Reviews - Based on a True Story: A Memoir

462 reviews for:

Based on a True Story: A Memoir

This book is a Norm Macdonald joke that is full of Norm Macdonald jokes. The writing is also great, but largely in the context of this book being a Norm Macdonald joke. Read this book if you like Norm.

ler's review against another edition

2.0

Norm is the funniest person alive, but this is more setup than memoir, and I'm still waiting for the punchline.

dogwander's review against another edition

4.0

Imagine if Schweik was a Dostoyevski-penned comedian character with a gambling addiction and a sidekick, who is miraculously even dumber than the protagonist....that's kind of what you get here. The book is mostly fiction but it has glimpses of the "real" Norm Macdonald slipping through every now and then.

There's something magical about this one.

jmichaelward's review against another edition

3.0

A flawed book that is every bit as inventive and novel in premise as it is transgressive and “of its time”. Norm was one of the great comedians of this era and I can hardly believe he’s gone. But, as good as parts of this book are, it’s also replete with regressive storytelling and white male views straight out of the ‘90s, and it comes with a foreword by Norm’s good friend, Louis CK, to boot.

I loved and hated reading this. There will never again be a comedian like Norm Macdonald.

kscrimshaw's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 really, but that's not an option

dietcokealp's review against another edition

4.0

I have been waiting for this book for 20 years. I can't wait to get my hands on an audiobook version so I can give it 5 stars. I knew better than to expect a memoir and I knew better than to expect the truth but I did not expect such a well thought story. Good job, Norm. Now go find another secretary and write another book.