You Can't Be Serious
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You Can't Be Serious
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Narrated by:
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Kal Penn
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Written by:
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Kal Penn
About this listen
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.
©2021 Bhai, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.You may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
"Penn has created a unique, honest performance, very different from the standard celebrity tell-all. This is an enjoyable and informative listen delivered by a pop-culture figure who's all grown up." — AudioFile Magazine
What listeners say about You Can't Be Serious
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zizi
- 2021-11-18
inspirational
highly recommended for struggling artists, especially poc artis to get some expectations on what happened in the industry. What I learned about this book is, if you have an extraordinary dream, you need to do extraordinary actions. Thanks Kal!! btw I'm still upset about kutner's death...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- manofsubstance
- 2021-11-12
What a ride
Kal Penn’s book shines a torch on a path shared by many immigrants and people of color in modern USA. Immigrants and first-generation Americans alike can both relate to his story in depths akin to the problem of system racism in the nation today.
From the inevitability of having to climb the ladder by playing along with stereotyped roles and opportunity in the film industry, to the unlikelihood of helping build a more progressive nation, the story of Kal Penn sways me with relatable cringeworthy Indian familial expectations and glory in reaping the rewards endowed by patience and hard work.
With this being the first audiobook I actually finished, I’m glad I chose to enjoy it in this format.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-01-17
Kal's narration is too good
not only is this book extremely insightful and witty. The amount of personality is so genuine and matter of fact; Kal makes you feels like you're listening to what he has to say during a conversation rather than reading a book.
highly recommend listening to the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 2022-06-30
Fantastic!!
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Kal Penn (Kalpen Modi), himself.
As a brown woman born in Canada just a few years before Penn, I really enjoyed this memoir. Luckily for me, race was never an issue where I grew up (a place very much smaller than New Jersey). I didn't encounter race politics until I moved to Toronto, and it still doesn't really affect my life, except as an observer of the injustice done to others. I think I've been very lucky that way.
It was so interesting to see Hollywood through Penn's eyes. How has Hollywood purported to be so progressive and yet in actuality is more backwards than my hometown in the '80s? It makes the success of people like Penn, Mindy Kaling, Kunal Nayyar, Kumail Nanjiani, Hasan Minhaj etc. so much sweeter to know how hard they had to work. It seems even more difficult for the American-born among them, who didn't have an Indian accent! 🤦🏽♀️ I truly believe things are turning around for visible minorities in Hollywood. I think we're at a turning point; a lot more demand for and acceptance of diversity on the screen. ❤️
Back to the book! Kalpen Modi does a great job taking us through his formative years, his quest for success and the struggles along the way. I love that he explained how he ended up campaigning for, and then working for, Barack Obama. The behind-the-scenes look at his White House job was fascinating!
He seems like a truly modest and down-to-earth man. There is no ego to talk about. His success came from nothing but hard work and he hadn't forgotten his humble roots. His parents must be so proud! 😊
His narration is wonderful. He's the guy you want to sit down and have a drink with.
My next audiobook will probably be Kunal Nayyar's "Yes, My Accent Is Real", for a compare/ contrast.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jared
- 2022-04-11
Real and funny
“….it’s just a little oil fire.” 🤣🤣🤣 Very well done. I would have liked to hear more detail in a few of the stories but appreciated the cadence.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-04-07
Excellent! A compelling listen.
Great! Like having lunch with a dear friend; comfortable and thrilling! Kal is a skillful storyteller both in writing and in his reading here.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NaomiH
- 2022-06-03
Enjoyed the listen!
Very interesting! I’ve never seen Harold and Kumar, but came to love Kal’s character on Designated Survivor. What an interesting life he’s had so far!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-11-19
Funny + heartfelt!
Kal Penn tells his story so well! Funny, full of heart, and he’s a GREAT narrator! Highly recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PS
- 2022-01-19
one of the best audio book experiences I've had
kal writes well and his narration makes it feel like he is talking directly tithe listener rather than reading. his story is so unique and, yet, familiar. Great, fun, educational listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Doctor Gee
- 2022-11-03
My kids heard accidentally about f****d in the a**
Love this book. Kal brought his story to life beautifully. The only hiccup was that we listened on a road trip with our kids in the backseat only to have them ask a lot of questions surrounding the game accidentally f****d in the a** which was interesting and sped up our timeline of sexual demystification. Great book.
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