Uncle of the Year: & Other Debatable Triumphs
In Uncle of the Year, Andrew Rannells wonders: If he, now in his forties, has everything he’s supposed to need to be an adult—a career, property, a well-tailored suit—why does he still feel like an anxious twenty-year-old climbing his way toward solid ground? Is it because he hasn’t won a Tony, or found a husband, or had a child? And what if he doesn’t want those things? (A husband and a child, that is. He wants a Tony.)
In deeply personal essays drawn from his life as well as his career on Broadway and in Hollywood, Rannells argues that we all pretend—for friends, partners, parents, and others—that we are constantly succeeding in the process known as “adulting.” But if this acting is leaving us unfulfilled, then we need new markers of time, new milestones, new expectations of what adulthood is and can be.
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4.25 stars!
Most people might know Andrew Rannells from his starring role in a little broadway show called The Book of Mormon. (Or when he temporarily played King George III in Hamilton.) I was first introduced to Rannells when he played on the hit HBO show Girls. He was one of my favorite characters, despite originally only having a smaller part. In Uncle of the Year, a collection of short essays, Rannells’ shares snippets from his life, covering subjects from how he feels about his birthday to performing his solo song from Mormon on the Tonys to how strange life got during the pandemic. And, of course, how he feels about being an uncle. Witty and charming, this collection kept drawing me back, oddly comforting when I needed an escape from reality.
Despite reading this in ebook form, I could “hear” Rannells’ distinctive voice throughout the pages. I can only imagine the audiobook form of this collection read from Rannells’ own lips would be even better. Uncle of the Year is Rannells second book. From what I understand, his first book Too Much is Not Enough is more of a traditional memoir, covering his childhood up to being cast in The Book of Mormon. It’s not one I have read yet. So maybe Uncle of the Year picks up where that one left off, although he does include events from that time period, as well, in Uncle of the Year. He also includes a story he left out of his first book about appearing on the Ricki Lake show when he was 18, which was quite memorable.
Some of my other favorite essays in the book:
“Saigon in the Finger Lakes” – Rannells shares his experience performing the lead male role in Miss Saigon over five weeks in the Finger Lakes region of New York by sharing his email correspondence with his best friend during the time. I smiled so much throughout this chapter. Only with our best friends can we be so frank and comfortable.
“Happy Birthday” – He discusses his complicated relationship with his birthday: his favorite birthday when he was five, the birthdays that slipped quietly by when he was working, and how he spent his last birthday sitting at the oncologist with his mother. I think I identified with this chapter because I’ve always had similar feelings about my own birthday. Rannells concludes that because his birthday always fell during the first week of school when he was a child, he never got to really celebrate it the way other kids did, which had me thinking about my own birthday which falls very near Valentine’s Day and how my experience was somewhat similar. Maybe there’s something to his theory?
“What Words Can I Give You That Will Comfort Me?” – During the pandemic, Rannells decided to join the Cameo app to raise money for the Actors Fund. Cameo allowed fans of public figures to reach out directly and request a short video for a fee. Many people requested birthday or anniversary wishes, but Rannells was surprised and understandably nervous about some of the requests, which varied from words of comfort to bordering on therapy sessions by repeat clients. I remember hearing about Cameo during the pandemic, but I never used it. It was intriguing to get a glimpse into the experience from the perspective of a celebrity who was also struggling through the pandemic.
If you’re a fan of Andrew Rannells or The Book of Mormon or actors’ experiences behind the scenes—or even if you’re an adult who has no desire for their own children—you’ll enjoy Uncle of the Year. Told in quick, short essays, this is a collection that can be read slowly—or you might find yourself unable to set it aside, like me!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Crown and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (prompt #8 - A celebrity memoir)
Most people might know Andrew Rannells from his starring role in a little broadway show called The Book of Mormon. (Or when he temporarily played King George III in Hamilton.) I was first introduced to Rannells when he played on the hit HBO show Girls. He was one of my favorite characters, despite originally only having a smaller part. In Uncle of the Year, a collection of short essays, Rannells’ shares snippets from his life, covering subjects from how he feels about his birthday to performing his solo song from Mormon on the Tonys to how strange life got during the pandemic. And, of course, how he feels about being an uncle. Witty and charming, this collection kept drawing me back, oddly comforting when I needed an escape from reality.
Despite reading this in ebook form, I could “hear” Rannells’ distinctive voice throughout the pages. I can only imagine the audiobook form of this collection read from Rannells’ own lips would be even better. Uncle of the Year is Rannells second book. From what I understand, his first book Too Much is Not Enough is more of a traditional memoir, covering his childhood up to being cast in The Book of Mormon. It’s not one I have read yet. So maybe Uncle of the Year picks up where that one left off, although he does include events from that time period, as well, in Uncle of the Year. He also includes a story he left out of his first book about appearing on the Ricki Lake show when he was 18, which was quite memorable.
Some of my other favorite essays in the book:
“Saigon in the Finger Lakes” – Rannells shares his experience performing the lead male role in Miss Saigon over five weeks in the Finger Lakes region of New York by sharing his email correspondence with his best friend during the time. I smiled so much throughout this chapter. Only with our best friends can we be so frank and comfortable.
“Happy Birthday” – He discusses his complicated relationship with his birthday: his favorite birthday when he was five, the birthdays that slipped quietly by when he was working, and how he spent his last birthday sitting at the oncologist with his mother. I think I identified with this chapter because I’ve always had similar feelings about my own birthday. Rannells concludes that because his birthday always fell during the first week of school when he was a child, he never got to really celebrate it the way other kids did, which had me thinking about my own birthday which falls very near Valentine’s Day and how my experience was somewhat similar. Maybe there’s something to his theory?
“What Words Can I Give You That Will Comfort Me?” – During the pandemic, Rannells decided to join the Cameo app to raise money for the Actors Fund. Cameo allowed fans of public figures to reach out directly and request a short video for a fee. Many people requested birthday or anniversary wishes, but Rannells was surprised and understandably nervous about some of the requests, which varied from words of comfort to bordering on therapy sessions by repeat clients. I remember hearing about Cameo during the pandemic, but I never used it. It was intriguing to get a glimpse into the experience from the perspective of a celebrity who was also struggling through the pandemic.
If you’re a fan of Andrew Rannells or The Book of Mormon or actors’ experiences behind the scenes—or even if you’re an adult who has no desire for their own children—you’ll enjoy Uncle of the Year. Told in quick, short essays, this is a collection that can be read slowly—or you might find yourself unable to set it aside, like me!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Crown and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
#popsugarreadingchallenge2023 (prompt #8 - A celebrity memoir)
I really enjoyed Andrew Rannells' first memoir, so I'm glad he released a second one. He's really lived a storied life, and I especially enjoyed how this book talks about his rise to stardom from The Book of Mormon on Broadway. A standout essay from this memoir is his Ricki Lake story (definitely worth a read). Uncle of the Year is a later essay in the book, but pretty solid as he reasoned why he does not want kids of his own. Another standout essay was Rannells' first meeting with Ryan Murphy. He had the guts to reject a Glee audition to discuss Murphy's other show idea around a gay couple and having kids via surrogacy. While the show was canceled after one season, Rannells still had the opportunity to pursue projects he truly believe in.
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