If you've ever been fired, you're in good company. That's what actress and writer Annabelle Gurwitch discovered when she was fired by her idol Woody Allen. ("You look retarded,” he told her.) She confided her tale of woe to her friend Felicity Huffman, who made Annabelle laugh with her own stories. Annabelle realized that there was a world of people out there waiting to laugh at the experience that virtually everyone shares, and she began to collect stories of being fired from friends and colleagues.
Fired! is a collection of hilarious but true tales from people who've all gotten the ax, the boot, or been canned at some point in their lives. In "That's a Fact," Andy Borowitz tells the story of being fired as a writer for the television sitcom The Facts of Life after being informed that he just didn't "get" Tootie. In "Poor Judgment," Illeana Douglas tells about being fired after a few hours of working as a coat check girl: "How is it possible to be fired from hanging coats? I have arms. I know what coats are. I don't come home and throw my coat on the floor. I hang it in a closet. I have experience." With an all-star cast from Tim Allen to Bill Maher, from Morgan Spurlock to former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, and writers from The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, this book proves it's not the bounce that counts, it's the bounce back.
"Even the losers get lucky sometimes...[Fired] shows that sometimes the best revenge is losing well." —The New York Times
"It's the best kind of comedy – rooted in empathy and with a serious point. People love to hear these stories. People need to hear these stories." —Patrick Beach, Cox News Service
"She has turned her misfortune into an entertainment most of us can identify with." —John Defore, Hollywood Reporter
