The Wreckage of My Presence

"Magnificent." —People Magazine

The instant New York Times bestseller: Laugh-out-loud, deeply insightful, and emotion-filled essays from multitalented actress, comedian, podcaster, and writer Casey Wilson.

Casey Wilson has a lot on her mind and she isn’t afraid to share. In this dazzling collection, each essay skillfully constructed and brimming with emotion, she shares her thoughts on the joys and vagaries of modern-day womanhood and motherhood, introduces the not-quite-typical family that made her who she is, and persuasively argues that lowbrow pop culture is the perfect lens through which to examine human nature.

Whether she’s extolling the virtues of eating in bed, processing the humiliation over her father’s late in life perm, mourning her mother's passing, or revealing her patented method for keeping the mystery alive in a marriage, Casey is witty, candid, and full of poignant and funny surprises. Humorous dives into her obsessions and areas of personal expertise—self-help, nice guys, cool girls (not her) and how to receive visitors in the bath—are matched by touching meditations on female friendship, anger, grief, motherhood, and identity. 

Reading The Wreckage of My Presence is like spending time with a close friend—a deeply passionate, full-tilt, joyous, excessive, compulsive, shameless, hungry-for-it-all, loyal, cheerleading friend. A friend who is ready for any big feelings that come her way—and isn’t afraid to embrace them.
Behind-the-Scenes Hollywood: From her time on Saturday Night Live to the cult-favorite sitcom Happy Endings, Casey shares what it’s really like trying to make it in show business.Pop Culture Obsession: Dive into Casey’s hilarious takes on everything from the Real Housewives franchise to her deep-seated conviction that lowbrow pop culture is the key to understanding humanity.Self-Deprecating Humor: Whether confessing to being a "bed person," receiving visitors in the bath, or dealing with her father’s late-in-life perm, Casey’s wit is always aimed squarely at herself.Modern Motherhood: Tackling postpartum depression, the tyranny of toddler taste buds, and the joy and terror of raising kids in a world gone mad.Candid Memoir: A book that isn’t afraid of big feelings, matching laugh-out-loud moments with poignant reflections on female friendship, anger, and the loss of her mother.