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Tragedy Plus Time
- Narrated by: Adam Cayton-Holland
- Length: 5 hrs and 7 mins
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Publisher's Summary
“Inspiring, tragic, and at times heart-rendingly funny.” (People)
Unsentimental, unexpectedly funny, and incredibly honest, Tragedy Plus Time is a love letter to every family that has ever felt messy, complicated, or (even momentarily) magnificent.
Meet the Magnificent Cayton-Hollands, a trio of brilliant, acerbic teenagers from Denver, Colorado, who were going to change the world. Anna, Adam, and Lydia were taught by their father, a civil rights lawyer, and mother, an investigative journalist, to recognize injustice and have their hearts open to the universe — the good, the bad, the heartbreaking (and, inadvertently, the anxiety-inducing and the obsessive-compulsive disorder-fueling).
Adam chose to meet life’s tough breaks and cruel realities with stand-up comedy; his older sister, Anna, chose law; while their youngest sister, Lydia, struggled to find her place in the world. Beautiful and whip-smart, Lydia was witty, extremely sensitive, fiercely stubborn, and always somewhat haunted. She and Adam bonded over comedy from a young age, running skits in their basement and obsessing over episodes of The Simpsons.
When Adam sunk into a deep depression in college, it was Lydia who was able to reach him and pull him out. But years later as Adam’s career takes off, Lydia’s own depression overtakes her, and, though he tries, Adam can’t return the favor. When she takes her own life, the family is devastated, and Adam throws himself into his stand-up, drinking, and rage. He struggles with disturbing memories of Lydia’s death and turns to EMDR therapy to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder when he realizes there’s a difference between losing and losing it.
Adam Cayton-Holland is a tremendously talented writer and comedian, uniquely poised to take listeners to the edges of comedy and tragedy, brilliance and madness. Tragedy Plus Time is a revelatory, darkly funny, and poignant tribute to a lost sibling that will have you reaching for the phone to call your brother or sister by the end.
Editorial Review
A much needed memoir about a family’s love and mental health It may be taboo to talk about how nice it was to read a book that spoke to my "struggle" growing up as a privileged, suburban white male. But I am who I am and my family, like Adam’s, has dealt with issues of mental health and the heartbreak that comes with it. I laughed and cried often during this listen, and Tragedy + Time does something I have not seen in a while: it turns the severity of discussing mental illness on its head in a beautifully comedic way while still honoring the grief of horrible loss. This is a great listen for anyone who has had to unfortunately watch someone they love suffer, or who has suffered themselves, and it serves as a reminder that family is one of the greatest gifts we all have to overcome tragedy. It is at the very, very top of a short list for my best book of 2018. —Kyle S., Audible Editor
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 08-22-18
Powerful.... Just WOW!
I could not stop listening to this book. The powerful truth and feelings are so moving. Having been born and raised in Denver I could really follow the scene created by the author.
6 people found this helpful
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- Audrey J T
- 09-14-18
Honest and Heartbreaking; not for the suicidal.
I found this book both good and bad; good for anyone seeking to understand suicide’s impact on families, good for family members or friends of the deceased, bad for those of us who are regularly suicidal.
I decided to listen to the book after hearing Adam on Marc Maron’s podcast, and I’m not sure if I’m glad I did or not. I realized pretty quickly upon listening that I had met Lydia once. We went to CC at the same time, overlapping slightly. She worked for the same small student newspaper the year after I had nearly brought the whole publication down with an epically poor decision. And Lydia and I had other things in common: we both had a psychotic breakdown in our twenties; we both empathized with roadkill, loved animals, enjoyed dark humor and morose topics, and embraced suffering a little too much (I’m still alive, and unfortunately still do all of these things); we both floated aimlessly after earning an expensive degree from an exclusive private college. And although Adam does not say so directly for whatever reason, we both suffered with bipolar (Adam’s descriptions of Lydia’s mania and depression seem to fit a bipolar diagnosis very well). The surprise that I had seen this bright and beautiful girl around campus, and the familiar knowing of her psychological torment sent me reeling.
What I liked about this book was Adam’s captivating storytelling ability and his earnest retelling of his feelings surrounding Lydia’s life and death. His openness brought me to tears many times. His struggle to metabolize his sister’s death and find its appropriate place in his own life broke my heart. His conclusions in his own process are understandable and evoke incredible empathy.
What I didn’t like about this book was that the very same conclusions have the ability to speak some lies to tormented minds. Why should I hang on in this life if I could be as free as a bird, knowing and free, in the next? Why should I hang on if it is destiny that I should fail? Why should I see a psychiatrist if all they can do is toss a bunch of drugs at me and see what works? It creates a problematic runaround for those of us with mental illness.
As someone deeply acquainted with psychological torment, emotional anguish, and physical pain, I would like to suggest that, rather than Lydia NEEDING to do it, that she FELT she needed to do it in that moment. Rather than viewing Lydia’s life as the path of a strange and beautiful child ending in a tragically poetic way, the reality may have been that a unique and beautiful woman simply tapped out, a prize fighter forced to fight for hours on end, doped up with sleeping pills. A quick and poor decision by an otherwise often erudite woman. It is also okay to appreciate the bright star this girl was, and still accept that, as I have discovered, finding the right drug combination can allow us to experience more good moments than bad, can quiet--at least a little bit--the manic noisiness banging around in our minds, can allow us to keep relationships without destroying them, can keep us f*cking alive in the end.
The main reason that I am writing this review, and the reason I hope the author actually reads it, is that his future children and his sister’s children may encounter mental illness, and his framing of this traumatic event in his life will likely shape the way they come to understand their own mental health. Psychiatrists are mostly useless, but mood stabilizers can be LITERAL lifesavers. ;) We bipolar people are often infuriating and require much patience, but we’re not destined to die by our own hand, even if we are destined to wrestle with the idea forever.
Thank you, Adam, for an impactful story I think I’ll always remember. Few writers have the bravery to examine their hearts to such a degree. It was memorable any way you slice it.
5 people found this helpful
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- KellShadow
- 08-21-18
truly moving
I binged this whole book in a day. The author's personal account of his experience was touching and relatable.
5 people found this helpful
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- Kristin
- 12-02-18
Well written but was left feeling incomplete
Very well written and well performed, but felt myself growing tired of his mourning process chapter after chapter after chapter. Suicide is horrible and devastating ( I know-I’ve been through three of them) and everyone mourns in their own way, but six years and many chapters after her passing I don’t need to still be listening to the ongoing list of her unique attributes like how many Cokes she drank a day and how awesomely she could belch afterwards. I also was hoping for him to show how he used his comedic craft to process the pain. (As the title Tragedy Plus Time led me to believe) I was hoping for a teachable moment to learn how you can cope with tragedy through the art and craft of humor. Maybe it didn’t come out because he himself didn’t process his pain through his work —that is to say by talking directly about it in his comedy routine a la Tig Natoro or Patton Oswald. In the end I felt I got a well written tribute to his sister and a clear picture how many years of deep sadness her suicide caused—and even a bit of acceptance at the very end, but was left feeling like I could have learned so much more.
2 people found this helpful
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- everylady
- 09-06-18
Self Indulgent
I am very sorry for the authors loss but this book is not interesting to anyone else
2 people found this helpful
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- Daren Reifsneider
- 08-24-18
Beautifully written
When a person commits suicide, the family often suffers alone. They feel a toxic mix of judgment and anxiety. This book represents the strength and honesty needed to make suicide less taboo.
2 people found this helpful
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- Will Hancock
- 08-24-18
A poignant look into the depths of tragedy
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has lost someone in any form.
The author digs deep into his own past and shares a story as heartbreaking as it is hopeful.
A tearjerker on many levels, yet still able to make you smile with his insight.
Don’t hesitate, just buy it
2 people found this helpful
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- Pennypie
- 08-23-18
A fabulous book
Exactly as described. It is touching, funny, somber, and brilliantly written and delivered. Do not miss this.
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-03-19
Crotch words
What a waste. Filthy words throughout. Quit after a few minutes. Wish there had been a warning before I purchased.
1 person found this helpful
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- Bridget O'Brien
- 10-20-18
Devastating
Adam Clayton-Holland is brilliant! Mental illness, is just that: an illness. It’s not a character flaw as some would conclude. Adam’s poignant account of his grief is raw and real!
1 person found this helpful
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- Emma Duffy
- 01-22-23
Harrowing, Beautiful, Hopeful
I just finished listening and although you know what you're in for when you begin, it hits you all the same. It's a beautiful memoir, you really feel like you get to know Lydia.
It's a heavy read, but an engaging one - the balance between dark and beautiful is so intricately walked.
I finished listening feeling both incredibly sad, and yet peaceful.
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Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful
- A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss
- By: Stephanie Wittels Wachs
- Narrated by: Stephanie Wittels Wachs
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
One phone call. That's all it took to change Stephanie Wittels Wachs's life forever.... Her younger brother Harris, a star in the comedy world known for his work on shows like Parks and Recreation, had died of a heroin overdose. How do you make sense of such a tragic end to a life of so much hilarious brilliance? In beautiful, unsentimental, and surprisingly funny prose, Stephanie Wittels Wachs alternates between her brother's struggle with addiction, which she learned about three days before her wedding, and the first year after his death, in all its emotional devastation.
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Wow. This is the truest story I’ve read of the baffling heartbreak that is addiction robbing a close family of a genius...
- By A. S. on 03-31-18
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Mother Noise
- By: Cindy House
- Narrated by: Cindy House
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mother Noise opens with Cindy, 20 years into recovery after a heroin addiction, grappling with how to tell her nine-year-old son about her past. She wants him to learn this history from her, not anyone else; but she worries about the effect this truth may have on him. Told in essays and graphic narrative shorts, Mother Noise is a stunning memoir that delves deep into our responsibilities as parents while celebrating the moments of grace and generosity that mark a true friendship—in this case, her benefactor and champion through the years, David Sedaris.
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Thank you
- By mompaints on 06-09-22
By: Cindy House
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Wildflower
- By: Drew Barrymore
- Narrated by: Drew Barrymore
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross-country road trip, saying good-bye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures and lessons that have led her to the successful, happy, and healthy place she is today.
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Hold the shrieking !
- By Dawne on 11-27-15
By: Drew Barrymore
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Chosen
- A Memoir of Stolen Boyhood
- By: Stephen Mills
- Narrated by: Adam Barr, Stephen Mills
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At 13 years old, Stephen Mills is chosen for special attention by the director of his Jewish summer camp, a charismatic social worker. Stephen, whose father had died when he was four, places his trust in this authority figure, who then grooms and molests him for two years. The boy tells no one, but the aftershocks rip through his life: self-loathing, drugs, petty crime, and horrific nightmares, all made worse by the discovery that his abuser is moving from camp to camp, state to state, molesting countless other boys.
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A must-read
- By Carol Midboe on 02-02-23
By: Stephen Mills
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A Life in Parts
- By: Bryan Cranston
- Narrated by: Bryan Cranston
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Bryan Cranston landed his first role at seven, when his father, a struggling actor and director, cast him in a United Way commercial. Soon Bryan was haunting the local movie theater, memorizing and reenacting favorite scenes with his older brother. Acting was clearly the boy's destiny - until one day his father disappeared. Suddenly destiny took a backseat to survival. Seeking something more stable, perhaps subconsciously trying to distance himself from his absent father, Cranston decided on a career in law enforcement.
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They're all good parts.
- By Shopsfromeverywhere on 10-23-16
By: Bryan Cranston
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A Bad Idea I'm About to Do
- True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure
- By: Chris Gethard
- Narrated by: Chris Gethard
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Chris Gethard has often found himself in awkward situations most people, including you, probably would have safely avoided. The good news is now, thanks to this book, you can enjoy the painfully funny consequences of his unfortunate decisions at a safe distance. A Bad Idea I'm About to Do invites listeners to join Chris as he navigates an adolescence and adulthood mired in hilariously ill-fated nerdom, and to take comfort in the fact that - as his experiences often prove - things could always be much, much worse.
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Loved it!!!
- By Amber G on 10-02-20
By: Chris Gethard
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Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful
- A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss
- By: Stephanie Wittels Wachs
- Narrated by: Stephanie Wittels Wachs
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One phone call. That's all it took to change Stephanie Wittels Wachs's life forever.... Her younger brother Harris, a star in the comedy world known for his work on shows like Parks and Recreation, had died of a heroin overdose. How do you make sense of such a tragic end to a life of so much hilarious brilliance? In beautiful, unsentimental, and surprisingly funny prose, Stephanie Wittels Wachs alternates between her brother's struggle with addiction, which she learned about three days before her wedding, and the first year after his death, in all its emotional devastation.
-
-
Wow. This is the truest story I’ve read of the baffling heartbreak that is addiction robbing a close family of a genius...
- By A. S. on 03-31-18
-
Mother Noise
- By: Cindy House
- Narrated by: Cindy House
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mother Noise opens with Cindy, 20 years into recovery after a heroin addiction, grappling with how to tell her nine-year-old son about her past. She wants him to learn this history from her, not anyone else; but she worries about the effect this truth may have on him. Told in essays and graphic narrative shorts, Mother Noise is a stunning memoir that delves deep into our responsibilities as parents while celebrating the moments of grace and generosity that mark a true friendship—in this case, her benefactor and champion through the years, David Sedaris.
-
-
Thank you
- By mompaints on 06-09-22
By: Cindy House
-
Wildflower
- By: Drew Barrymore
- Narrated by: Drew Barrymore
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross-country road trip, saying good-bye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures and lessons that have led her to the successful, happy, and healthy place she is today.
-
-
Hold the shrieking !
- By Dawne on 11-27-15
By: Drew Barrymore
-
Chosen
- A Memoir of Stolen Boyhood
- By: Stephen Mills
- Narrated by: Adam Barr, Stephen Mills
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 13 years old, Stephen Mills is chosen for special attention by the director of his Jewish summer camp, a charismatic social worker. Stephen, whose father had died when he was four, places his trust in this authority figure, who then grooms and molests him for two years. The boy tells no one, but the aftershocks rip through his life: self-loathing, drugs, petty crime, and horrific nightmares, all made worse by the discovery that his abuser is moving from camp to camp, state to state, molesting countless other boys.
-
-
A must-read
- By Carol Midboe on 02-02-23
By: Stephen Mills
-
A Life in Parts
- By: Bryan Cranston
- Narrated by: Bryan Cranston
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bryan Cranston landed his first role at seven, when his father, a struggling actor and director, cast him in a United Way commercial. Soon Bryan was haunting the local movie theater, memorizing and reenacting favorite scenes with his older brother. Acting was clearly the boy's destiny - until one day his father disappeared. Suddenly destiny took a backseat to survival. Seeking something more stable, perhaps subconsciously trying to distance himself from his absent father, Cranston decided on a career in law enforcement.
-
-
They're all good parts.
- By Shopsfromeverywhere on 10-23-16
By: Bryan Cranston
-
A Bad Idea I'm About to Do
- True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure
- By: Chris Gethard
- Narrated by: Chris Gethard
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris Gethard has often found himself in awkward situations most people, including you, probably would have safely avoided. The good news is now, thanks to this book, you can enjoy the painfully funny consequences of his unfortunate decisions at a safe distance. A Bad Idea I'm About to Do invites listeners to join Chris as he navigates an adolescence and adulthood mired in hilariously ill-fated nerdom, and to take comfort in the fact that - as his experiences often prove - things could always be much, much worse.
-
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Loved it!!!
- By Amber G on 10-02-20
By: Chris Gethard
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All Saints Hotel and Cocktail Lounge
- By: Nathan Monk
- Narrated by: Nathan Monk
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Murder. Mayhem. Millennials. What was supposed to be a night of hope and change unwittingly launches an adventure into chaos as five friends uncover a dark past, a secret society, and a sinister plan. Leo, Joy, Shane, Clementine, and Nick have known each other since high school, but life has taken each of them in vastly different directions. Our story begins as they all gather together to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
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Real, refreshing narration
- By Beth on 01-08-22
By: Nathan Monk
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How Do I Un-Remember This?
- Unfortunately True Stories
- By: Danny Pellegrino
- Narrated by: Danny Pellegrino
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Growing up in small-town Ohio isn't easy, particularly when you're a closeted gay kid surrounded by...no one openly gay. Luckily, Danny Pellegrino grew up in the '90s, coming of age when the internet opened up a whole new world for a curious kid itching for life outside of Midwest suburbia.
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Absolutely hysterical
- By Harry on 03-10-22
By: Danny Pellegrino
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Agorafabulous!
- Dispatches From My Bedroom
- By: Sara Benincasa
- Narrated by: Sara Benincasa
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
One of the funniest and most poignant books ever written about a mental illness, Agorafabulous! is a hilarious, raw, and unforgettable account of how a terrified young woman, literally trapped by her own imagination, evolved into a (relatively) high-functioning professional smartass. Down to earth and seriously funny, Benincasa's no-holds-barred revelations offer listeners the politically incorrect hilarity they heartily crave, yet is so often missing from your typical, weepy, and redemptive personal memoir.
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More Fun than a Good Cry in a Bathroom Stall
- By Susie on 03-05-15
By: Sara Benincasa
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Lizz Free or Die
- Essays
- By: Lizz Winstead
- Narrated by: Lizz Winstead
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show and one of today's most hilarious comedians and insightful social critics, pens a brilliant account of how she discovered her comedic voice. In this collection of autobiographical essays, Winstead vividly recounts how she fought to find her own voice, both as a comedian and as a woman, and how humor became her most powerful weapon in confronting life's challenges.
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Very Funny But a Difficult Listen
- By Pamela Harvey on 06-19-12
By: Lizz Winstead