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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Self harm, Alcohol
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Ok, so this was a really satisfying memoir. It is well-written and at turns both poignant and funny. Memoirs are hard to rate, because how do you “rate” a life? If trying on someone else’s life for a few hundred pages provides some insight into a world different from your own, then it’s worth the experience.
I often choose to listen to memoirs as audiobooks rather than choosing the print version. Given that these two are podcasters, it felt even more appropriate to do so this time. The narration is excellent and adds a personal touch to an already personal story.
In some ways, this book feels like one of the “create” assignments that Joseph and Jeffrey might give at the end of an episode of their podcast Start With This—“in so many words, tell the story of an important event or period of time, then have someone close to you describe the same important time. How are your stories similar? How are they different?”
One of my favorite musicals is The Last Five Years, which showcases, in reverse order, the opposite sides of a failed love story (Kathy’s side is told from the frayed end looking back to the romantic beginning, and Jamie’s side from the joyful start to the bitter end) — I suspect, given the similarities of title and formatting, and the fact that both Meg and Joseph are New York artists involved in the experimental theater scene, that this is intentional. Instead of being a record of the “last” years, this book is the record of a beginning, from different perspectives but always heading in the same direction.
As it happens, I feel like this book can stand up to being read by anyone, but I am not entirely sure I would recommend it to people who have no knowledge of our interest in Night Vale or its creators. It provides a lot of insight into the intentionality of a long term relationship and how to navigate building a life together, heavy on the practicality behind a romance, and I think that approach to telling a love story is both unusual and valuable—it doesn’t shy away from the friction inherent in the transitional steps between a new relationship and becoming a family together. But also, so much of their lives is tied up in their careers in a way that may be more rewarding to hear about if you have an investment in the trajectory of those careers. Having been to three of their live shows, I was fascinated by the evolving logistics behind their tours as the show gained popularity. I was equally interested to see through their eyes how the tumblr-inspired word of mouth recommendations suddenly skyrocketed their download numbers all those years ago—a skyrocketing popularity I remember watching with fascination as practically out of nowhere this show became practically the entirety of my tumblr dashboard that year. I think a part of my enjoyment of this memoir was in seeing where my bits of knowledge about their careers overlapped with what they show us here.
The dedication and Meg’s final chapter were especially moving. This book is a testament to their relationship, but it is also a love letter to the daughter they haven’t had the chance to meet yet.
I often choose to listen to memoirs as audiobooks rather than choosing the print version. Given that these two are podcasters, it felt even more appropriate to do so this time. The narration is excellent and adds a personal touch to an already personal story.
In some ways, this book feels like one of the “create” assignments that Joseph and Jeffrey might give at the end of an episode of their podcast Start With This—“in so many words, tell the story of an important event or period of time, then have someone close to you describe the same important time. How are your stories similar? How are they different?”
One of my favorite musicals is The Last Five Years, which showcases, in reverse order, the opposite sides of a failed love story (Kathy’s side is told from the frayed end looking back to the romantic beginning, and Jamie’s side from the joyful start to the bitter end) — I suspect, given the similarities of title and formatting, and the fact that both Meg and Joseph are New York artists involved in the experimental theater scene, that this is intentional. Instead of being a record of the “last” years, this book is the record of a beginning, from different perspectives but always heading in the same direction.
As it happens, I feel like this book can stand up to being read by anyone, but I am not entirely sure I would recommend it to people who have no knowledge of our interest in Night Vale or its creators. It provides a lot of insight into the intentionality of a long term relationship and how to navigate building a life together, heavy on the practicality behind a romance, and I think that approach to telling a love story is both unusual and valuable—it doesn’t shy away from the friction inherent in the transitional steps between a new relationship and becoming a family together. But also, so much of their lives is tied up in their careers in a way that may be more rewarding to hear about if you have an investment in the trajectory of those careers. Having been to three of their live shows, I was fascinated by the evolving logistics behind their tours as the show gained popularity. I was equally interested to see through their eyes how the tumblr-inspired word of mouth recommendations suddenly skyrocketed their download numbers all those years ago—a skyrocketing popularity I remember watching with fascination as practically out of nowhere this show became practically the entirety of my tumblr dashboard that year. I think a part of my enjoyment of this memoir was in seeing where my bits of knowledge about their careers overlapped with what they show us here.
The dedication and Meg’s final chapter were especially moving. This book is a testament to their relationship, but it is also a love letter to the daughter they haven’t had the chance to meet yet.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
After I read “The First Ten Years,” I couldn’t help but imagine what a memoir of my first 10 years with Husband would look like. Admittedly not as exciting as Joseph Fink and Meg Bashwiner’s first 10 years – they lived their dream, going from broke artists living above a Subway shop to schwimming with David Schwimmer in their swanky hotel pool (Bashwiner’s pun, not mine. But I had to use it).
The First Ten Years is their memoir, and it’s one of the most creative memoirs I’ve read. Fink and Bashwiner each chronicle a year of their relationship (2009-2019) from their distinct POVs. Fink is of Welcome to Night Vale fame, a popular podcast that eventually had him touring the world to sold-out shows, and Bashwiner is a member of the Neo-Futurists, which to my uninformed brain is like the SNL of experimental theater. I admittedly have not heard of either the podcast or the theater group, but Fink and Bashwiner were so funny and wise that I will have to check both out at some point.
This is a wonderful memoir that packs both humor and poignancy. Would recommend, and I thank Harper Perennial for the gifted copy!
The First Ten Years is their memoir, and it’s one of the most creative memoirs I’ve read. Fink and Bashwiner each chronicle a year of their relationship (2009-2019) from their distinct POVs. Fink is of Welcome to Night Vale fame, a popular podcast that eventually had him touring the world to sold-out shows, and Bashwiner is a member of the Neo-Futurists, which to my uninformed brain is like the SNL of experimental theater. I admittedly have not heard of either the podcast or the theater group, but Fink and Bashwiner were so funny and wise that I will have to check both out at some point.
This is a wonderful memoir that packs both humor and poignancy. Would recommend, and I thank Harper Perennial for the gifted copy!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Thank you so much to Harper Perennial for this fabulous book in exchange for my honest opinion! I had not heard anything about this book when I saw it coming out from Harper. I loved the premise, and was so curious about the cover of this one, so I requested it. You never know what you're going to get, but this one was the greatest surprise!
The First Ten Years chronicles the first ten years of the relationship that forms between 2 artists living in NYC, Joseph and Meg. Through life changes, many moves, career highs and lows, their relationship is put to the test. In a very honest account with alternating entries from Joseph and Meg, The First Ten Years shows the work and joy that goes into a strong relationship.
What I Appreciated About This Book: I seriously loved this book! Joseph and Meg are my age, lived in NYC during the same years I did, which brought back so many memories of that chapter in my life. Since both are artists, the writing is so good, but also raw, vulnerable, honest. There are times that Joseph or Meg don't come across perfectly, and that is the beauty in this book. Since this book spans 10 years of time, I appreciated that Joseph and Meg never shied away from talking about the political climate and change that occurred in such a relatable and true way. 2016 was such a hard year, but it felt cathartic to read about Joseph and Meg's shared heartbreak, as if we were all in this together- getting through and moving on. Lastly, as a proud Jewish woman, I loved reading about Joseph's relationship with Judaism, and about jewish politics. I felt such a connection to many aspects of this book, and in case you can't tell, I loved it.
What Did Not Work For Me: Nothing!! This book won't be for everyone, but if you love raw relationship accounts, snarky, sharp writing, and a good mix of humor and honesty, please check out this gem.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Not a bad memoir but not quite what I was expecting based on the description.
Joseph and Meg's love story is very compelling to read. The book held my attention for long amounts of time and made me come back to it often. I love how they manage to also talk about important topics in between all the big ups and downs of their relationship. I found both POVs very interesting and was rarely upset to jump between them (only when certain chapters were extra good and I didn't want them to end)
Overall great book, would recommend (but be wary of triggering topics!) and I wish both of them another happy 10 years.
Overall great book, would recommend (but be wary of triggering topics!) and I wish both of them another happy 10 years.