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I Was Better Last Night cover art

I Was Better Last Night

Written by: Harvey Fierstein
Narrated by: Harvey Fierstein
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A poignant and hilarious memoir from the cultural icon, gay rights activist, and four-time Tony Award–winning actor and playwright, revealing never-before-told stories of his personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, and of his fabled career

Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots. While he has never shied away from the spotlight, Mr. Fierstein says that even those closest to him have never heard most of the tales—of personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, of his fabled career—revealed in these wildly entertaining pages.

I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph.

Mr. Fierstein’s candid recollections provide a rich window into downtown New York City life, gay culture, and the evolution of theater (of which he has been a defining figure), as well as a moving account of his family’s journey of acceptance. I Was Better Last Night is filled with wisdom gained, mistakes made, and stories that come together to describe an astonishingly colorful and meaningful life. Lucky for us all, his unique and recognizable voice is as engaging, outrageously funny, and vulnerable on the page.

©2022 Harvey Fierstein (P)2022 Random House Audio

What the critics say

A New York Times Staff Critics Pick of the Year • A Best Book of the Year from Smithsonian Magazine

“A raw, funny and fabulous memoir . . . Fierstein shares his life less in conventional chapters than in colorful patches: 59 of them, stitched together with photos and a plush index. The sum of this is warm and enveloping and indeed two-sided: One is a raw, cobwebby tale of anger, hurt, indignation and pain; flip it over and you get billowing ribbons of humor, gossip and fabulous, hot-pink success . . . With a dramaturge’s expert timing, Fierstein saves the most difficult anecdote of his upbringing for near the end, like the classic 11 o’clock number in musical theater. A story about his mother’s reaction to his accidental coming-out, it’s a pin prick to the heart. Actually it makes the heart a pin cushion.” --Alexandra Jacobs, The New York Times

"I love this book. Harvey Fierstein turns a phrase into a novel and the personal into the universal. The day for this book has come." --Gloria Steinem

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What listeners say about I Was Better Last Night

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A wholesome experience

I loved the way the story was told - his voice, pauses and overall reading was so wholesome, personable and fun.
It felt like a live experience. I enjoyed it so much! And am going to miss listening to his voice.
The story was fun and dynamic - relatively safe overall and somewhat innocent. But beautiful. To hear the stories across a range of time.

I would recommend this to anyone who has an appreciation for life

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🏳️‍🌈❤️🏳️‍🌈

This was like sitting in the library of a New York brownstone, listening to the best stories your gay uncle has. Told with kindness and respect, his voice gently taking you with him on his memories. I loved it

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  • G.
  • 2022-05-05

I Was Better Last Night

Like Harvey Fierstein & his story. A trailblazer & advocate for the LGBTQ & theatre communities to be sure. Wish he dished dirt a bit more, though. Can’t help but feel his jaded eye has seen a lot more than he shares. Also, found his voice a little grating at times. All & all, if you’re looking for tales about his life story, his family & NYC-based gay theatre over the past 50 years, consider I Was Better Last Night.

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