I am quite delighted by today’s giveaway. I don’t always get a chance to read the books we’re giving away here before the giveaway runs — if I’ve read them, I always say so — but I have read this one and Y’ALL IT’S CHARMING. I literally stayed up until 3 a.m. and read it in one shot.
When Andrew Rannells left Nebraska for New York City in 1997, he, like many young hopefuls, saw the city as a chance to break free. To start over. To transform the fiercely ambitious but sexually confused teenager he saw in the mirror into the Broadway leading man of his dreams.
In Too Much Is Not Enough, Rannells takes us on the journey of a twentysomething hungry to experience everything New York has to offer: new friends, wild nights, great art, standing ovations. At the heart of his hunger lies a powerful drive to reconcile the boy he was when he left Omaha with the man he desperately wants to be.
As Rannells fumbles his way towards the Great White Way, he also shares the drama of failed auditions and behind-the-curtain romances, the heartbreak of losing his father at the height of his struggle, and the exhilaration of making his Broadway debut in Hairspray at the age of twenty-six. Along the way, he learns that you never really leave your past—or your family—behind; that the most painful, and perversely motivating, jobs are the ones you almost get; and that sometimes the most memorable nights with friends are marked not by the trendy club you danced at but by the recap over diner food afterward.
Honest and hilarious, Too Much Is Not Enough is an unforgettable look at love, loss, and the powerful forces that determine who we become.
I know I often complain that I don’t think young people should really write memoirs unless something noteworthily bonkers has happened in their lives, but…listen, I contain multitudes and thus I loved this book. It has basically nothing to do with his life after Rannells hit it big, which is part of its charm: It’s mostly just a coming-of-age book from a young gay man who moves to New York and has adventures. I thought it was very funny and it’s full of great anecdotes about his best friend, Zuzanna Szadkowski, AKA Dorota from Gossip Girl. I just really enjoyed it. (Here’s its Amazon listing, but of course you can get it anywhere, including the library.)
THE TASK: I have two copies to give away. As usual, I’ll be picking the winner at random. But to enter, please comment with your answer to this question: If you could move to any town in the world right now and live there for a summer, what would it be? (Assume that you can bring with you whatever family members you’d like to bring, and leave at home whichever ones you’d like to leave at home.)
THE RULES: All entries must be posted in the comments of this post by 9 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, March 15th. FYI, if this is the first time you’ve commented here, the system will automatically kick you into comment moderation, but don’t worry, I will rescue you. (Open to US readers only; all prizing courtesy of the publisher. GFY uses affiliate links when appropriate — like the one to Amazon in this post — which means we earn a little money when you click through and/or buy stuff. Thank you!)
