Born Standing Up

By Steve Martin

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs

Long before he was a star, Steve Martin was a kid learning magic tricks at Disneyland, which had just opened near his California home. In this memoir he looks back at the young man he was and the long climb that followed. He describes logging each joke's reaction in a notebook, studying other performers, and honing his act in small, dark clubs while studying philosophy at UCLA. Then, at the height of his success, came the night he noticed empty seats.

Recommended by 7 people

• Sahil Lavingia
• Marc Andreessen
• Jason Calacanis
• Adam Savage
• Tim Ferriss
• Bill Gurley: “It had a profound effect on me. So great. Must read.”
• Bill Nye: “This is the story of my hero. The guy who inspired me to do what I do now.”