Born to Be Public

by Greg Mania

Overview

In this unique and hilarious debut memoir, writer and comedian Greg Mania chronicles life as a "pariah prodigy." From inadvertently coming out to his Polish immigrant parents, to immersing himself in the world of New York City nightlife, and finding himself and his voice in comedy. Born to Be Public is a vulnerable and poignant exploration of identity (and the rediscovery of it), mental health, sex and relationships, all while pursuing a passion with victories and tragicomic blunders. At once raw and relatable, Mania's one-of-a-kind voice will make you shed tears from laughter and find its way into your heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944866693
Publisher:	CLASH Books
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Greg Mania is a writer, comedian, and award-winning screenwriter based in New York City. His words have been published in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, Oprah Daily, PAPER, among other international online and print platforms. His debut memoir, Born to Be Public, is out now from CLASH Books.

Editorial Reviews

This is a gift of a book from a young writer who seems likely to become a comedy star.” - NPR “Comedic gold.” - O, The Oprah Magazine “There’s a lot of humanity in these pages, and it’s a humanity that Mania renders with both tenderness and hilarity.” - BuzzFeed “An impressive humorist with a voice all his own.” - Kirkus Reviews "Greg Mania is one of the funniest up-and-coming writers cranking out work and he is finally releasing his laugh-out-loud memoir....Come for the laughs, stay for the heartwarming story of coming out in the most millennial way possible." - Electric Literature

From the Publisher

2020-05-13
The coming-of-age story of a flamboyant social butterfly and talented writer.

Writer, comedian, and screenwriter Mania is instantly recognizable, with a towering, gilded mane of bright blond hair and a biting, mischievous sense of humor. Behind the colorful facade is a rather keen and sensitive young man who channeled his fierce ambition into a comedic niche and conspicuous place in the public eye. True, he opens by characterizing the book as a “200,000 character Tweet” and occasionally punctuates the narrative with trifles such as “25 Tweets That Underperformed So I’m Immortalizing Them in This Book Out of Spite” or “Things I Was Advised Against Putting in My Book Proposal so I Put Them Here.” But for an ostentatious comedian with underlying anxiety and depression, Mania tells a surprisingly relatable tale of grit, sacrifice, and, eventually, self-acceptance. After relating the awkward story of losing his virginity, Mania delves into the gay nightlife scene in New York City circa 2010, a raucous tale filled with drag queens, failed relationships, and the politics of being a go-go dancer. There are also run-ins with minor celebrities, bitter reflections of what the author dubs “The Thankless Trifecta”—the universal misery of working menial jobs in restaurants, retail, and offices—and general thoughts on life in the big city, including dating tips and the many odd experiences that are part of daily life in NYC. Less dramatic is Mania’s rise to success. He characterizes himself as an “Internet Spectacle,” with a public persona dying for attention, but the truth is that he’s made it through hard work, writing mostly humorous essays and profiles for outlets like Vanity Fair and Electric Literature and now screenplays that include his award-winning debut, Deadman’s Barstool.

Once he breaks his cartoonish character, Mania proves to be an impressive humorist with a voice all his own.

Kirkus Reviews