User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This essay collection is a fucking delight. The stories are incredibly funny and the hilarity builds to a crescendo with an essay about meeting musicians. I rarely laugh out loud while reading even very funny books but this one has me cracking up over and over and waking up my wife.
There are a lot of interesting observations about fame, drugs, coming of age, and the like. The authorial voice is the strongest part of this book. Rogen knows he is a good storyteller and it shows, throughout.
This is one of those collections of personal essays that are personal but impersonal. I respect it! Boundaries are good but there are places where I would have appreciated more personal insight or getting to know about the man behind the humor. What I’m saying is that there isn’t an essay about pottery and I would have loved to read about how he got into throwing clay. As an aside, I would also love to read an essay or book from him on screenwriting and storytelling.
Anyway, like I said, a fucking delight and there is a level of self-awareness and an acknowledgment of privilege re: consuming weed as a white man that I appreciated.
Hilarious! Charming! Sweet!
Rating: really liked it
A choose your own adventure review of Seth Rogen’s 2021 humorous memoir, Yearbook!
Do you like Seth Rogen? If the answer is heck no, proceed to point 1. If the answer is heck yes, jump on down to point 2.
1. You will hate this book. No need to read further.
2. Congratulations! A hilarious reading experience awaits! Your guy Seth has written a collection of anecdotes that 100% succeeds in being what his fans would want it to be. Self-deprecating humor? Check. High on life and various other things stories? You know it. Refreshingly honest, no f’s given tales about encounters with other celebrities like Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage? You betcha.
Now, are you adverse to audiobooks? Proceed to point A. If you love them, jump to point B.
A. Check out some other reviews! I didn’t read the print copy of the book, but I bet there are some pretty great pictures in it.
B. You win again! Yearbook is an audiobook experience unlike any other. There are sound effects aplenty, but even better, quotes are for the most part read by the actual people who said them! Dialogue is performed by Rogen’s family members, fellow comedians like Nick Kroll, Jason Segel, Dan Aykroyd, and Sacha Baron Cohen, and various other personalities including Snoop Dogg and Billy Idol.
Oh what a treat this was. :)
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
Rating: really liked it
I listened to the audiobook -- and it was utterly spectacular. First of all, Rogen's stories about growing up and his stories about Hollywood and his stories about (yes) weed and mushrooms are howling funny. At one point when I was driving, I had to pull over because I was laughing so hard. But there are also moments in the book that are touching and wistful. Finally, there are so many great voices in the audio and it is beautifully directed and edited that you will fall in love with audiobooks -- if you haven't already.
Rating: really liked it
To preface, I usually go into autobiographical books knowing I am going to have to talk myself into finishing them over a long period of time. I was expecting to do the same thing with this, even though I am a huge fan of Seth Rogen.
That was not the case. This b*tch was finished and read within a day.
I preordered and forgot about it, until I received an email notification saying it was delivered. I grabbed it on my way out to dinner with my boyfriend, and decided to take a peak on the drive to the restaurant.
I had only made it to page nine before I realized I had already read aloud 5 excerpts to the bf, that had us both thoroughly laughing.
The book was just genuinely written. I felt like I was being talked TO instead of AT. It wasn’t an autobiography that dove into every aspect of Rogen’s life, which was honestly refreshing. It just seems it was meant to give some perspective, and make you enjoy some of the more outrageous and mundane things to happen in someone’s life. It gave me a very good dose of serotonin, and that’s all we can really ask when we pick up a book, in my opinion.
It’s almost a form of magic to actually laugh aloud at something when you’re by yourself. I did that more than a handful of times. 11/10 thank you
Rating: really liked it
This was delightfully charming.
Rating: really liked it
There's just something about a book where a guy smokes drugs, acts like a compete idiot, and tells hit-and-miss jokes the entire time that makes it a real slog after about the halfway mark. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm not an immature teenager anymore, but I didn't really enjoy this book. The celebrity encounter stories are pretty funny though, especially the ones about Nicolas Cage. Overall, I can't say I'd recommend this one, unless you're a pothead or a huge Seth Rogen fan. Or both.
2.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Audiobook…read by Seth Rogen himself
…..3 hours and 8 minutes of smiling and giggling,
Easy 5 star-rating for the uplifting HILARIOUS ENTERTAINMENT….
from both Paul and I.
Great laughs about Seth’s grandparents….
being Jewish…’is’ often very funny…
Jewish circumcision rituals…porn, racism, family, career…etc.
Seth’s coming-of-age FUNNY MAN development was totally engrossing!
Even Seth’s VOICE is automatically funny!
We loved it! Gladly pay for this much fun!
Rating: really liked it
Incredibly charming.
I happen to love Seth Rogan, and I find him to be both extremely affable and very attractive. What can I say, my upbringing impregnated in my brain an affinity for Jewish men with glasses and good senses of humor? I was hoping that Year Book would be as funny and enjoyable as I was expecting, and I'm happy to report that I was right.
Sure, the book skews a little (okay, a
lot) to stories of drug-fueled mishaps, but I enjoyed them, even if I've never been to Burning Man hopped up on acid. I
really liked the celebrity encounter stories and stories from Seth Rogan's childhood. But, honestly, the best part was his easy-going and upbeat narrating style that just made everything come alive.
A great listen for Seth Rogan fans.
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Rating: really liked it
I was entertained throughout while reading this. This felt classically Seth Rogan and it was particularly interesting to hear about his younger years.
I also appreciated it’s short chapters and found it overall just the right length.
Rating: really liked it
I’ve always been a big Seth Rogen fan – ever since discovering
Freaks And Geeks at the video store (remember them?) in the early 00s.
This book, which is less a memoir than a collection of personal stories, has made me like and admire the actor/writer/director even more. Throughout, he comes across as smart, kind, funny and relatable. And he’s proudly Canadian, which means a big deal to us Canadians.
Here’s another example of how cool he is. When I tweeted that one of my only problems with the book was the grammatically incorrect use of “Me and X did…” throughout, he replied that he told his editor “not to correct my grammar unless it was confusing,” since he wanted the book to sound “as conversational as possible.”
I told my editor not to correct my grammar unless it was confusing as I was trying to make the book sound as conversational as possible.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) October 31, 2021
That it does. As with many books by actor/comics, I alternated between reading a physical copy of the book and listening to the audiobook. And in both cases, it sounds like he’s just sat down with a beer (actually not a beer, since he no longer drinks) or a joint and started telling you some really funny anecdotes.
Early on, there are tales about his family, growing up and trying to date, getting into stand-up comedy at the tender age of 13, learning karate, and many, many, many stories about getting high. (Surprisingly, there’s not a single plug for his weed company – classy.)
A couple of classic anecdotes stand out, including two in which he tries to buy weed – one on a nude beach in British Columbia, the other from three menacing older dudes – and one in which he and a friend have a classic Amsterdam experience. The latter is especially funny because it involves wearing a money belt while travelling, which my own parents insisted I wear when I was a teenager travelling somewhere.
There are a few unforgettable examples of not being able to control bodily functions – I may never look at a Snapple bottle in the same way again. And there are some great stories about meeting famous people, from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise and Kanye West.
I’d forgot the controversy over his 2014 satire
The Interview, about a fictional interview with Kim Jong-un, and Rogen chronicles the entire story – including the whole Sony email hacking episode – in a fascinating chapter. Like any born comic, he illustrates the story with the best details, like constantly describing former Sony head Michael Lynton in increasingly funny demonic terms.
The collection ends with a very vivid story about Jewish summer camp, complete with the idea that people might not remember things in the same way.
But the book isn’t all laughs. The chapter called “Verification” charts his attempts to get Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to de-amplify the voices of white supremacists and anti-Semites, which he shrewdly points out have caused so much hatred and violence in the world in the past few years. (The fact that the 45th president stoked the flames of that hatred does not go unobserved, either.)
And while Rogen doesn’t discuss many of his biggest successes –
Superbad,
Knocked Up,
Pineapple Express, etc. – he does talk about how painful it is to be negatively reviewed. As an entertainment critic, this made me think yet again about the responsibility of what I do.
I have no quibbles with
Yearbook, except for the occasional ungrammatical sentence. And even that is endearing – and completely authentic.
Rating: really liked it
It is absolutely no surprise, but this book is fucking awesome! I have loved Seth Rogen since I first saw him in Knocked Up, and was psyched when I found out he wrote a book. This is funny as hell and has such a real down to earth storytelling vibe that it makes for a quick read! ❤
Rating: really liked it
Yearbook , the new book from Seth Rogen, is a funny collection of vignettes/recollections from the comic actor.
What’s your feeling on Seth Rogen? Do you think he’s funny? Are you a fan of him and his movies? I think he’s talented and I’ve enjoyed some of his stuff, but my general feelings toward him definitely depend on my mood. (Then again, I feel that way about everyone, lol.)
Sometimes the wildly or mildly outrageous stoner comedy appeals to my juvenile sense of humor and sometimes I simply chuckle. I do love how self-deprecating and awkward he can be. (Plus he gives hope to chubby Jews everywhere, so thank you very much!)
That’s kind of how I felt about
Yearbook , Rogen’s collection of reflections, memories, rants, etc. Some of the chapters made me laugh out loud (luckily it was in the privacy of my own home), some made me chuckle, and some I thought, “Ok...” But overall, I really enjoyed myself.
Rogen tackles everything from the joy he’s found in stand-up comedy since he was 12 (and his grandparents were his first subjects), taking karate, having a Bar Mitzvah, and going to summer camp, to his experience making
The Green Hornet, and ranting a bit about Twitter and Donald Trump. (It’s not a political book by any means but he makes his feelings known, which could be a trigger for some.)
Funny books, particularly those written by comedians, are often hit-or-miss for me, so I’m glad to say this was mostly a hit. It’s silly but fun, and I certainly can use more of that in my life lately. And I'd bet this would be a fun one to listen to!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
I would say stick to acting... if he could act.
Rating: really liked it
Awesome Audiobook!
When I saw that there were over 80 narrators I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did. All those cameos added to the production. It was great. Felt like catching up with a friend from college. He's older more mature, but still hilarious.
Rating: really liked it
I tried SO HARD not to give this 5 stars, but it was just so good, like genuinely one of the best audiobook experiences I’ve ever had. Really really well written, and the full cast recording with atmospheric sound effects really drew me in; honestly, more audiobooks need to be produced this way!
Yearbook will also slap particularly hard for anyone with a working knowledge of Vancouver - I’m pretty sure the same “leathery balled man” tried to sell me chocolate magic mushrooms at Wreck Beach one time 😂
