danacordelia 's review for:

Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard

4.0

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Mr. Izzard's memoir is a lovely inspiring glimpse into the life and creative journey of one of my favorite comedians and speakers. His candid takes on his own coming out (and identifying as transgender), as well as his "playing the long game" as a performer and artist, and his seemingly insane self-challenges with running marathon after marathon, were both enjoyable and poignant, particularly as he spoke of the tragic loss of his beloved mom as a child. His is a conversational, "rambly" voice, much like his standup. The long audio "footnotes" were sometimes disjointed but never boring or annoying, and the times when he cracked himself up over a joke or rediscovered a memory (or looked something up on his phone in real time) brought his voice and presence closer, making this larger-than-life person more relatable and human, even as his book continued to impress me. I highly recommend the audiobook version for fans of his standup. If you prefer the written word, definitely check it out, but I feel like in this case you're better served hearing Mr. Izzard dictate (and embellish) it himself.