Journal Entry 2: The Greatest Book I Have Ever Read

Based On A True Story - Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald is a stand-up comedian that had a brief stint on Saturday Night Live in the 90's, where he became a beloved underdog after the head of NBC at the time decided to fire him for making too many jokes about O.J. Simpson, who was in the middle of his murder trial.

Norm Macdonald has been my favorite comedian for a couple of years now. I ran across a clip or two on youtube of him on Conan O'Brien and ever since then I have been sought out every clip of him that exists on the internet. When I heard that he was coming out with a book I knew I would have to read it the minute it hit the shelves. Well, about 2 years ago his book was released and I sat down with it and didn't stop until I finished, which wasn't too difficult as it's only 200 or so pages.

The first thing I got from this book was that the first joke is made without even opening the book. Norm Macdonald had the publishers of his book put "a memoir" within the title, when in truth, the book is nothing more than a novel of fictitious stories. By doing this, Norm Macdonald ensured he would not get sued for anything he said within the book. Even if he told a true story about someone that was distasteful and slandering, he would not get in trouble with it because he threw in so many exaggerated and humorous anecdotes along side it that nobody would be able to distinguish between what was true and what was false.

The second thing I noticed was how great the writing was. Norm Macdonald is a humble character, and has never claimed to be a smart individual, but after reading this book I noticed his innate talent for writing. I discovered that he actually wrote this himself without a ghost writer because he mentions it in several interviews, although throughout the book he jokingly references the fact that someone is writing the book for him as he sits on a therapy couch and shouts out incoherent gibberish that the ghost writer refuses to put in the book.




Norm Macdonald's book is unlike anything I've ever read. He takes subjects that most would think to be untouchable and off limits and twists them in a way that makes you cackle with laughter. There were times while reading this book that I had to take a break. I would find a part of the book so funny that I would actually have to take a breather.

I recommend this to anyone, young or old, male or female. It's nice to step away from the textbooks and twitter articles and pick up something like Based On A True Story, a refreshing and mind-consuming novel that changes the way you think about the stories of our past and how we wish to tell them.