The star of the Harold and Kumar franchise, House, and Designated
Survivor recounts why he rejected the advice of his aunties and
guidance counselors and, instead of becoming a doctor or
“something practical,” embarked on a surprising journey that
has included confronting racism in Hollywood, meeting his future
husband, and working in the Obama administration, in this
“incredibly joyful and insightful” (Kiefer Sutherland) memoir.
You Can’t Be Serious is a series of funny, consequential,
awkward, and ridiculous stories from Kal Penn’s idiosyncratic
life. It’s about being the grandson of Gandhian freedom fighters,
and the son of immigrant parents: people who came to this country
with very little and went very far—and whose vision of the
American dream probably never included their son sliding off an
oiled-up naked woman in the raunchy Ryan Reynolds movie Van
Wilder…or getting a phone call from Air Force One as Kal flew
with the country’s first Black president. “By turns hilarious,
poignant, and inspiring” (David Axelrod, New York Times
bestselling author), Kal reflects on the most exasperating and
rewarding moments from his journey so far. He pulls back the
curtain on the nuances of opportunity and racism in the
entertainment industry and recounts how he built allies, found
encouragement, and dealt with early reminders that he might never
fit in. He describes his initially unpromising first date with his
now-fiancé Josh, involving an 18-pack of Coors Light and an
afternoon of watching NASCAR. And of course, he reveals how, after
a decade and a half of fighting for and enjoying successes in
Hollywood, he made the terrifying but rewarding decision to take a
sabbatical from a fulfilling acting career for an opportunity to
serve his country as an Obama White House aide. Above all, You
Can’t Be Serious shows that everyone can have more than one life
story. The book “is insightful, funny, and instructive for anyone
who’s ever grappled with how they fit into the American dream”
(Ronan Farrow, New York Times bestselling author), and demonstrates
that no matter who you are and where you come from, you have many
more choices than those presented to you. And okay, yes, it’s
also about how Kal accidentally (and very stupidly) accepted an
invitation to take the entire White House Office of Public
Engagement to a strip club—because, let’s be honest, that’s
the kind of stuff you really want to hear about.
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