Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
It goes to show that as much as we think we might know about someone, or how easy we think they've had it, it's not until they put their story down in their own words that you get the true sense of their lives. I assumed Andrew Rannells had it easy.
Broadway debut at 26? Tough life!
But it was surprising to learn about the detours and the mistakes. They rang true to me. I appreciate the resilience it must've taken to realize that he needed to change his story. Unhook himself from the safe place and venture out into uncertain waters. I hope I can muster up that same courage.
Broadway debut at 26? Tough life!
But it was surprising to learn about the detours and the mistakes. They rang true to me. I appreciate the resilience it must've taken to realize that he needed to change his story. Unhook himself from the safe place and venture out into uncertain waters. I hope I can muster up that same courage.
I wasn't particularly interested in the life of Andrew Rannells and how he made it in Broadway/Hollywood. I just love watching him on interviews and the show "Black Monday", and I was running out of his YouTube interview contents so I thought I'd pick up the book while I waited for the third season of the show and more interviews of him. The book delivers what I expected, it's basically the printed version of a lengthy Andrew Rannells interview about his life: shamelessly candid, a mixture of success x coming of age story. Although, his early accounts on the abusive relationship he had with a much older guy particularly struck me. It demonstrates how manipulative toxic relationships can be, especially if it involves a very young confused teenager, trapping and making him feel utterly helpless. We also get to see his vulnerability and innocence, which are rarely displayed in his persona.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This memoir didn't resonate with me. I think that if I was really into Broadway or Broadway actors, I might have found this book much more interesting than I did. It is well written and the audiobook is read by the author, which I liked.
Put simply, this book was a delight and Andrew Rannells is a treasure.
As I said in one of my updates, I have played, “The Book of Mormon,” soundtrack on a loop more times than I’m comfortable admitting. Even before I saw the show last year, I would listen to the songs again and again. If you’ve never listened to it, at the very least, go on YouTube and find the clip of Rannells performing, “I Believe,” at the Tony Awards. He has a fantastic voice. On or around the same time as my discovery of his singing talent, the show, “Girls,” debuted on HBO. It wasn’t the best show. Often, I grew irritated with the four leads. Still, there were episodes of brilliance and there was Rannells. His character was a supporting one but he stole every scene he was in and I loved him.
So I was excited for this book but nervous. What if it was poorly written? What if it was shallow? I worried for nothing. It was sincere and heartfelt. I felt like I was sitting across from a friend who was telling me about his life.
It’s not a glitzy tell all, filled with name dropping and and no substance. Some parts are quite sad. Other parts made me laugh out loud. If you don’t know anything about Andrew Rannells, I think you would still enjoy this.
As I said in one of my updates, I have played, “The Book of Mormon,” soundtrack on a loop more times than I’m comfortable admitting. Even before I saw the show last year, I would listen to the songs again and again. If you’ve never listened to it, at the very least, go on YouTube and find the clip of Rannells performing, “I Believe,” at the Tony Awards. He has a fantastic voice. On or around the same time as my discovery of his singing talent, the show, “Girls,” debuted on HBO. It wasn’t the best show. Often, I grew irritated with the four leads. Still, there were episodes of brilliance and there was Rannells. His character was a supporting one but he stole every scene he was in and I loved him.
So I was excited for this book but nervous. What if it was poorly written? What if it was shallow? I worried for nothing. It was sincere and heartfelt. I felt like I was sitting across from a friend who was telling me about his life.
It’s not a glitzy tell all, filled with name dropping and and no substance. Some parts are quite sad. Other parts made me laugh out loud. If you don’t know anything about Andrew Rannells, I think you would still enjoy this.
I listened to this memoir and enjoyed every minute of it! I know Rannells largely from The Book of Mormon, one of my favorite shows, but also like his chatacter in Big Mouth. I have to say, I was hoping for at least a smidgen (ok lets be real I wanted a very large dollop) of this book to be about The Book of Mormon, and when I got to the end and there was not even a mention of his biggest role, I was disappointed. I feel like having a chapter at the end about what that monumental success felt like after all of the ups and downs he has had in his career would have been the perfect cherry on top of a very enjoyable book. But then again, this book is not a overview of his entire life/career, it's a coming-of-age story and if he considers Hairspray to be his big break then it makes sense for it to be the end of the book.
Despite the let down at the end, every story in this memoir had me thoroughly entertained. I laughed out loud, related a little too much to the story about his grandma Josephine, and deeply identified with that Midwestern Ambition™ he has. Definitely would recommend an audio version over reading a hard/e-copy. His snarky personality and vulnerability really come through in the audio book and his impression of Rosie O'Donnell hilarious!
Despite the let down at the end, every story in this memoir had me thoroughly entertained. I laughed out loud, related a little too much to the story about his grandma Josephine, and deeply identified with that Midwestern Ambition™ he has. Definitely would recommend an audio version over reading a hard/e-copy. His snarky personality and vulnerability really come through in the audio book and his impression of Rosie O'Donnell hilarious!
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
I really enjoyed this memoir. This book covers his childhood to his Broadway debut. Andrew was very honest and spoke about his early relationships/sexual experiences that weren’t great. It was really interesting to hear about his start in theatre while living in Nebraska and his start living in NYC.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent