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Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went from Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things Audiobook
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The "hilarious and poignant" story of one chronically anxious woman's quest to become braver by seeking out the kinds of experiences she's spent her life avoiding (Cheryl Strayed).
For most of her life (and even during her years as the host of a popular radio show), Courtenay Hameister lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety. She fretted about everything. Her age. Her size. Her romantic prospects. How likely it was that she would get hit by a bus on the way home.
Until a couple years ago, when, in her mid-forties, she decided to fight back against her debilitating anxieties by spending a year doing little things that scared her -- things that the average person might consider doing for a half second before deciding: "nope."
Things like: attending a fellatio class. She did that. She also spent an afternoon in a sensory deprivation tank, got (legally) high in the middle of a workday, had a session with a professional cuddler, braved twenty-eight first dates, and (perhaps scariest of all) actually met someone who might possibly appreciate her for who she is.
Refreshing, relatable, and pee-your-pants funny, Okay Fine Whatever is Courtenay's hold-nothing-back account of her adventures on the front lines of Mere Human Woman vs. Fear, reminding us that even the tiniest amount of bravery is still bravery, and that no matter who you are, it's possible to fight complacency and become bold, or at least bold-ish, a little at a time.
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"It's a rare writer who is as frank, funny, and smart as Courtenay Hameister is on the page, and in Okay Fine Whatever her talent for all of these things is on full display. I was moved by Hameister's vulnerability as she wrote about her long-time struggles with her weight, her anxiety, and her search for love, and I was gobsmacked by the fearlessness with which she set out to do the varied, wild, strange things she thought would cure her of her deepest sorrows. I never wanted to put down Okay Fine Whatever. It's one of those books that takes you into its grips. It reads like an adventure novel and a secret whispered into your ear. It felt true to me and alive and real, like on every page I was witnessing someone who finally made good on an ancient dare. I loved this book."
— Cheryl Strayed, New York Times bestselling author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things
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“Courtney Hameister narrates this engaging, insightful, and at times hilarious account…She’s especially good at capturing her own anxiety-driven inner monologues during awkward circumstances such as a first sexual encounter and is often laugh-out-loud funny. A former NPR host, Hameister is a terrific narrator—she gets comic timing and tone fully…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Reads like an adventure novel and a secret whispered into your ear. It felt true to me and alive and real.”
— Cheryl Strayed, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“[A] bitingly funny memoir…A smart, inspiring read.”
— People -
“Hameister details her experiences with brutal honesty and sidesplitting hilarity.”
— Shelf Awareness -
“The author not only chronicles how she faced her inner demons and won; she also offers a reminder that doing even the smallest thing to conquer fear ‘is enough to change a lot.’ A fresh, intelligent memoir.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“You can’t help but fall in love with this gem of a book. Courtenay…makes the smallest moments vivid, meaningful, and laugh-out-loud funny.”
— Annabelle Gurwitch, author of I See You Made an Effort -
This bitingly funny memoir chronicles the year the author faced her fears. A smart, inspiring read.
— People -
A witty, wise call-to-arms for the anxiety-ridden in a period when we're more anxious than ever. A timely book for these end-of-times times.
— John Hodgman, New York Times bestsellingauthor of Vacationland -
You guys, this book is f*cking funny.
— Chelsea Handler -
Inspiring from the first pages. Courtenay fearlessly lets us into her head; she didn't clean up in there before company came over, and I am so glad. Her risk-taking adventures in career and love are more stirring to me than any daring physical feat."—Jen Kirkman, New York Times bestselling author of I Can BarelyTake Care of Myself
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I loved this book so hard. Courtenay Hameister makes me feel thrilled to be alive-even though most things in life scare the crap out of me so much it's hard for me to walk out of my own front door. Okay Fine Whatever is a brilliant testament to the fire of the spirit for misfits and scaredy pants everywhere. A soul triumph. A reason to live.
— Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Book ofJoan and The Small Backs of Children -
Courtenay deftly executes one of the most difficult feats for a writer: she makes the smallest moments vivid, meaningful, and laugh-out-loud funny. You'll be rooting for her the whole way, and she'll surprise you at every turn with her fortitude, her sparkling feats of fearlessness preserved in riotous detail, and her joie de anxiety.
— Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times bestselling author of Wherever You Go,There They Are and I See YouMade an Effort -
Hameister details her experiences with brutal honesty and sidesplitting hilarity...Okay Fine Whatever manages expertly to blend adventure, romance, mental illness and an extra helping of humor for an entertaining memoir that reminds the reader, 'At certain moments, "No one gives a s***" is one of the nicest things you can say to yourself.'
— ShelfAwareness -
Courtenay Hameister's frank, hilarious chronicle of facing her fears promises hope and laughs while staying real.
— Paste (The 10 Best Books of July 2018) -
When was the last time a book made you giggle out loud repeatedly in public? Also, when was the last time a book made you feel totally and completely seen? Courtenay Hameister's memoir accomplishes both. Read it in public at your own risk.
— HelloGiggles -
The book you need to read.
— Bustle -
Inspiring, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny.
— Booklist -
Courtenay Hameister wrote the following sentence and for this sentence alone she should be world famous: 'Like the snowflake of the genital world, no two vaginas are ever alike.' Her stories are honest, funny and touching. I love her work and so will you.
— MikeSacks, author of Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top ComedyWriters -
Courtenay Hameister is one of the funniest, sharpest writers I know. Her work is confessional, witty, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I love her.
— Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick and One Kick -
Vaguely embarrassed posers who think they know from humiliation, step aside - the somewhat intrepid yet thoroughly original and hilarious Courtenay Hameister is our new patron saint of the bizarre life experience. Readers everywhere will be super grateful to her for doing all this awkward stuff so they don't have to. Thanks, Courtenay!
— Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A Paste Magazine Pick of the Ten Best Books of the Month
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About Courtenay Hameister
Courtenay Hameister is a professional nervous person. During her twelve years as host and head writer for Live Wire, a nationally-syndicated public radio show, she interviewed over five hundred intimidating people and wrote two hundred personal essays in bursts of anxiety-fueled inspiration at midnight the night before each show. Her work has also been featured in McSweeney’s, APM’s Marketplace, MoreMagazine and some scathing emails to the customer service department at Macy’s.