I've Tried Being Nice: Essays

New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary offers a “zany, relatable essay collection” (Oprah Daily), told from the perspective of a recovering people pleaser.

“Ann Leary is a damn delight...Read this book!” —Glennon Doyle

Having arrived at a certain age (her prime), Ann Leary casts a wry backward glance at a life spent trying—and often failing—to be nice. With “humor and expert storytelling” (Oprah Daily), Leary recounts the bedlam of home bat invasions, an obsession with online personality tests, and the mortification of taking ballroom dance lessons with her actor husband. She describes hilarious red-carpet fiascos and other observations from the sidelines of fame, while also touching upon her more poignant struggles with alcoholism, her love for her family, her dogs, and so much more.

Prepare to laugh, cry, cringe, and revel in the comically relatable chaos of Ann Leary’s life as revealed in this “thoughtful, humorous, and brutally honest” (The Boston Globe) collection of essays.

“As relatable and refreshing as a good talk with your wisest friend.” —The Boston Globe, “75 Books We’re Most Excited to Read This Summer”
“In funny and unpretentious essays...Leary shares stories from a lifetime of wanting to be liked.” —The Washington Post, “10 Noteworthy Books for June”
“[A] winning essay collection…The humor lands and the lithe prose elevates Leary’s musings on life’s mundanities. This is a gem.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)