Memoirs to Make You Feel Better About Your Own Awkward Childhood

Would you expect anything less than sheer awkwardness from the creator of Freaks and Geeks and Spy? Paul Feig’s memoir is completely focused on his childhood plights, which range from dealing with bullies in the locker room to figuring out how to dress up in his mom’s clothes without anyone knowing.

While most of the memoir focuses on Lauren Graham’s more recent career, including her time working on the Gilmore Girls revival, she includes several comic memories about her childhood. Her discussion of some of her more questionable fashion choices will make you feel like you aren’t alone in wincing at old pictures of yourself.

Dave Homes rose to popularity as a VJ on MTV, but he wasn’t always so popular. In his memoir Party of One, he discusses the awkwardness of being a closeted gay kid in an all-boys school and being the only non-sports fan in his Midwestern family.

The focus of Melissa Rivers’ memoir is her relationship with her mother, the late comedian Joan Rivers. Since her mother is best-known for her hysterical skewering of others, daughter Melissa was never safe from her jokes, and—now that she’s recovered—she shares them gratuitously throughout the book.

Rainn Wilson became a household name as the awkward and indignant Dwight Schrute on The Office, but his memoir centering on his own childhood might even be funnier than his character on the show. Rainn’s story of going from straight-up nerd to drama-geek might even make you feel a little more popular by comparison.

Judy Greer has probably played the best friend or sidekick in some of your favorite rom-coms (see:
27 Dresses, 13 Going on 30, and The Wedding Planner). Tales from her upbringing in Detroit range from her self-proclaimed time as “Ugly Judy” to stressing over finding her talent as a child actor. Her discussion of a friend group that once declared her the third wheel will shed some light on how she’s been cast in so many roles as the best friend.