For fans of David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler, these stories and essays about friendship, celebrity, growing up and getting sober will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.
With a wry style that evokes comparisons to Carrie Fisher, David Rakoff, and Steve Martin, Sam Harris proves that he is a natural humorist. Even The New York Times, in a review of one of his musical performances, called his stories “New Yorker-worthy.”
Brilliantly written, these sixteen stories span Harris’s life from growing up gay in the buckle of America’s Bible belt to performing on Oprah’s first show after 9/11. In “I Feel, You Feel” he opens for Aretha Franklin during a blizzard. “Promises” is a front-row account of Liza Minnelli’s infamous wedding to “the man whose name shall go unmentioned.” In the title story, “Ham,” he describes how he was upstaged by a young child actor, unknowingly addicted to the spotlight.
Taking on issues as diverse as addiction, fame, and parenting with his hilarious and deeply human voice, Harris’s entertaining tales trace an arc of personal triumph that is universally accessible and inspiring.
With a wry style that evokes comparisons to Carrie Fisher, David Rakoff, and Steve Martin, Sam Harris proves that he is a natural humorist. Even The New York Times, in a review of one of his musical performances, called his stories “New Yorker-worthy.”
Brilliantly written, these sixteen stories span Harris’s life from growing up gay in the buckle of America’s Bible belt to performing on Oprah’s first show after 9/11. In “I Feel, You Feel” he opens for Aretha Franklin during a blizzard. “Promises” is a front-row account of Liza Minnelli’s infamous wedding to “the man whose name shall go unmentioned.” In the title story, “Ham,” he describes how he was upstaged by a young child actor, unknowingly addicted to the spotlight.
Taking on issues as diverse as addiction, fame, and parenting with his hilarious and deeply human voice, Harris’s entertaining tales trace an arc of personal triumph that is universally accessible and inspiring.
Jackie says:
"Do you remember Sam Harris from Star Search in his too big jacket and
his high-top sneakers belting out with a voice that should have been
impossible for a short white kid to create? I do, and I'll tell you,
he's gone a long way since 1984, making a real name for himself in both
music and Broadway. And now, in the book world. Ham is a dishy
celebrity memoir combined with profoundly harder things like 9/11,
alcoholism, suicide attempts, coming out, marriage and parenting. There
is as much hilarity in the book--he really knows how to make people
laugh, especially at him (though there is some bragging as well--but
hey, he's done a lot in music and show business, so he's earned a some
crowing time). He really opens up in this book, showing us his
struggles, and has far deeper dimensions that I wasn't expecting when I
picked up this book. He's clearly added writing into his stable of
talents, and I am hoping folks will give this book a try."
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