Josh Peck
One of my all time favorite TV shows growing up was Nickelodeon’s Drake and Josh, shaping a large part of my personality at the time and even to this day. A big reason that this show was so impactful to me and why it induced so much growth on my sense of humor was because of the performance of a young up-and-comer actor at the time, Josh Peck. What a kid this guy was, just wowed me. Little did I know, the tribulations that he faced growing up was one of the most challenging that I have ever read and the fact that he was able to turn out how he did is truly a miracle.
The first day that Josh Peck’s new book, Happy People are Annoying came out (click on the name to view the book on Amazon), I instantly downloaded the audiobook version and got to hear my childhood idol read his new book. From my reading and listening to this book I can break it down into two main sections that I will explain below. I hope that by the end of this review you will be able to make an educated decision on if this book is for you or not.
The kid that I idolized…
The first part of the book focused on his upbringing. All that most people knew of Josh Peck was that he was extremely silly and funny on a very popular Nickelodeon show. Little did I, and many other people I am sure, know, there was so very much going on in this young star’s life. Born November 10, 1986, Josh began his life in a very humble and nomadic way with his mom. His dad never being involved with his life, Josh spent a lot of his younger years wondering why he had not been. That along with struggling with weight issues and societies opinions on that weight, created a space in this young boy’s head that needed an outlet. That outlet became television and comedy. The stars that lit up Josh’s world on that screen were never harmful to him, they only made him laugh. The stars that lit up Josh’s world on that screen were his everything and he was determined to be just like them, even if it were not the most risk-free professions and would almost put him and his mom at risk of bankruptcy many times.
This first section of the book was neatly organized and outstanding in the amount of detail that Josh was able to recall. Even if you do not know who he is the tale that he builds up in this section about his life is must-read. Josh describes his first several break points into his acting career and the social anxiety that a larger child star faced when walking onto a set that was partially filled because of the humor people saw in him as that larger star. The effects of this caused sadness and depression, even leading him to wear a fat-suit in a few years of Drake and Josh because of him being afraid of being “too fat”.
The man that I didn’t know about, but now do…
The second main section that I can organize the book into can be identified as what happened after Drake and Josh ended. I always kind of thought that he just disappeared after the show, but it was amazing to hear his story of what came next. I think that not very many people could have explained depression and feelings associated with it better as well as describing the path down addiction. If there is one thing that outshines his acting ability, it is his skill of making the reader actually understand the exact emotions that he is describing. While depression and addiction to multiple substances and people is not always something that you want to think about your childhood idols, it was a humbling experience. I loved the fact that he was so vulnerable in this section of the book, it made me like him as an actor and a person even more. To find out that people of his fame are humans too was a nice change of pace when looking at the type of things found in media today.
Finding out what type of perseverance and humble beginnings that he had to experience for a second time was eye opening. Learning about all of the things that he has done to stay relevant in the acting world was also a page turner. While online influencers are common now, Josh truly pioneered several aspects of it I would say.
Alex’s Verdict: Does Happy People are Annoying deserve your hard earned money?
10/10
All in all, Happy People are Annoying is one of the greatest honest pieces of literature that I have read quite a long time. Getting a close look at a star of Josh’s magnitude throughout various stages of life is inspiring and humbling, especially when you see all of the trials and unfortunate events that transpire. Childhood stories, teenage stories, and stories of adulthood will fill your brain with understanding of a person conflicted about their passion, their weight, how people made him feel, and how his family played a role in his development. Please give it a try and read this. If there is one book that would be sincerely easy for everyone to read in 2022 it is this book.
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