HOW DO I UN-REMEMBER THIS?

A podcaster and comedian shares a life steeped in humor and revelations.

In this charming, heavily anecdotal memoir, Pellegrino leads with the funny bone but doesn’t skimp on the vulnerable moments as well. As a kid in small-town Ohio, he was shy, awkward, and overweight. The author shares memories of family vacations, joyously receiving his first pair of boxer shorts, misguided stunts like streaking through the neighborhood on a cruel dare, spending sleepovers counseling his friends’ dispirited mothers, and experiencing hormonal overdrive “anytime I saw Brendan Fraser on a George of the Jungle movie poster.” In addition to riffing on his love for Jessica Simpson and Judy Garland, Pellegrino scrutinizes his interpersonal love affairs with wry wit. “Being in a relationship with me is exhausting,” he writes. Told in intimately personal episodes and awash in pop-culture references, the narrative is cleverly built for laughs, yet embedded within his keen observations are moments, however fleeting, of vulnerability and frank honesty. These tonal shifts are welcome. Without them, the book, packed with humorous stories and clever quips, would become overly superficial. The author is candid about his struggles with his sexuality, enumerating the challenges of being closeted and the liberation of coming out. In other, more introspective moments Pellegrino examines his “unprocessed grief” about his beloved grandmother’s death and how life can only truly begin when one starts living authentically, with clear joy, rather than according to what is socially acceptable. He is also open about his struggles with mental health, especially regarding a particularly difficult period “when I hit my low point….I’ve experienced sadness before, but this was something new, and it was unfathomable to me.” Pellegrino’s self-acceptance as a gay man grounds the narrative, while his rib-tickling missteps and misadventures will keep readers amused.

An entertaining story about navigating life with authenticity and laughter.