Publishers Weekly
03/06/2023
Tony-nominated actor Rannells (Too Much Is Not Enough), who appeared in HBO’s Girls and Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, recalls his upbringing, career breakthroughs, aging woes, and more in this pithy essay collection. Rannells delivers 20 vignettes that skew wild and gossipy: in “Things You Learn at an Underwear Party,” he describes losing his wallet during a night out in the East Village, while in “Always Sit Next to Mark Ruffalo,” he gives a star-studded account of his trip to the 2015 Golden Globes as Lena Dunham’s date. He also dives into his often “fraught” and “painful” dating life, but scattered among the laughs and winces are moments of real heart, as when he tenderly recounts, in the title essay, caring for his nieces and nephews. In conversational prose, Rannells successfully welcomes readers into his world with humor, grace, and wisdom. Theatergoers and comedy fans alike will find much to love. Agent: Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency. (May)
From the Publisher
This is the funny, honest, cozy hang with Andrew Rannells that you’ve been creepily dreaming of. . . . A delight.”—Tina Fey
“If Andrew Rannells has not already won you over on the stage and screen, then he certainly will with Uncle of the Year: It’s like sitting beside a charmer who keeps filling your glass with champagne. Rannells is a raconteur extraordinaire. Funny, moving, insightful, the memories and commentary keep sparkling long after you’ve closed the book. It’s just what we all need right now.”—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Less Is Lost
“With Uncle of the Year, Andrew Rannells continues his hot streak as one of the wisest, most tender, and funniest writers of our generation. With the unsparing eye of David Sedaris and the social wisdom of Nora Ephron, he tackles the most foundational questions of growing up (and up and up) with a sweetness that also makes you laugh (literally) out loud.”—Lena Dunham, author of Not That Kind of Girl
“Reading Andrew Rannells’s beautiful, hilarious, and touching essay collection, Uncle of the Year, is like hanging out with the best friend of your dreams without ever having to take off your sweatpants and leave the house.”—Casey Wilson, author of The Wreckage of My Presence
“Rannells’s writing is sharp, funny, and honest; he offers tremendous insight into how our biggest failures not only make for the best stories but are also invaluable to who we are. This is a book for anyone who has ever stared at the ceiling and wondered how—and when and if—they managed to become an adult.”—Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding
“Someone as talented as Andrew Rannells has no right to be such a good writer. But then you read his witty, poignant, and honest essays in Uncle of the Year, and it is clear why Rannells is not only beloved as an actor, writer, and singer but also as a human being.”—Nick Kroll
“These essays . . . hilariously and endearingly explore what it means to be an adult when you don’t always feel like one. . . . A perfect blend of humor and heart.”—Book Riot
“Witty and relatable . . . With a deft touch at describing tricky or stressful situations, Rannells’s essays hit all the right notes of humor, self-deprecation, and quiet insight. . . . A candid and thoroughly enjoyable read.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“In conversational prose, Rannells successfully welcomes readers into his world with humor, grace, and wisdom. Theatergoers and comedy fans alike will find much to love.”—Publishers Weekly
“Rannells is frank and funny, drops the right amount of names, and displays enough self-reflection to reckon with his own worst tendencies. . . . His openness feels like connecting with a good friend to talk about old times.”—Booklist
“Rannells has a gift for writing genuinely funny prose, and he has a way with self-deprecation. . . . Winningly snarky, well-written essays on life, love, and celebrity.”—Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
★ 04/01/2023
Following his 2019 memoir Too Much Is Not Enough, Broadway, film, and TV actor Rannells returns with a collection of witty and relatable essays about his life. With a deft touch at describing tricky or stressful situations, Rannells's essays hit all the right notes of humor, self-deprecation, and quiet insight. Many stories are based around his career, including the humbling process of auditioning, less-than-ideal productions in regional theater, his time in Hairspray and Jersey Boys, and originating the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. Several essays focus on his dating experiences and being a gay man in New York City, but the core of these stories is a universal sense of hopeful uncertainty that nearly everyone faces in their 30s and 40s. While being familiar with Rannells's career might help readers fully appreciate some of his anecdotes, tales about the joys and troubles of relationships, and a wonderfully believable piece about the escalating ways one can avoid going to the gym, are universal. Already known as an accomplished performer, Rannells proves with this book that he has a strong future as a writer. VERDICT A candid and thoroughly enjoyable read.—Peter Thornell
Kirkus Reviews
2023-02-03
A second book on showbiz life from the popular actor.
Anyone familiar with Rannells through his numerous stage and TV performances and his first book, Too Much Is Not Enough, will know what to expect from his latest collection of short essays. In this charming follow-up, he searches for his “true markers of adulthood” by returning “to moments and stories from my life that mark examples of progress.” Rannells writes in a conversational style throughout, as when he notes, “I will confide in you—and please try to hold your judgment until the end—the story of when I was a guest on The Ricki Lake Show.” In that piece, he chronicles a “debacle” from before he was famous when a female friend convinced him to fill in for her boyfriend, who refused to show up for their joint appearance on the show, and to allow her to pretend she had a secret crush on him. Other pieces describe the “married and very Christian” man, a fellow actor in a show they performed in, who came on to Rannells in a public bathroom (“He was like an octopus; his hands were suddenly everywhere”) and initiated an affair; and the acting jobs he got, didn’t get, or was fired from. In the title essay, the author admits he isn’t good with kids, a fact that became more bothersome when he began a relationship with fellow actor Tuc Watkins, who has two children. A couple of pieces are silly rather than charming, but most are endearing. Rannells has a gift for writing genuinely funny prose, and he has a way with self-deprecation. Chronicling his trip to an East Village club that dangerous, heavily tattooed gay men attend, he failed to blend in: “I still looked like a Precious Moments confirmation cake topper.”
Winningly snarky, well-written essays on life, love, and celebrity.