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    Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird)
    Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird)
    Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird)
    Audiobook5 hours

    Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird)

    Written by Michael Ian Black

    Narrated by Michael Ian Black

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    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author and stand-up comedian Michael Ian Black (author of A Child’s First Book of Trump) delivers a “memorable and funny” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir about confronting his genetic legacy as he hits his forties.

    Black pulls no punches in this hilariously honest memoir, a follow-up to the acclaimed You’re Not Doing It Right. When Michael’s mother receives a harrowing medical diagnosis, Michael begins a laugh-out-loud examination of health, happiness, and the human body from the perspective of a settled (and sedentary) husband and father of two. With the trademark wit that has made Michael’s other books popular favorites, Navel Gazing is a heartfelt and poignant memoir about coming to terms with growing older and the inevitability of death. It is also a self-deprecating and deliciously frank remembrance of exercise failures, finding out he is part Neanderthal, and almost throwing down with fellow author Tucker Max.

    Michael Ian Black may not have the perfect body. Or be the perfect father. Or husband. Or son. But you will laugh as you recognize yourself in his attempts to do better. And, inevitably, falling short. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll call your mom.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 5, 2016
    ISBN9781508214120
    Author

    Michael Ian Black

    Michael Ian Black is a writer, comedian, and actor who has appeared on Another Period, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. He created and starred in many television series, has written screenplays, and regularly tours the country as a stand-up comedian. Michael is the bestselling author of the book My Custom Van, the memoir You’re Not Doing It Right, and the children’s books Chicken Cheeks, The Purple Kangaroo, A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea, I’m Bored, Naked!, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop!, and I’m Sorry. Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.

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    Reviews for Navel Gazing

    4/5

    37 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I will forever associate Michael Ian Black with “The State.” Even though we didn’t have MTV for long when I was in high school, I have very strong memories of watching the show and loving it. I own the DVDs (yup, actual, physical, non-Blu-Ray DVDs), and thanks to Mr. Black I can clearly describe to you what $240 worth of pudding looks like.

      I now follow Mr. Black on Twitter, which is how I found out about his new book. I was looking for something to listen to at the gym and on my walks to and from work, and this one turned out to be rather perfect for that purpose.

      The full title of this sweet, funny, interesting, relatable and vulnerable book is “Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (but also my mom's, which I know sounds weird).” It’s about Mr. Black’s attempts to wrestle with his own mortality and aging body while dealing with the fact that his mother is chronically ill. There’s an entire (vividly descriptive) chapter focused on how much he hates his feet. There’s one where he chronicles his attempt to learn what diseases he is predisposed to getting. And there’s a really great chapter focused on training for and running his first 10K race.

      I very deliberately chose to include the descriptor “vulnerable” because I appreciated how Mr. Black stripped down to his deepest fears (which many of us share) and was brutally honest with the reader about his attempts to sort through them. It could have been SUCH a heavy book; instead, it was light in the right places, darkly humorous in the right places, and (sparingly) just plain dark when necessary. Mr. Black read the audio version, which I think really made the book come alive.
    • 5/5
      Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (But Also My Mom's, Which I know Sounds Weird) is an amazing book! I thought it would be a laugh out loud book all the way through but it is not and I am not disappointed, it is better. He made lots of giggles sneak up on me, smirks, laughs, smiles, things I could relate so I could say, "YES!", and other emotions I didn't expect from a comedian's book. There is so much in this book about his life and his mom's life that is warm, tender, funny, loving, and full of laughter. What ever story he starts out somehow comes around to body parts and it is thought proving, funny, humorous, and often true. I love him as a stand up and he is just as good as a writer. Loved the book, thanks for the stories Michael!