In Episode 5 Gen and Jette discuss Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful by Stephanie Wittels Wachs, our 2018 May/June book club selection. In this memoir, she tells the story of her brother, Harris, who died of a heroin overdose at the height of his comedic fame. It is an unflinchingly honest and raw portrayal of sibling relationships, addiction, and the American opioid crisis.
Everything Is Horrible and Wonderful will break your heart, and demonstrates that even when you put that heart back together, the cracks will still show. This is the kind of story that sticks with you and it was a privilege to talk about it on the podcast even if we had a difficult time putting our thoughts into words.
Show Notes
We edited out a fair number of long pauses where we stopped to ponder the awful heartbreak of this book. It is a very hard one to put into words.
Harris Wittles coined the term #humblebrag
Books and Media Mentioned
Gray by Pete Wentz
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath