Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestselling author and stand-up comedian Jen Kirkman delivers a hilarious, candid memoir about marriage, divorce, sex, turning forty, and still not quite having life figured out.
Jen Kirkman wants to be the voice in your head that says, Hey, youre okay. Even if you sometimes think you arent! And especially if other people try to tell you youre not.
In I Know What Im Doing—and Other Lies I Tell Myself, Jen offers up all the gory details of a life permanently in progress. She reassures you that its okay to not have life completely figured out, even when you reach middle age (and find your first gray pubic hair!). She talks about making unusual or unpopular life decisions (such as cultivating a “friend with benefits” or not going home for the holidays) because you dont necessarily want for yourself what everyone else seems to think you should. Its about renting when everyone says you should own, dating around when everyone thinks you should settle down, and traveling alone when everyone pities you for going to Paris without a man.
From marriage to divorce and sex to mental health, I Know What Im Doing—and Other Lies I Tell Myself is about embracing the fact that life is a bit of a sh*t show and its definitely more than okay to stay true to yourself.
Review
“Jen Kirkman is a pragmatist. Let her help you clear your head—‘ease in’ rather than ‘lean in.’ Life is too short not to listen to her—and she’s right about everything, except the Congressional ban on pennies.”
Review
“[Kirkmans] act has the feel of that wonderful moment at the end of a party when you are left alone to gossip with your best friend about the horrible and ridiculous things that just went on. Both on social media and onstage, however, Ms. Kirkman comes across as a happy warrior, a polemicist unafraid to show her silly side… Her jokes argue for the fun of being single, but its the way she tells them that prove it.” Jason Zinoman, The New York Times, on Kirkman's Netflix special, I'm Gonna Die Alone
Review
"This book is full of hilarious, candid, and sometimes gut-wrenching stories. There wasn't a single moment that I wasn't completely invested in what happened next. She peels back the curtain and reveals every emotion we all have to go through in life, but with such grace that you almost want to apologize for laughing so much—until you realize that's exactly what she wants you to do." Sarah Colonna, bestselling author of Life As I Blow It and Has Anyone Seen My Pants?
Review
“Often when I read a book, I nod because I can relate. But when Jen Kirkman, shares her stories, I can relate AND feel empowered.”
Review
“Jen has a unique and essential point of view in comedy. This book is hilarious and emotionally profound. Simply magnificent.”
About the Author
Jen Kirkman is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress well known for the award-winning short series Drunk History. She has two comedy albums, Self-Help and Hail to the Freaks, a Netflix comedy special, I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine), and writes for and appears as a comedian/panelist on E’s Chelsea Lately and After Lately. She is the author of I Can Barely Take Care of Myself and I Know What I’m Doing—and Other Lies I Tell Myself.