Synopses & Reviews
New York Times Bestseller
A breakout teen author explores the true meaning of popularity and how to survive middle school in this hysterically funny, touchingly honest contemporary memoir.
I was inspired by [Maya's] journey and made a point of saving a copy of Popular for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.” Maude Apatow, New York Times Book Review
Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help a shy girl become popular?
Maya Van Wagenen is about to find out.
Stuck near the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who arent paid to be here,” Maya has never been popular. But before starting eighth grade, she decides to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell.
The real-life results are hilarious, painful, and filled with unexpected surprises. Told with humor and grace, Mayas journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence, along with a better understanding of what it means to be popular.
Review
“I was inspired by her journey and made a point of saving a copy of ‘Popular for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.”—Maude Apatow for the
New York Times Book Review
“Popular taps into a feeling shared by Bradbury and Bieber enthusiasts alike — the need to fit in during middle school.”—USA Today
"An interesting and earnest memoir." —Kirkus Reviews
"While completely appropriate for middle school readers, Popular is even more entertaining for adults. Van Wagenen is a uniquely gifted talent with a gem of a first novel" —VOYA
Review
and#8220;Really funny.and#8221;and#8212;Reese Witherspoon
and#8220;Even when I was funny, I wasnand#8217;t this funny.and#8221;and#8212;Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors and This Is How
and#8220;Lawsonand#8217;s self-deprecating humor is not only gaspingly funny and wonderfully inappropriate; it allows her to speakand#8230;in a real and raw way.and#8221;and#8212;O, The Oprah Magazine
and#8220;Fucked up in the best possible way. Adorably offensive.and#8221;and#8212;Jesus*
and#8220;Jenny Lawson is hilarious, snarky, witty, totally inappropriate, and and#8216;Like Mother Teresa, Only Better.and#8217;and#8221;and#8212;Marie Claire
and#8220;[Lawson] writes with a rambling irreverence that makes you wish she were your best friend.and#8221;and#8212;Entertainment Weekly
and#8220;The funniest memoir ever about a talking squirrel, anxiety disorder, couch etiquette, and more. Believe us, Lawson is hilarious.and#8221; and#8212;Ladiesand#8217; Home Journal
and#8220;GET READY. Jenny has such a disturbing, ill-mannered, rich sense of humor you will wonder, and#8216;Am I the sick one for laughing?and#8217; Everyone I gave the book to confirmed: We must all be sick, because this book IS HYSTERICAL...and yet it was also strangely touching at times. Itand#8217;s one of my favorite books in the past five years.and#8221;and#8212;Kathryn Stockett, # 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Help
and#8220;Funny, raunchy, and unexpectedly upliftingand#8230;Letand#8217;s Pretend will leave you hoping that Lawsonand#8217;s next book happens and soon.and#8221;and#8212;People
and#8220;Take one part David Sedaris and two parts Chelsea Handler and youand#8217;ll have some inkling of the cockeyed humor of Jenny Lawsonand#8230;[She] flaunts the sort of fearless comedic chops that will make you spurt Diet Coke through your nose.and#8221;and#8212;Parade
*Jesus is the authorand#8217;s hairdresser. You can tell him apart from that other Jesus because they pronounce their names differently. and#160;
Review
A New York Times bestseller!
Maya Van Wagenen is a Time magazine Top 16 Most Influential Teen of 2013 and a Huffington Post Most Fearless Teen of 2013
“I was inspired by her journey and made a point of saving a copy of ‘Popular for my sister, who starts middle school this fall. Maybe if I had read it when I was her age, it could have saved me from a world of hurt, or at least put that world in perspective.” —Maude Apatow for the New York Times Book Review
“Popular taps into a feeling shared by Bradbury and Bieber enthusiasts alike—the need to fit in during middle school.” —USA Today
“Everyones happiness project looks different, and I was utterly charmed by Maya Van Wagenens honest, funny, and thought-provoking account of her efforts to become ‘popular.” —Gretchen Rubin, #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project
“Geeky and dorky, but never wimpy, Maya Van Wagenen is as powerful and honest as she is quirky and funny—and startlingly gifted. Shes the real deal, folks, a teenage John Green for the next generation. Stunning.” —Margaret Stohl, bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series
“Maya Van Wagenens memoir, Popular, would have been wonderful to read as a kid, and so reassuring to Nerdy Teenage Me. Her year-long experiment in popularity is timeless; the intelligent and humane way she gets to the heart of the matter is uniquely her. Funny, determined, and wry, Van Wagenen has written a wise, heartfelt guide for other kids eager to keep up.” —Rachel Hartman, bestselling author of Seraphina
“An interesting and earnest memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews “While completely appropriate for middle school readers, Popular is even more entertaining for adults. Van Wagenen is a uniquely gifted talent with a gem of a first novel” —VOYA
Synopsis
Includes a new chapter! When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.
In the irreverent Letandrsquo;s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawsonandrsquo;s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human momentsandmdash;the ones we want to pretend never happenedandmdash;are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.
Readers Guide Inside
About the Author
Known for her sardonic wit and her hysterically skewed outlook on life, Jenny Lawson has made millions of people question their own sanity, as they found themselves admitting that they, too, often wondered why Jesus wasnandrsquo;t classified as a zombie, or laughed to the point of bladder failure when she accidentally forgot that she mailed herself a cobra. Lawsonandrsquo;s blog (TheBloggess.com) is award-winning and extremely popular, and she is considered one of the funniest writers of our generation by at least three or four people.and#160;