The New One - Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein - 2020

Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad







By: Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein

Narrated by: Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein

Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 05-05-20

Language: English

Genre: Arts & Entertainment

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Format: mp3 64/48 stereo



Publisher's Summary



With laugh-out-loud funny parenting observations, the New York Times best-selling author and award-winning comedian delivers a book that is perfect for anyone who has ever raised a child, been a child, or refuses to stop acting like one.



In 2016 comedian Mike Birbiglia and poet Jennifer Hope Stein took their 14-month-old daughter Oona to the Nantucket Film Festival. When the festival director picked them up at the airport she asked Mike if he would perform at the storytelling night. She said, "The theme of the stories is jealousy."



Jen quipped, "You're jealous of Oona. You should talk about that."



And so Mike began sharing some of his darkest and funniest thoughts about the decision to have a child. Jen and Mike revealed to each other their sides of what had gone down during Jen's pregnancy and that first year with their child. Over the next couple years, these stories evolved into a Broadway show, and the more Mike performed it the more he heard how it resonated - not just with parents but also people who resist all kinds of change.



So he pored over his journals, dug deeper, and created this book: The New One: Painfully True Stories From a Reluctant Dad. Along with hilarious and poignant stories he has never shared before, this audio is sprinkled with poetry Jen wrote as she navigated the same rocky shores of new parenthood.



So here it is. This book is an experiment - sort of like a family.



"Fusing good humor and raw honesty with selections from Stein's evocative poetry, Birbiglia narrates his journey into parenting...Hilarious, relatable, cringeworthy, and effortlessly entertaining." (Kirkus, starred review)



"This is a brilliant, funny, big-hearted version of he-said, she-said. Birbiglia and Stein trade jokes and poems and splendid storytelling about their roundabout stumble into parenthood. It's hilarious, humane, often beautiful, and absolutely captivating." (Susan Orlean, staff writer at The New Yorker and New York Times best-selling author of The Library Book)



"Mike Birbiglia and Jen Stein are the best collaborators since Emily Dickinson teamed up with her long-winded comedian friend. I'm joking because I cannot express how much this book affected me and how many times it made me cry." (John Mulaney, comedian)



"Wise and wise-assed, the comic hit of the year." (Mary Karr, best-selling author of The Liar's Club, Cherry, and Lit)



"Birbiglia and Stein have not only survived parenthood, they're making their most hilarious and truthful art yet. This book might save your best friend's life." (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Price-winning writer of Hamilton)



©2020 Mike Birbiglia and J. Hope Stein (P)2020 Grand Central Publishing



Critic Reviews



"Fusing good humor and raw honesty with selections from Stein's evocative poetry, Birbiglia narrates his journey into parenting...Hilarious, relatable, cringeworthy, and effortlessly entertaining." (Kirkus, starred review)



"This is a brilliant, funny, big-hearted version of he-said, she-said. Birbiglia and Stein trade jokes and poems and splendid storytelling about their roundabout stumble into parenthood. It's hilarious, humane, often beautiful, and absolutely captivating." (Susan Orlean, staff writer at The New Yorker and New York Times best-selling author of The Library Book)



"Mike Birbiglia and Jen Stein are the best collaborators since Emily Dickinson teamed up with her long-winded comedian friend. I'm joking because I cannot express how much this book affected me and how many times it made me cry." (John Mulaney, comedian)



"Wise and wise-assed, the comic hit of the year." (Mary Karr, best-selling author of The Liar's Club, Cherry, and Lit)



"Birbiglia and Stein have not only survived parenthood, they're making their most hilarious and truthful art yet. This book might save your best friend's life." (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pulitzer Price-winning writer of Hamilton)

 

Editor's Pick



Comedy with a lot of heart

Mike Birbiglia is one of the best storytellers out there today. I think we’re living in a really great era of comedy right now, with a lot of comedians putting out great work, but what Mike Birbiglia does is something special. I don’t think either of the terms "stand-up comedy'' or ''one-man show'' fully encapsulate what it is he does. I’ve talked to both my coworkers and friends a lot about how much I love My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, and I was lucky enough to see The New One live on Broadway, and I’ll just say this: he’s the only comedian that’s ever made me both laugh and cry. There’s a real vulnerability in his work that takes a level of bravery you just don’t get to see that often. I’m really excited about The New One: Painfully True Stories From a Reluctant Dad because at the heart of it is the Broadway show that I loved, but now 4-hours longer with new stories and poetry from his wife, J. Hope Stein, detailing their shared experience about the chaos and beauty of parenthood and change.











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