Uncle of the Year
By Andrew Rannells
Crown, May 16, 2023
Candid, hilarious essays from the star of The Book of Mormon and Girls on anxiety, ambition, and the uncertain path to adulthood, which ask, How will we know when we get there?
In Uncle of the Year, Andrew Rannells wonders: If he, now in his forties, has everything he’s supposed to need to be an adult—a career, property, a well-tailored suit—why does he still feel like an anxious twenty-year-old climbing his way toward solid ground? Is it because he hasn’t won a Tony, or found a husband, or had a child? And what if he doesn’t want those things? (A husband and a child, that is. He wants a Tony.)
In deeply personal essays drawn from his life, as well as his career on Broadway and in Hollywood, Rannells argues that we all pretend we are constantly succeeding—for friends, partners, parents, and others—in the process known as “adulting.” But if this acting is leaving us unfulfilled, then we need new markers of time, new milestones, new expectations of what adulthood is and can be.
Along the way, Rannells navigates dating, aging, mental health, bad jobs, and much more. In his essay “Uncle of the Year,” he explores the role that children play in his life, as a man who never thought having kids was necessary or even possible—until his siblings have kids and he falls in love with a man with two of his own. In “Always Sit Next to Mark Ruffalo,” he reveals the thrills and absurdities of the awards circuit, and the desire to be recognized for one’s work. And in “Horses, Not Zebras,” he shares the piece of wisdom that helped him finally come to terms with his anxiety and perfectionism.
Filled with honest insights and a sharp wit, Uncle of the Year challenges us to take a long look at who we’re pretending to be, who we know we are, and who we want to become.
Selected Praise
“This is the funny, honest, cozy hang with Andrew Rannells that you’ve been creepily dreaming of. . . . A delight.” —Tina Fey
“If Andrew Rannells has not already won you over on the stage and screen, then he certainly will with Uncle of the Year: It’s like sitting beside a charmer who keeps filling your glass with champagne. Rannells is a raconteur extraordinaire. Funny, moving, insightful, the memories and commentary keep sparkling long after you’ve closed the book. It’s just what we all need right now.”—Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Less Is Lost
“Rannells delivers 20 vignettes that skew wild and gossipy . . . but scattered among the laughs and winces are moments of real heart. . . . In conversational prose, Rannells successfully welcomes readers into his world with humor, grace, and wisdom. Theatergoers and comedy fans alike will find much to love.” —Publishers Weekly
“Rannells has a gift for writing genuinely funny prose, and he has a way with self-deprecation. . . . Winningly snarky, well-written essays on life, love, and celebrity.” —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Andrew Rannells is an actor, a singer, and the author of Too Much Is Not Enough. A Tony, Drama Desk, and Critics Choice nominee and Grammy winner, he has starred in The Book of Mormon, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hamilton, Falsettos, The Boys in the Band, and Tammy Faye. On the small screen, he has appeared in Girls, The New Normal, Big Mouth, Black Monday, and Girls5eva. Rannells’s film credits include A Simple Favor, The Boys in the Band, and The Prom. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, and he made his directorial debut adapting one of his Modern Love essays for the screen.