Review by Booklist Review
Comedian Gethard chronicles the ups and downs of his career while advocating against trying to avoid failure. Whereas most people instinctively attempt to do everything they can not to fail, Gethard's own experience has taught him that success isn't a straight trajectory. Many thought Gethard had it made when he landed a lead in a sitcom after a decade of toiling away as an assistant, a stand-up comic, and acting in supporting roles. But the sitcom, Big Lake, went belly up after 10 critically panned episodes, forcing Gethard to realize that starring in a comedy series was never his dream in the first place. That failure led him to create his own public access television show in New York a move that surprised many but brought Gethard not only creative fulfillment but success as The Chris Gethard Show caught on and eventually moved to cable. Gethard stresses the importance of hard work, willingness to take risks, and looking at fear as a motivator rather than a deterrent. Readers will find wit and wisdom aplenty in these pages.--Kristine Huntley Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Comedian Gethard (A Bad Idea I'm About to Do) provides uproarious and uplifting advice for those who could stand to have a little more faith in themselves. He draws his wisdom from his experiences growing up as a small, awkward kid in a working class part of northern New Jersey, as well as the many years he spent trying to break through as an actor and comedian. "This is not a book that will teach you how to hit a home run," he writes. "It shows you instead how to become world class at striking out." The message is that people should work hard to find their true voices and persist in putting themselves out there. In Gethard's experience, the act of pushing oneself to the point of failure-and examining what went wrong to improve the next attempt-is the only way to be prepared to take advantage of the luck that's needed for any success. "It is better to fail on your own terms then someone else's," he writes, "so define those terms for yourself." Gethard's writing style is effortless and enjoyable, and his beliefs are compassionate and encouraging. Fans of his irreverent comedy will be thrilled to dive deeper into his life and work, and anyone else stuck in a rut will find permission to go out and try-and fail-as often and as well as possible. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
