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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 5.13 x 0.58 x 7.94 in
- Weight
- 7.2 oz
- Publisher
- Random House
- Publication date
- June 13, 2017
- Edition
- Reprint
- Language
- English
Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Driving, wild and hilarious” (The Washington Post), here is the incredible “memoir” of the legendary actor, gambler, raconteur, and Saturday Night Live veteran. When Norm Macdonald, one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, was approached to write a celebrity memoir, he flatly refused, calling the genre “one step below instruction manuals.” Norm then promptly took a two-year hiatus from stand-up comedy to live on a farm in northern Canada. When he emerged he had under his arm a manuscript, a genre-smashing book about comedy, tragedy, love, loss, war, and redemption. When asked if this was the celebrity memoir, Norm replied, “Call it anything you damn like.” Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | Random House |
|---|---|
| Publication date | June 13, 2017 |
| Edition | Reprint |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 272 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0812983866 |
| ISBN-13 | 69 |
| Item Weight | 7.2 ounces |
| Dimensions | 5.13 x 0.58 x 7.94 inches |
No specs match.
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Top Amazon Reviews
Buy the audio book!
Format: Paperback
Get the audio book. Norm is the one reading it and I think its the best way to consume this book. Ive seen some negative reviews and I’m a bit disappointed, as I thought this book perfectly incapsulates Norm and his humor. It was the best waste of time ever, as I thoroughly enjoyed how much Norm enjoyed writing this and probably laughing to himself, knowing he punked us one more time. It’s basically the story of his character with little openings that allow you to see real Norm. Sure it’s not what most expect, but it’s Norm, and that’s exactly what I expected. May you rest in peace, Norm MacDonald, and I will forever be grateful for your depth, wit and humor. Your tv appearances, podcasts, standups, etc. will continue to lead me out of dark places. Once again, thank you Normy, you deeply closeted dead man.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2025 by Tamy
It's a wonderful read and psychological insight into comedy's most unique and creative mind.
Format: Paperback
Arrived in excellent condition basically the next day. For fear of spoiling this novel, I will say that if you remembered him on SNL and not much else: this book is FOR YOU! If you love Norm MacDonald: get this book. If you don't like Norm MacDonald that much: get this book. If you HATE Norm MacDonald: definitely get this book. And if you don't know who Norm MacDonald is: READ THIS BOOK.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2026 by Nick
Beyond The Norm...
Format: Kindle
To be truthful, I don't buy a lot of digital books. Usually, any book that doesn't help me reach a high shelf, or can't be used to swat a fly on the wall, isn't multi-purpose enough for my medieval mindset. But Norm MacDonald is Norm MacDonald is Norm MacDonald, and I wanted a copy at 12:01a.m. of its release date. I also wanted to save the tree that would've been used to print this book so that the tree could be used for its most natural purpose: Baseball bats. Or exacerbating forest fires. (Take that, Smokey, you overgrown, smarmy, preachy Ursus Americanus!) As one of Norm's slavish Twitter followers, I tweeted that I would be counting my audible laughs, divide them by the purchase price, and determine whether I got good value from my purchase. While I haven't finished counting the marks on my wall, and add the fact that I was forced to stop marking the wall by a wife who under-appreciates Jail Cell-style decor, I can only give you a rough range on this. I surmise that each laugh cost slightly under two cents. Even if you count belly laughs as worth a dime, and short,snorting laughs as being worth a penny, I got good value from this tome. And whether my purchase amount helps him recover from his last gambling flame-out, or helps fund his next downward spiral, I figure I contributed to a Good Cause. But, I didn't buy this book just for laughs, or to take credit for fueling the MacDonald Publishing Empire. I wanted to get a glimpse into one of the most original, brilliant comedic minds of our time. In that capacity, Norm opened a small window into his soul... then slammed it closed on my fingers. First, my view of Norm: Most comedians come from ethnic groups that are held down artificially, or had harrowing childhoods, or are introspective to the point of self-flagellation. Norm, by contrast, seems to be a cheery, boyishly handsome, middle-class Caucasian with an impish quality to him. And Canadian, to boot. From where comes the compulsion to make us laugh? On top of that, he has a strong anti-establishment streak, and a refusal to be controlled. "Big deal," you say, "So do I!" Norm differs in that his unwillingness to be controlled includes the people that sign his checks, or that could lift him onto the next step of the success ladder. And for some reason, Bosses tend not to hire unpredictable Free Spirits that may defy direct orders on a whim - even if they're excellent at what they due. Check Signers like predictability, period. So, when you continue to make witheringly effective O.J. jokes while working under one of O.J.'s friends & golf partners, or when you're asked to be "shocking" at a roast of Bob Saget and you therefore write one cornball line from the 1950's after another, it makes TV producers skittish about giving you a late-night talk show, for example. So, while that level of subversion & unpredictability adds to his legend, it commensurately subtracts from his potential income. Yet, Norm protests that he'd rather be a high-profile comic than a "comic's comic", a commercially successful comedian than a critically acclaimed one. So, I wonder out loud from where the dissonance stems. Norm hints that he might have been repeatedly sexually abused as a boy. But, since this is only "BASED ON a True Story", he leaves you wondering: Was this a literary device to introduce another of many writing styles he uses throughout the book? Or was this a way of explaining why he never wants to feel "totally out of control" in his life again? Was this a comedic device to make an anti-joke when you were expecting a joke? Or was this a way to connect to his readers with a deeply personal admission? Was this an attempt to exploit another taboo subject for devastating comic effect - as he has with prison rape, media treatment of murders, gay pride, Hitler, bestiality, psychopathic sadists, etc.? Or is this the exposing of one of the roots of his addictive personality? We'll never know. Norm has recently bristled at this book being referred to in the media as a memoir, when in his mind he wrote a novel. Mind you, a memoir is not synonymous with an autobiography. A memoir allows for a greater exchange of Truth for truthiness. And novels generally don't use real people's names, especially real people who have lawyers on retainer. So, if you want to read a funny, entertaining, quirky & unique book, it's a 5. If you want to read about Norm's life, it's a 2. If you want to read Alice In Wonderland with a male lead, and where the mind-altering substances are addiction and gambling, it's a 3.5. Stop reading this, and buy the stupid book already. It's still more real than that frappuccino you were going to spend the money on, and it'll keep you awake at least as well. And while you're at it, re-watch Norm's Dirty Work, disregarding the poor pacing and below-par acting. There's still comic gold to be mined in them thar celluloid hills.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016 by Y. Homnick
Literary Masterpiece
Format: Audiobook
Loved this book. A masterpiece. Well written, and well read audio. The storyline is fantastic. Kay-fabe… blending reality with made up stories. I truly could not tell what was real and what wasn’t. So many times I was laughing loudly, out loud. Man, I miss that guy. My review is honest.. not just cause I am a fan.. it truly is a literary work of art. I’d say this if I never heard of him before. I am not sure I ever heard of anything quite like it before. It’s worth it.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2026 by LJXK
Brilliant comedian is also a brilliant author
Format: Hardcover
One of the best books I've read, wish Norm had written more books, this one is hilarious.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2026 by jeremy of 218
Norm MacDonald has been my favorite comedian ever since I saw him live at the ...
Format: Kindle
Norm MacDonald has been my favorite comedian ever since I saw him live at the Hollywood Improv Comedy Club in December of 1991. I’ll never forget the joke he told about riding in the backseat of a car where he was so out of the conversation with the people in the front that he started communicating with people in the backseats of other cars! Norm was the first person in L.A. I could identify with and he had a similar sense of humor as me. I knew he was going to make it big and when I saw him on SNL I was extremely happy!!! I was also extremely pissed when he got fired for “not being funny” because his fake news segment was the funniest thing about the show. As for his book, I was excited to read it, but lost interest half way through and haven’t finished it yet. What threw me was his veering off into fantasy by telling a story of accompanying a boy to fulfill his wish of clubbing a baby seal to death. It’s not funny. Some of the other fictional stuff he tells about his sidekick Adam Eget isn’t funny either....it’s too dark. I can appreciate black comedy, but only when it’s funny. I’ve heard Norm mention in interviews that he reads a lot of Tolstoy, and that he’s his favorite author. It shows as his book seems Tolystoyesque at times. Tolstoy is not funny, insightful about the human condition, but not funny. Perhaps Norm is just showing his intelligence and depth by not focusing on being funny all the time, or perhaps his comedy has gotten so intellectually deep that I can longer comprehend it. Whatever the case may be, there are enough interesting stories, details and humor that I plan to finish the book sometime in the near future. Norm is my favorite comedian and I’m glad he shared his story with the world.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2018 by TiaT
Wisdom hidden by levity
Format: Paperback
This book was incredible, and not just because it was hilarious from start to finish. Sincerely, you only have to look to the first page, the dedication, for a joke that already had me laughing. Norm was obviously an exceptional comedian, but this book is, in a way, the perfect memoir for him in that he demonstrates his true genius under the façade of absurdity. So many times, a line would leave me thinking far more than the literal interpretation of the words given the light-hearted and silly context. His joking style of discussing death, depression, gambling addiction; these are the true bits of Norm that shine through and offer real wisdom and show how smart he really was. The moth joke, with its clear homage to the Russian literature he adored. Him talking about the (entirely fabricated) Make-a-Wish experience and what it's like to deal with illness. His style of painting himself as a buffoon while using it to discuss brutal topics, defended by the clearly painted fact that most of the novel is fiction. All these show Norm so much better than a perfectly factually-correct book ever could, and as I read I felt as though I was sitting with him in a park while he told me these stories himself, in his unique tone and voice with that smile on his face. This is one of my favorite books now, providing so much depth while being so light-hearted and goofy. What can I say, except it was good enough for an ol' chunk of coal like me. And, it's good that we finally hear more about that punk Adam Eget. Those parts were all obviously true.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2022 by A1
I'm still laughing
Format: Paperback
When I first heard that Norm was writing a book that he coined "not a memoir", I thought to myself, "oh boy, just his way of not offending any of his Hollywood buddies" or something like that. I'm happy to report that that was not the reason at all. After reading Norm's explanation and then reading the actual book, it made perfect sense--he simply didn't want to be constrained by the genre. And I'm glad that it wasn't because he didn't want to offend anyone so he could continue working as a comedian. If that were the case, he probably shouldn't have basically called the manger of The Comedy Store and good friend and cohort an idiot on many occasions As a memoir author myself, I immediately saw how liberating using a nonfictional literary device could be. It really freed Norm up and allowed his humor to come to life on the printed page. In the book, Norm is equally self-effacing as he is realistic about his own magnificent talent. He manages to keep himself grounded while at the same time acknowledging how rare his particular talent really is. (There are plenty of good examples of this throughout the book but some of the best examples come during his conversations with Lorne Michaels). I thought the book was equally touching, now recalling some of his bucolic experience as a child, as it was ridiculously funny, now thinking about the time he became insanely jealous over a certain female comedian resulting in a short stint in prison. The book is non-stop funny with at least two major jokes on every page. It twists and turns going in many directions, stopping only briefly to acknowledge some poor soul whose name happened to be Manson and then again for a quick homage to his yet undiscovered, but very talented, ghostwriter. Somewhere in the middle the book also taught me something. It taught me that, no matter how talented you are, the business of comedy is pretty fickle. Such that, even the best are replaceable if they don't produce.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2017 by bill