Overview

Writer, actor, and director Desiree Akhavan shares the stories she was told to shut up about—hilarious, horny, heartbreaking tales of a life in pursuit of art, love, and a better haircut. “Hilariously raw, relatable, and—dare I even say—sexy.”—Jessi Klein When it comes to shame, Desiree Akhavan knows what she’s talking about—whether it’s winning the title of the Ugliest Girl at her high school, acquiescing to the nose job she was lovingly forced into by her Iranian parents, or losing her virginity to a cokehead she met in a support group for cutters. In You’re Embarrassing Yourself, Akhavan goes to the rawest places—the lifelong struggle to be at peace in one’s body, the search for home as the child of immigrants, the anxious underbelly of artistic ambition—in pursuit of wisdom, catharsis, and lolz. Equal parts funny and heartfelt, these seventeen essays chart an artist’s journey from outcast to overnight indie darling, to (somewhat) self-aware adult woman. The result is a collection that captures the pathetic lows and euphoric highs of our youth—and how to survive them.

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9780399588501

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Reviews

“With cackle-worthy humor and absolute ease, Desiree Akhavan shares her deeply honest stories of culture and identity, modern sexuality, and what it is to be an artist.”—Lena Dunham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl “Each of these essays feels like a satisfying night out with your most funny, sexy, and self- deprecating friend. Together, they add up to a moving account of self-acceptance that gives us each permission to take it all a little less seriously.”—Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and author of Let’s Talk About Hard Things

“With cackle-worthy humor and absolute ease, Desiree Akhavan shares her deeply honest stories of culture and identity, modern sexuality, and what it is to be an artist.”—Lena Dunham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl “Akhavan is one of the most audacious and important filmmakers working today. . . . She’s no stranger to mining her life for tragicomic gold, which she does aplenty in her memoir-in-essays, from navigating feelings of inadequacy as a student at Horace Mann to the triumphs and tribulations of fame.”—Electric Lit “Desiree Akhavan’s memoir is a hilariously raw, relatable, and—dare I even say—sexy recounting of an awkward girl’s journey to finding her way as an adult, and ultimately, an artist. In other words—a perfect book.”—Jessi Klein, New York Times bestselling author of I’ll Show Myself Out “Addictively honest, and cool without leaving anyone out, this book offers a hand and a laugh to readers who have gone through some of the same things that Desiree Akhavan did—which, let’s be honest, is most of us. Clearly I’m embarrassing myself because after reading her book I want so desperately to be best friends with Desiree. And you will too!”—Casey Wilson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Wreckage of My Presence “An utterly charming, hilarious coming-of-art story, full to the brim with cringe and heart.”—Melissa Febos, national bestselling-author of Body Work and Girlhood “Full of heart, thrumming with profundity, and laugh out loud hilarious, You're Embarrassing Yourself marks Desiree Akhavan as a blazing literary talent. Come for the gossip and cringe; stay for the moving portraits of familial loyalty, queerness, art making, and the many ways we find ourselves home. I toted this book around with me like it was my best friend, and that’s what Akhavan feels like as the book’s narrator: candid, clever, shining with the promise that anything is possible. In this memoir—it is.”—T. Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls “Each of these essays feel like a satisfying night out with your most funny, sexy and self-deprecating friend. Together, they add up to a moving account of self-acceptance that gives us each permission to take it all a little less seriously.”—Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and author of Let's Talk About Hard Things               “Actor and filmmaker Akhavan reflects on her heritage, her romantic disappointments, and her 1990s coming-of-age in this funny and incisive debut memoir-in-essays. . . . [Akhavan charts] an endearingly crooked path to maturity. This is a winner.”—Publishers Weekly “Equal parts a growing-up survival guide and a confessional about never having grown up at all, this title is sure to captivate readers looking for a fresh and authentic voice.”—Booklist “As she depicts her struggle to come to terms with a complex identity, Akhavan also celebrates the hard-won privilege of self-acceptance. A readably funny and candid memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews

“With cackle-worthy humor and absolute ease, Desiree Akhavan shares her deeply honest stories of culture and identity, modern sexuality, and what it is to be an artist.”—Lena Dunham, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl “From Tina Fey’s Bossypants to Samantha Irby’s We Are Never Meeting in Real Life, there is a rich modern American tradition of female essay-style narrative nonfiction. Their success—and their enjoyability—largely depends on the voice. . . . Akhavan is that rare thing: both painfully honest and likable.”—The Guardian   “Akhavan gets real. Like, really real. So real that if I’d experienced some of the stuff she speaks on in this memoir, I’d take it to my grave real.”—Book Riot “Akhavan is one of the most audacious and important filmmakers working today. . . . She’s no stranger to mining her life for tragicomic gold, which she does aplenty in her memoir-in-essays.”—Electric Lit “Desiree Akhavan’s memoir is a hilariously raw, relatable, and—dare I even say—sexy recounting of an awkward girl’s journey to finding her way as an adult, and ultimately, an artist. In other words—a perfect book.”—Jessi Klein, New York Times bestselling author of I’ll Show Myself Out “Addictively honest, and cool without leaving anyone out, this book offers a hand and a laugh to readers who have gone through some of the same things that Desiree Akhavan did—which, let’s be honest, is most of us.”—Casey Wilson, New York Times-bestselling author of The Wreckage of My Presence “An utterly charming, hilarious coming-of-art story, full to the brim with cringe and heart.”—Melissa Febos, national bestselling-author of Body Work and Girlhood “Full of heart, thrumming with profundity, and laugh out loud hilarious, You're Embarrassing Yourself marks Desiree Akhavan as a blazing literary talent. Come for the gossip and cringe; stay for the moving portraits of familial loyalty, queerness, art making, and the many ways we find ourselves home.”—T. Kira Madden, author of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls “A moving account of self-acceptance that gives us each permission to take it all a little less seriously.”—Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and author of Let's Talk About Hard Things               “[A] funny and incisive debut memoir-in-essays. . . . [Akhavan charts] an endearingly crooked path to maturity.”—Publishers Weekly “Equal parts a growing-up survival guide and a confessional about never having grown up at all, this title is sure to captivate readers looking for a fresh and authentic voice.”—Booklist “A readably funny and candid memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews

“With cackle-worthy humor and absolute ease, Akhavan shares her deeply honest stories of culture and identity, modern sexuality, and what it is to be an artist. I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed again.”—Lena Dunham

Author Information

Desiree Akhavan is a filmmaker, writer, and (an occasional) actor. She created the Hulu original series The Bisexual as well as the films Appropriate Behavior and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. As an episodic director, she’s worked on numerous shows, including Hacks and Ramy. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian and British Vogue.

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