The Wreckage of My Presence: Essays

"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.

What happens when you embrace the beautiful mess of your own life?

• Celebrity Memoir: Go behind the scenes of shows like Saturday Night Live and Happy Endings with Casey's signature wit and hilarious candor.
• Pop Culture Obsession: From a deep dive into the Real Housewives franchise to the virtues of eating in bed, no topic is off-limits.
• Raw Honesty: Touching and surprisingly funny meditations on navigating anxiety, anger, and motherhood with an open heart and zero filter.
• Unforgettable Family: Meet the not-quite-typical family that made her who she is, from a father with a late-in-life perm to a mother who believed in an open-door policy (and living with strangers).