Name: I'm a Joke and So are You
ISBN: 9781786492586

Robin Ince

The popular comedian and science presenter blends memoir, wit, and popular science to examine the human condition.

A Comedian's Take on what Makes Us Human

I'm a Joke and So are You

Rose Stanley

This was one of the books I received in my surprise box of 30 books from the Wigtown Book Festival last summer and definitely not - despite being, oooooh, a signed copy - a book I would have picked out for myself. 

It's a weird one - Ince spends the whole thing musing in a sort of gentle, rambling way about life, the universe and everything AKA what makes us tick AKA anxiety, childhood trauma, imposter syndrome, grief, you know, all that famously winning comedic material. It doesn't tell us anything groundbreaking but is a surprisingly cosy read (the bits with Ricky Gervais notwithstanding).

Evening Standard's the Best Comedy Books of the Year Skinny's Book of the Year What better way to understand ourselves than through the eyes of comedians - those who professionally examine our quirks on stage daily? Reviews for I'm a Joke and So Are You: 'Joyfully entertaining.' - Observer 'Funny, honest and heart-warming.' -Matt Haig 'a smart, laugh-out-loud book.' - Evening Standard 'Deceptively deep. Invaluable and inspiring.' - Stewart Lee In this touching and witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some of the biggest questions we all face: Where does anxiety come from? How do we overcome imposter syndrome? What is the key to creativity? How can we deal with grief? Informed by personal insights from Robin as well as interviews with some of the world's top comedians, neuroscientists and psychologists, this is a hilarious and often moving primer to the mind. But it is also a powerful call to embrace the full breadth of our inner experience - no matter how strange we worry it may be!

I'm a Joke and So are You A Comedian's Take on what Makes Us Human

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