Sleepwalk with Me: And Other Painfully True Stories

Hello, I am Mike Birbiglia and I want you to read my book. Too on the nose? Sorry. Let me dial it back.

I'm Mike Birbiglia and I'm a comedian. You may know me from Comedy Central or This American Life or The Bob & Tom Show, but you've never seen me like this before.

Naked.

Wait, that's the name of another book. Also I'm not naked as there are no pictures in my book. Also, if there were naked pictures of me, you definitely wouldn't buy it, though you might sneak a copy into the back corner of the bookstore and show it to your friend and laugh. Okay, let's get off the naked stuff.

This is my first book. It's difficult to describe. It's a comedic memoir, but I'm only 32 years old so I'd hate for you to think I'm wrapping it up, so to speak. But I tell some personal stories. Some REALLY personal stories. Stories that I considered not publishing time and time again, especially when my father said, Michael, you might want to stay away from the personal stuff. I said, Dad, just read the dedication. (Which I'm telling you to do too.)

Some of the stories are about my childhood, some are about girls I made out with when I was thirteen, some are about my parents, and some are, of course, about my bouts with sleepwalking. Bring this book to bed. And sleepwalk with me.

"Funny. Very funny. Birbiglia is the child Woody Allen and Bob Newhart never had — please don't try to picture that 'encounter.' Smart and self-aware, with just enough perspective on his quirks and issues that you don't have to feel too sorry for him...as you laugh at and/or with him." Bob Odenkirk, creator and star of HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David

"Mike Birbiglia is a great storyteller, just as funny on the page as on the stage. These comic gems strung together create a hilarious and touching memoir of growing up awkwardly and finding his way in the cruel world of stand-up. An original wit who raises self-deprecation to an art form, and always leaves you thinking and laughing." Nathan Lane

"Sleepwalk with Me is so funny, inspired, and jealous-makingly well written, I am beginning to suspect that Mike Birbiglia MAY ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN AWAKE WHILE HE WROTE IT. This changes my whole worldview." John Hodgman, author of More Information Than You Require

"Sleepwalk with Me is not your typical comedian-writes-book book. It's something else. It's laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end, and it's a truly fascinating and bizarre story about a guy with a very real and a very unique problem. It completely blew me away." Michael Showalter, host of Michael Showalter Showalter and author of Mr. Funny Pants

"Mike Birbiglia is a good friend of mine but I'm still really happy when weird, bad things happen to him because I love hearing the stories." Seth Meyers, head writer and host of Weekend Update, Saturday Night Live

"Mike Birbiglia has always made me laugh and so did this book. No one explains their insanity as sanely or as honestly or is as funny as Mike. If you think you're crazy, this is the book for you. It's a good thing the kid is a talented writer and comic or he'd be screwed." Lewis Black

"Insightful, heartfelt, and comedic — what more could you want from a book? Mike Birbiglia is a unique and wonderful new voice in American theater and letters." Jonathan Ames, creator of HBO's "Bored to Death" and author of The Extra Man and Wake Up, Sir!

"Sleepwalk With Me is about the things that keep us all up at night: love, family and growing up. In equal parts hilarious and moving, this book should cement Mike Birbiglia's status as a national treasure." Andy Borowitz, author of Who Moved My Soap: The CEO's Guide to Surviving Prison; The Bernie Madoff Edition

"Mike Birbiglia was always a very funny guy who told stories onstage. But in the last two years it's been inspiring to see the stories get bigger and more complicated and emotional as he turned himself into a real storyteller and — with this book — a real author as well. These are deeply relatable, totally engaging stories. They're as moving and amusing as they come." Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life

Grown out of Mike Birbiglia's critically acclaimed one-man show, Sleepwalk With Me is the hilarious story of the perils and pitfalls of being Mike.

Expanded from the sensational hit one-man show produced by Nathan Lane, comedian Mike Birbiglia’s charming, laugh-out-loud funny memoir is a story about first love, denial, and the perils and pitfalls of being…himself.

• Beloved by fans and critics: From The New York Times to Variety and beyond, reviewers lavished praise on Sleepwalk With Me, which was nominated for both a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Circle Critics Award for Best Solo Performance and was named “Comedy of the Year” by Time Out New York . The show has never toured, and we will publish to coordinate with its national debut, which will hit between ten and twenty-five cities in fall 2010.

• David Sedaris-esque: Like Sedaris, Birbiglia combines sharp insight with lighthearted irreverence, as he veers between topics that range from his third-grade aspirations of owning “a pizza restaurant where third-graders could hang out” to the dangers of his sleepwalking disorder. Additionally, Birbiglia frequently contributes to This American Life, which was a notable launch pad for both Sedaris and another New York Times bestselling humor writer, Sarah Vowell.

• A constant media presence with mass appeal: A regular on television and radio talk shows, Birbiglia has starred in three of his own Comedy Central specials and has appeared numerous times on Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel Live . Birbiglia’s comedy built him a cult following in colleges, then clubs, then concert halls nationwide and has made him one of the most popular touring acts to audiences of all ages. Thousands of fans regularly interact with him on his website: MikeBirbiglia.com.

In 10 years, MIKE BIRBIGLIA has grown from struggling comic to a popular talk show guest to a groundbreaking, original storyteller. The results?  Two critically-acclaimed CDs, three Comedy Central specials and a Nathan Lane-produced Off-Broadway show called "Sleepwalk with Me" that was recently nominated for both a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Circle Critics Award for “Best Solo Performance.” Birbiglia’s comedy built him a cult following in colleges, then clubs, then concert halls nationwide and has made him one of the most popular touring acts to audiences of all ages. In 2008, Birbiglia teamed up with award-winning director Seth Barrish and Broadway legend Nathan Lane on "Sleepwalk with Me,” a painfully-funny one-man show about first love, denial and how the sleepwalking disorder that nearly killed Birbiglia might have saved his life.  Due to popular demand the show was extended twice. The New York Times called the show, “simply perfect.” Birbliglia lives in New York City with his wife. SLEEPWALK WITH ME, grown out of the hit one-man show, marks his literary debut.