Attempting Normal

By Marc Maron

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Marc Maron is "a master of spinning humor out of anguish" ( Bookforum ), even when that anguish is pretty clearly self-inflicted. In Attempting Normal, he threads together twenty-five stories from his life and near-death, from his first comedy road trips (with a fugitive junkie comic with a missing tooth) to his love affair with feral animals (his cat rescues are bloody epics) to his surprisingly moving tales of lust, heartbreak, and hope. The stories are united by Maron's thrilling storytelling style--intensely smart, disarmingly honest, and explosively funny. Together, they add up to a hilarious and moving tale of failing, flailing, and finding a way. Praise for Attempting Normal "I laughed so hard reading this book." --David Sedaris "Funny . . . surprisingly deep . . . laced with revelatory insights." --Los Angeles Times "Superb . . . A reason that it] is a superior example of an overcrowded genre--the comedian memoir--is Mr. Maron's hardheaded approach to his history, the wisdom of experience." -- The New York Times "Marc Maron is a legend because he is both a great comic and a brilliant mind. Attempting Normal is a deep, hilarious megashot of feeling and truth as only this man can administer." --Sam Lipsyte Praise for Marc Maron and WTF "The stuff of comedy legend." -- Rolling Stone "Marc Maron is a startlingly honest, compelling, and hilarious comedian-poet. Truly one of the greatest of all time." --Louis C.K. "I've known Marc for years and I can tell you first hand that he's passionate, fearless, honest, self-absorbed, neurotic, and screamingly funny." --David Cross "Revered among his peers . . . raw and unflinchingly honest." -- Entertainment Weekly "Devastatingly funny." -- Los Angeles Times "For a comedy nerd, this show is nirvana." --Judd Apatow

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812982789
• ISBN13: 9780812982787
• Release Date: April 2014
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

This book will have you laughing out loud

I am a big fan of Marc Maron and this book does not disappoint. His podcasts get me through the week. So many times I found myself reading his stories and straight up laughing out loud to myself. It takes a special kind of book to do that. I think part of it too is this connection to Marc and the fact that he’s such an anxious person and he puts it all out there. As an anxious person myself he is relatable and his stories are real. He’s being himself. So if you’re a fan of his comedy you’ll be a fan of this book. Also if you’re wondering about the origin of his relationship with his cats you’ll get to learn the story of him with his cats in New York City. Oh my gosh he’s so hilarious I love Marc and this book and will be rereading it when I need a pick me up.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

These can't be the best stories Marc has to tell can they? Either the whole thing is meant to be a joke, and it's not as funny as his stand up, or his shows. Or it's a memoir where he cherry picked the most pathetic moments of his life to share.