Tough Crowd by Graham Linehan

[Crinklycut]

I have just finished this. I found it funny at the beginning, lucid on the craft of writing, clear (though, painful) on his activism and experience of being cancelled, and so deeply moving at the end. I felt the weight of every acknowledgement.

For a book about friendship, which I think this is—as much as any other subject—I hope the friends that he believes to be lost, will come back.

Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

There was a recent thread about this book, & how libraries were not stocking it.
The Consortium that my library belongs to has something like 23 Local Authorities & only 1 (yes, ONE) copy available.
Can't wait to read it, I'm only 13th in the queue !

I can’t really understand why libraries wouldn’t stock it. Probably a case of people making a judgement without reading it.

Can Mumsnet ‘gift’ one to you, @Georgyporky ? There must be a way - crowdfunding etc.

I did see the thread about it being hard to get a copy, but wanted to hear reviews of it as its own genre: a celebrity memoir, essentially.

The insights he makes about the writing process are really fascinating. It’s a great read. And I haven’t followed the activism side, so much, so that was interesting, too.

There is clearly a lot of affection for him. I hope the success of the book brings him back to screenwriting, and that the musical gets made.

My copy just arrived, can’t wait to read it.

He spoke at Battle of Ideas today. Room was packed out ❤️

I am really enjoying it. Very well written and entertaining.

I'm waiting for my copy to arrive :)

It's available on audible

Is it him reading it @SkiingIsHeaven ?

I preordered it from the publisher. I don't read celebrity autobiographies and had only bought it to support him but it seemed silly to spend that money and not read it.

I've just read the first few chapters so far. It's reminded me what a good writer he is. He's so bloody funny.

It's made me think that the appalling way that he's been treated isn't just his own personal tragedy; how many great tv comedies have we, the public, missed out on because TRAs deliberately wrecked his career?

That was the same for me @cariadlet .

I bought it after that Hadley Freeman article - but so enjoyed his writing once I actually sat down to read it. And yes - what a waste these past years have been to deprive us of such talent.

I hope that the musical gets made.

@Crinklycut Yes he is the narrator.

It is not stocked in our county library system at all. I am going to try and find out how you request books they haven't stocked.

Graham has tweeted today that Tough Crowd is available in all good bookshops apart from WHSmith, which he claims is refusing to stock it.

I’m really enjoying it. He’s a very funny man.

When I read it, I felt as though the book needed to be allowed to be enjoyed without the furore surrounding who will stock it etc.

It is a great read. Really funny and joyful. It should be perfectly acceptable to buy it / borrow it. It is exactly the sort of thing that I would buy for my dad / fil- in fact, I have just solved their Christmas presents!