THE BEDWETTER: STORIES OF COURAGE, REDEMPTION, AND PEE (HarperCollins, April 20, 2010, $19.99)
Tuesday, April 20, Union Square Barnes & Noble, 333 East 17th St., 7:00
Wednesday, April 21, Urban Outfitters SoHo, 628 Broadway, 7:00
Admission: free
www.harpercollins.com
www.sarahblog.comedycentral.com
“What you’re about to read will take the place of every religion’s bible in terms of awesomeness,” Sarah Silverman writes in the midword to her very personal tale, the relentlessly funny THE BEDWETTER: STORIES OF COURAGE, REDEMPTION, AND PEE. She not only revolutionizes the state of literature with the first-ever midword but also writes her own foreword and gets God himself to write the afterword. In the breezy, free-flowing style she has displayed appearing on talk shows, performing stand-up, hosting awards shows, and starring in films (JESUS IS MAGIC) and her own hysterical cable series (THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM), Silverman delves into her life, from growing up in New Hampshire with a father who encouraged her to curse to her early days in New York City when she discovered the thrills and chills of sex. But it is her serious problem with bedwetting that is at the heart of her story, and she holds nothing back in describing the pain and shame she experienced, even including pages from her diary in which she entered the word “wet” or “dry” depending on how the night went; “I figured keeping the log with my diary might reveal patterns that would help me get to the bottom of this thing,” she writes. “It didn’t.” Silverman shares intimate stories of her family, the tragic loss of a baby brother, the surrender of her virginity, and e-mails between her and her editor discussing the difference between “pee” and “pee-pee.” It’s a terrific read, fast and fresh, like the childlike Silverman herself, with just the right amount of self-deprecating humor, personal reflection, sordid details, and Jewy-ness. Silverman will be holding two New York City events, at the Union Square Barnes & Noble on April 20 and Urban Outfitters in SoHo on April 21. Get there early, as both signings should be mobbed.