I heard about New York's "Cringe" gatherings on NPR about a year ago, but I've never been lucky enough to attend one (and, seeing as I'm something of a delicate flower, that's probably just as well). These events feature ordinary, adult New Yorkers reading aloud from their teenage diaries—and the more cringe-worthy the entry, the better. Show creator Sarah Brown and the fine people at Random House have joined forces to reproduce some of the, er, “best” entries in book form:


According to the Random House's book site, the book features poetry:

"I lumber like the sad clown with
the hope that my performance
might make you smile.
Yet I am a flickering star over
a cloudy sky."

And pep talks:

"OK. It’s the end of February. No more
kidding around! You have to go out
with someone! You haven’t gone out
with someone since the summer!
At least fool around with someone!"
Come on! You’ve got it in ya!"

Aaaand deep teenage reflection:

"My mom is madly in love with
her boyfriend. . . . Cool! He’s so rich
. . . I could get a lot out of this—
vacations, a car—if he buys my mom
one + she gives me hers—psyche!"

Labels: Nonfiction, Yikes