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Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome

Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome

by Aparna Nancherla

Viking ·2023 ·289 pages
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Bottom of the Pile
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18/99
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24/99

Critics' Rating Index

Bottom of the Pile

12/99

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Scholars' Citation Index

51/99

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About This Book

A hilarious and insightful collection of essays exploring impostor syndrome, from the inside and out, by the most successful fraud in comedy Aparna Nancherla is a superstar comedian on the rise—a darling of Netflix and Comedy Central's comedy special lineups, a headliner at comedy shows and music festivals, a frequenter of late night television and the subject of numerous profiles. She's also a successful actor who has written a barrage of thoughtful essays published by the likes of the New York Times . If you ask her, though, she's a total fraud. She'd hate to admit it, but no one does impostor syndrome quite like Aparna Nancherla. UNRELIABLE NARRATOR is a collection of essays that uses Aparna's signature humor to illuminate an interior life, one constantly bossed around by her depression (whom she calls Brenda), laced with anxiety like a horror movie full of jump-scares, and plagued by an unrepenting love-hate relationship with her career as a painfully shy standup comedian. But luckily, crippling self-doubt comes with the gift of keen self-examination. These essays deliver hilarious and incredibly insightful meditations on body image, productivity culture, the ultra-meme-ability of mental health language, and who, exactly, gets to make art "about nothing." Despite her own arguments to the contrary, UNRELIABLE NARRATOR is undeniable proof that Aparna is a force—as a comedian and author alike—to be reckoned with.


Reviews

"A glimpse into the brain of a woman who works very hard to take care of it ..."

Sonia Rao· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"ends up not being the main focus of Nancherla's journey."

Alison Hood· BookPage Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Super-smart, deliciously readable, achingly poignant ..."

Meredith Maran· Los Angeles Times Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"The structure allows Nancherla to do deeper dives into some topics while sprinkling shorter, lighter tension-breaking comic pieces throughout ..."

Julie Vick· The New York Journal of Books Read review ↗ Near the Top

"At its best, this heavily researched memoir is refreshingly perspicacious and darkly funny."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Maybe Someday

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