i'm a bear, etc. (sleepwalk with me)

SLEEPWALK WITH ME
Mike Birbiglia
Simon & Schuster

Sleepwalk With Me, based on comedian Mike Birbiglia's one-man show of the same name, is a memoir of his life. More specifically: it's a memoir of awkwardness and, as the title suggests, sleepwalking. Except that Mike's sleepwalking is in a whole other category and we should really call it X-TREME SLEEPWALKING!! LIKE THE HULK!!*

To be completely upfront about it, I love Mike Birbiglia. He's my absolute favorite stand-up comedian; he manages somehow to tap into the awkwardness of life in a completely authentic way, possibly because he really is that awkward. Which is nice. Because he reminds me of myself. In his book he unearths such painful memories as his first love, the time he maybe had cancer, and those terribly personal family stories. Starting the book by explaining that his dad always told him not to tell people anything even the slightest bit personal sets the stage for Birbiglia to write down and share the most personal stories.

And it's funny, which is an understatement. This book is laugh out loud while reading funny, which is a particular hard-to-achieve brand of humor. Of course, it helps if you're familiar with Birbiglia's stand up (which is also excellent). And while being hilariously funny, the book also manages, somehow, to be incredibly sad. It's this bittersweet mix of hilarious and tear-jerking that works so perfectly and is all the more powerful just because it's so rare to find. Going into this book I expected to laugh, because Bahooski** is a funny guy. I also knew that some of the stories would be personal. I wasn't prepared, however, for just how perfectly he would capture the events, emotions, and bittersweet truths of life that he chooses to write about.

Mostly what I didn't expect was that this book would become so personal to me. I can only chalk it up to the fact that all of the unhappy truths Mike sees in himself (and then proceeds to write about, fortunately for us) are the same ones I see in myself, awkwardness being only one of many. Even if you don't often read memoirs or don't know who Mike Birbiglia is, I recommend this. Because it's awesome and amazing.

*I'M THE HULK, I'M THE HULK, I'M THE HULK! 
**This is another inside joke for anyone who's read the book or heard/seen his stand-up. The above footnote is also an inside joke, btw. So many reasons to read this book!