful moments from his life so far, the humiliations of being an adult, and other little indignities. Matt Bellassai has no idea what he's doing. Well, to be fair, he did become semi-Internet famous by getting drunk at work, making him a socially-acceptable - nay - professional alcoholic. He's got some things figured out. But the rest is all just a terrible, disgusting mess.
-
-
F-ing Hilarious!!
- By Eva on 11-16-17
By: Matt Bellassai
-
Shrill
- Notes from a Loud Woman
- By: Lindy West
- Narrated by: Lindy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shrill is an uproarious memoir, a feminist rallying cry in a world that thinks gender politics are tedious and that women, especially feminists, can't be funny. Coming of age in a culture that demands women be as small, quiet, and compliant as possible - like a porcelain dove that will also have sex with you - writer and humorist Lindy West quickly discovered that she was anything but. With inimitable good humor, vulnerability, and boundless charm, Lindy boldly shares how to survive in a world where not all stories are created equal.
-
-
Completely necessary
- By P. Ryan on 11-07-16
By: Lindy West
-
The Wreckage of My Presence
- Essays
- By: Casey Wilson
- Narrated by: Casey Wilson
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Casey Wilson has a lot on her mind and she isn’t afraid to share. In this dazzling collection, each essay skillfully constructed and brimming with emotion, she shares her thoughts on the joys and vagaries of modern-day womanhood and motherhood, introduces the not-quite-typical family that made her who she is, and persuasively argues that lowbrow pop culture is the perfect lens through which to examine human nature.
-
-
Would have been 5 stars without the political commentary
- By Leslie Francis on 05-14-21
By: Casey Wilson
-
Shit, Actually
- The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema
- By: Lindy West
- Narrated by: Lindy West
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shit, Actually is a love letter and a breakup note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.
-
-
Lindy West: Human Chef’s-Kiss
- By Katie Cutler on 10-20-20
By: Lindy West
-
The Witches Are Coming
- By: Lindy West
- Narrated by: Lindy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the moment powerful men started falling to the #MeToo movement, the lamentations began: This is feminism gone too far, this is injustice, this is a witch hunt. In The Witches Are Coming, firebrand author of the New York Times best-selling memoir and now critically acclaimed Hulu TV series Shrill Lindy West turns that refrain on its head. You think this is a witch hunt? Fine. You've got one.
-
-
Not about witches
- By Anonymous User on 11-25-19
By: Lindy West
-
Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
-
-
Will sure loves Will
- By Kejeco on 11-18-21
By: Will Smith, and others
-
Survival of the Thickest
- Essays
- By: Michelle Buteau
- Narrated by: Michelle Buteau
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With scene-stealing roles in Always Be My Maybe, First Wives Club, Someone Great, Russian Doll, and Tales of the City; a reality TV show and breakthrough stand-up specials, including her headlining show Welcome to Buteaupia on Netflix, and two podcasts (Late Night Whenever and Adulting), Michelle Buteau’s star is on the rise. You’d be forgiven for thinking the road to success - or adulthood or financial stability or self-acceptance or marriage or motherhood - has been easy; but you’d be wrong.
-
-
Enjoyable listen, unexpected moments
- By Jessica on 12-28-20
By: Michelle Buteau
-
Greenlights
- By: Matthew McConaughey
- Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I’ve been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.
-
-
Love this!
- By Nancy on 10-21-20
-
The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell
- Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian
- By: W. Kamau Bell
- Narrated by: W. Kamau Bell
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You may know W. Kamau Bell from his new Emmy-nominated hit show on CNN, United Shades of America. Or maybe you've read about him in The New York Times, which called him "the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years." Or maybe from The New Yorker fawning over his brand of humor writing: "Bell's gimmick is intersectional progressivism: he treats racial, gay, and women's issues as inseparable."
-
-
White Woman Raising a Black Son
- By AmazonAnnie on 05-20-17
By: W. Kamau Bell
-
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are
- By: Rachel Bloom
- Narrated by: Rachel Bloom
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the charming and wickedly funny cocreator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a collection of hilarious personal essays, poems, and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more.
-
-
Four hours of my life I'll never get back
- By Charity on 03-26-21
By: Rachel Bloom
-
I'll Show Myself Out
- Essays on Midlife and Motherhood
- By: Jessi Klein
- Narrated by: Jessi Klein
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Jessi Klein’s second collection, she hilariously explodes the cultural myths and impossible expectations around motherhood and explore the humiliations, poignancies, and possibilities of midlife.
-
-
Complete sanctimommy navel gaze
- By NJVJ on 05-05-22
By: Jessi Klein
Publisher's Summary
In the vein of New York Times best sellers Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby, a collection of side-splitting and illuminating essays by the popular stand-up comedian, alum of Chelsea Lately and The Mindy Project, and host of truTV’s Talk Show the Game Show.
From a young age, Guy Branum always felt as if he were on the outside looking in.
Self-taught, introspective, and from a stiflingly boring farm town, he couldn’t relate to his neighbors. While other boys played outside, he stayed indoors reading Greek mythology. And being gay and overweight, he got used to diminishing himself. But little by little, he started learning from all the sad, strange, lonely outcasts in history who had come before him, and he started to feel hope.
In this collection of personal essays, Guy talks about finding a sense of belonging at Berkeley - and stirring up controversy in a newspaper column that led to a run‑in with the Secret Service. He recounts the pitfalls of being typecast as the “Sassy Gay Friend”, and how, after taking a wrong turn in life (i.e. law school), he found stand‑up comedy and artistic freedom. He analyzes society’s calculated deprivation of personhood from fat people, and how, though it’s taken him a while to accept who he is, he has learned that with a little patience and a lot of humor, self-acceptance is possible.
Written with Guy’s characteristic blend of wit, guile, and rumination, My Life as a Goddess is an unforgettable and deeply moving book by one of today’s most endearing and galvanizing voices in comedy.
What listeners say about My Life as a Goddess
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JayJay
- 07-31-18
Perfect
Guy Branum is a rarity for me- I find him delightful and that’s not a word I generally use, but I can’t think of a more appropriate term. It’s not that he’s intelligent or funny (although he is certainly both of those things), it’s his ability to see himself reflected in various bits of pop culture and present it as insight that’s broadly applicable and relatable to everyone.
My Life as a Goddess is an entire book of those insights presented as a series of essays. It is laugh out loud, accidentally snort in your office with your headphones on funny. It’s also deeply touching in parts, mostly due to Branum’s willingness to be so honest and self-revealing without ever putting himself down.
I love this book. I love it so much I just want to run around telling my friends to read (or listen to) it; so much I almost finished the entire thing in one stretch. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys pop culture, comedic memoirs, and/or LGBTQ stories. It’s worth the credit.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E Heath
- 08-03-18
Smart
This was a remarkable memoir. It’s smart, sassy, and only made me tear up, not ugly cry. That is nice because I walk the dog while I listen. That can get awkward. It mostly made me laugh. Branum likes words, language, and storytelling. He’s good at talking about all these things. I’m sad it’s over. At least he has a podcast I can go back to.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian Vann
- 08-02-18
Best!
Wonderful and perfect in every way. Guy has to be the smartest homosexual in the world. But he's not stuck up about it.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leyla Mamedova
- 08-13-18
A salve for my little gay heart.
I came upon this because Guy was funny on Lovett or Leave It, I kept listening to it because his small-town California experience and tense relationship with his father mirrored my experiences. It's a good book if you're queer and alone and want to learn what a delta is and how it relates to the punjabi as much as you wanna hear that someone just as alone as you found fulfillment. It's a great book regardless.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shadow McGrady
- 08-09-18
A great listen from a talented comedian
I started this audiobook with little expectation. I listened weekly to Guy on podcast Pop Rocket and truly enjoyed his voice and insights (even when they flew over my head). The same can be said about this audiobook. There were many times I laughed out loud, shook my head in agreement to some witty insight that I whole heartedly agreed with, and once even tested up at a poignant part in his life that I found more cuttingly relatable than I was prepared to deal with.
I found this book entertaining, insightful, sometimes catty, heartfelt, and sooooo very gay!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kehley
- 12-03-18
A lovely, fun read
This is a smart, funny, moving memoir from a wonderful writer/performer. It's an insightful book that took surprising turns with lots of substance. In parts it's more introspective and gusty, while in other parts its sheer pop fun -- overall there's a great balance and I definitely recommend it!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Erlinda Delaney
- 08-14-18
EXCELLENT!
This book is deeply moving loving and entertaining while being educational at the same time !
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ANDREW BIRSH
- 08-13-18
funny and delightful!
Guy was an absolute delight to listen to. His stories are both touching and hilarious.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Meghan Elison
- 08-10-18
Marvelous and strange.
An erudite mix of memoir, playful pedantry, and Hollywood tell-all. Also one of the most unabashedly gay books I've ever read. Love this writer for life.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brandon
- 08-06-18
Fantastic. One I will read again.
Admittedly , I’m a huge fan of Guys work. His book surpassed my expectations. All (especially young) queer folks should read this. As a 45 year old fag, a lot of the personal anecdotes spoke to me, and I think it paints a real and honest picture of our generation. Non-queers should also read it, too. I think it can cue in a lot of folks to what (our) specific minority experience is like.
On top of all that, it’s a pure delight. Totally hilarious and sad and honest.
Congrats, Guy, on what I assume was a really monumental reflection and distillation.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andrew
- 07-19-21
5 Stars, and I have t even finished!
I’m only about half way through but I had to leave a review.
So, I had never heard of Guy Barnum before, until he was a guest on the podcast “Food 4 Thot” and I was like this guy is hilarious. He mentioned his book and I just had to find it. I searched it in audible and downloaded it right away. It did not disappoint! It’s funny, clever and very heartfelt! Cannot recommend it enough!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Louis
- 08-03-18
Strikingly resonant
Some of the most heartfelt and generous writing I’ve ever experienced, punctuated with up-tempo Jazz (?) Guy’s warmth and wit is clearly demonstrated through his narration. Although I have finished this now, I don’t think it will leave me for a wile.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 12-27-18
An open and honest account of finding yourself
Guy writes honestly about his journey through his life to find who he really is.
Audible book was so well read by Guy that i took his advice and bought the hardcover as well