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Mike Birbiglia's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Mike Birbiglia recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Mike Birbiglia's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

The Little Astronaut

Recommended by Mike Birbiglia, and 1 others.

Mike BirbigliaMy brilliant & introverted poet wife @PoetryCrush wrote this collection of poems "Little Astronaut" (some of which are in the special!) Cover art by @claireonacloud. Praise from John @mulaney, @JeanHanffKoreli, @ilya_poet & @akasomeguy. I couldn't love this book more.đŸ“šâ€ïž https://t.co/CXENDb9D6h (Source)

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2

An Actor's Companion

Tools for the Working Actor

"I was totally unprepared for the transformation that Seth's technique created in me. . . . I realized that what I thought I knew about acting up to that point was largely misguided . . . but I now had a great, talented, dedicated teacher who generously wanted to share his tools with everyone. There is muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, and I know that having him as my first guide is one of the luckiest things to have happened to me in my career and life. And when I can't get back to class with him, I am so grateful I have this book... more
Recommended by Mike Birbiglia, and 1 others.

Mike Birbiglia@buckleystuff @NewOneBway absolutely. i had to limit my words based on the twitter limit. i could go on and on and on. one of the best people working in the arts. i think @heidibschreck might be a fan of this book too. and @sakinajaffrey. (Source)

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3

Deaf Republic

Ilya Kaminsky's astonishing parable in poems asks us, What is silence?

Deaf Republic opens in an occupied country in a time of political unrest. When soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, Petya, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hear--they all have gone deaf, and their dissent becomes coordinated by sign language. The story follows the private lives of townspeople encircled by public violence: a newly married couple, Alfonso and Sonya, expecting a child; the brash Momma Galya, instigating the insurgency from her puppet theater; and...
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Recommended by Mike Birbiglia, and 1 others.

Mike Birbiglia@ilya_poet @PoetryCrush @claireonacloud @mulaney @JeanHanffKoreli @akasomeguy Thanks, Ilya!! I love Deaf Republic btw!! A beautiful and timeless book.📚 (Source)

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4

The Serious Goose

Recommended by Mike Birbiglia, and 1 others.

Mike BirbigliaSerious Goose is a phenomenal book for kids. Giving a million dollars to children’s hospitals seems pretty good too. Feels like a win-win. Thanks ⁊@jimmykimmel⁩. https://t.co/p7gEmAe7j9 via @NYTimes (Source)

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5

The Library Book

On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery... more
Recommended by Mike Birbiglia, and 1 others.

Mike BirbigliaThis is a must read book by ⁊@susanorlean⁩. Obviously. Everyone has read it. But I’m catching up. This is one of the most captivating paragraphs I’ve read in a while. https://t.co/X46oaLVNxk (Source)

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6
A funny, warm, and brilliantly original memoir in which a grandmother speaks to her granddaughter from beyond the grave, telling, with candor and irresistible humor, stories from both their lives--of kinship, loyalty, tenacity, and love.

Bess Kalb--whip-smart, Twitter-famous TV comedy writer and regular New Yorker "Daily Shouts" columnist--has saved every voicemail message her grandmother, Bobby Bell, ever left her. The two were best friends and confidantes. Bobby doted on her granddaughter; Bess adored Bobby. In 2017, nearly ninety, Bobby died.

In this...
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Recommended by Alfred A. Knopf, Mike Birbiglia, and 2 others.

Alfred A. Knopf“‘Grandma Bobby’ gave @bessbell gifts of love and language (and lunches at the Plaza!), and in this deeply moving and powerful book, Bess repays her in full.
 Deeply moving and powerful.” —@petersagal Learn more about NOBODY WILL TELL YOU THIS BUT ME https://t.co/JsxtYjIi0t https://t.co/WrFLTDdNWP (Source)

Mike Birbiglia@bessbell @penguinrandom i love this book. i won the sweepstakes. (Source)

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