Based on a True Story

“A driving, wild and hilarious ramble of a book, what might have happened had Hunter S. Thompson embedded himself in a network studio.”—The Washington Post“Dostoyevsky by way of 30 Rockefeller Center … the best new book I’ve read this year or last.”—The Wall Street Journal   “This book is absurd fiction… . Scathing and funny.”—The New York Times   “Hilarious and filled with turns of phrase and hidden beauty like only a collection of Norm Macdonald stories could be.”—Esquire   “Raucous … a hilarious, innovative work.”—A.V. Club “Part personal history and part meta riff on celebrity memoirs, the book, it quickly becomes clear, is also just partly true (and all hilarious).”—Vulture“My three favorite books: 1. The Bible, by Moses and other guys 2. The Art of the Deal, by President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump (a.k.a. President Trumpy) 3. Based on a True Story, by Norm Macdonald   I have not read the first two. I have read Based on a True Story, and I believe it to be largely bullshit, but it is very, very, very funny! Thanks, Norm, for letting me be part of this Booker Prize–for–literature–quality effort.”—David Letterman“Norm is one of my all-time favorites, and this book was such a great read I forgot how lonely I was for a while.”—Amy Schumer “I always thought Normie’s stand-up was the funniest thing there was. But this book gives it a run for its money.”—Adam Sandler “Norm is one of the greatest stand-up comics who’s ever worked—a totally original voice. His sense of the ridiculous and his use of juxtaposition in his writing make him a comic’s comic. We all love Norm.”—Roseanne Barr “Norm Macdonald makes me laugh my ass off. Who is funnier than Norm Macdonald? Nobody.”—Judd Apatow “Norm Macdonald is more than a triple threat—he’s a septuple threat. He is smart, funny, wry, rakish, polite, rakish … no, wait. He is polite, insightful, and … aaaaah … warm. No. He’s exciting. Yeah. Exciting! You never know what he’ll do. Okay, then make that unpredictable. Add that up. He’s amazing.”—Alec Baldwin “Norm only has to grunt to make me laugh. And this book is three hundred pages? Sign me up.”—Sophia Amoruso, author of #GIRLBOSS “Norm is a double threat. His material and timing are both top-notch, which is unheard of. He is one of my favorites, both on- and off-stage.”—Dave Attell “David Letterman said it best: There is no one funnier than Norm Macdonald.”—Rob Schneider

Norm Macdonald was a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He died in September 2021.