‘Reminds me of the best of Nora Ephron’ Guardian
1st December 2025
Paperback
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
‘Reminds me of the best of Nora Ephron’ Guardian
Description
'I laughed, I cried and then I laughed again' LENA DUNHAM
'Smart and funny … reminds me of the best of Nora Ephron’ GUARDIAN
Writer, actor, and director Desiree Akhavan shares the stories she was told to shut up about—hilarious, horny, heartbreaking tales of a life in pursuit of art and love.
When it comes to shame, award-winning filmmaker and director Desiree Akhavan knows what she’s talking about – whether it’s winning the title of The Ugliest Girl at her high school, acquiescing to the nose job she was lovingly forced into by her Iranian parents, or losing her virginity to a cokehead she met in a support group for cutters. In You're Embarrassing Yourself, Desiree goes to the rawest places: the lifelong struggle to be at peace in one’s body, the search for home as the child of immigrants and the anxious underbelly of artistic ambition.
With all the humour and vulnerability of Jennette McCurdy and the warmth and nuance of Jia Tolentino, You're Embarrassing Yourself is equal parts funny and heartfelt, charting an artist’s journey from outcast to overnight indie darling, to (somewhat) self-aware adult woman. The result is a book that captures the pathetic lows and euphoric highs of our youth, and how to survive them, in a voice that is unmistakably, unapologetically Desiree’s.
Critic Reviews
'With cackle-worthy humour and absolute ease, Akhavan shares her deeply honest stories of culture and identity, modern sexuality and what it is to be an artist. I laughed, I cried and then I laughed again' Lena Dunham
'Smart and funny … reminds me of the best of Nora Ephron’ Guardian
'Hilariously raw, relatable and, dare I even say, sexy' Jessi Klein
'Your new favourite writer’Image
'Each of these essays feels like a satisfying night out with your most funny, sexy, and self-deprecating friend. Together, they add up to a moving account of self-acceptance that gives us each permission to take it all a little less seriously' Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money and author of Let’s Talk About Hard Things
About the Author
Desiree Akhavan is a filmmaker and writer. She created the Channel 4 series The Bisexual as well as the films Appropriate Behavior and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. As an episodic director, she’s worked on numerous shows, including Hacks and Ramy. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian and British Vogue.
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1st December 2025
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