Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence

by Paul Feig

Written in side-splitting and often cringe-inducing detail, Paul Feig takes you in a time machine to a world of bombardment by dodge balls, ill-fated prom dates, hellish school bus rides, and other aspects of public school life that will keep you laughing in recognition and occasionally sighing in relief that you aren’t him. Kick Me is a nostalgic trip for the inner geek in all of us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Essays, Biography, Comedy, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Paul S. Feig (born September 17, 1962) is an American director, actor and author. Feig directed the Oscar nominated 2011 film Bridesmaids featuring Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. Feig directed The Heat, also starring McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

He created the critically acclaimed show Freaks and Geeks and has directed several episodes of The Office and Arrested Development; plus select episodes of 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Mad Men and other television series.

Feig has been nominated for two Emmy Awards for writing on Freaks and Geeks and three for directing on The Office. He is also known for playing Mr. Eugene Pool, Sabrina's science teacher, on the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, as well as Tim, a camp counselor, in the film Heavyweights.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a fluke moment of inspiration, young Paul Feig composes a mildly clever humorous poem about a knight with wardrobe difficulties. Both his teacher and classmates, all of whom usually hate his guts, react positively to it, instilling the belief in Feig that everything he writes from here on out can't help but be raw, unaffected genius. And of course his next poem is incoherent and awful, and everyone hates him again.

That's the kind of embarrassing school-days anecdote that's funny to look back on. In sixth grade homeroom, I put on a puppet show about safety starring a squeaky-voiced character I made out of a pillowcase and a balloon named "Blue Boo", and quite unexpectedly my every word and action was met with uproarious laughter. I spent the rest of my middle school career failing to capture that magic, putting on one forced, horrifically unfunny puppet show after another. Devastating at the time, funny now. I still have that pillowcase, mouldering in a drawer somewhere. Fuckin' Blue Boo.

When the humiliation is the result of Feig's naive nature and active fantasy life, it's funny and charming. Otherwise, there's really no way to make physical attacks and relentless verbal cruelty all that funny or enjoyable to read. Unless you were a bully once yourself, and you'd like to relive the thrills of torturing people weaker than yourself, in which case by all means pick it up. That way maybe retroactive guilt will consume you, and you'll buy a gun and blow your brains out! Wouldn't that be great, Scott Clukey? I mean, nameless reader?

[Mike Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teenage angst and nerdy anger is one thing, and can be funny (intentional or not), but there's a mean-even-in-retrospect element to the narrative of one or two stories that is unnerving. What's left is like Freaks and Geeks (awesome) without the tiny dose of the Wonder Years that show had. Feig gives us that tiny dose at the end of his book, but I think it is too late. We're already hoping he gets his ass kicked, gets a backbone, or just grows up already. At some point I stopped rooting for him when the adult narrator seemed to be bullying others in hindsight. Or maybe I'm weary and scarred by the harrowing embarrassment of these stories, and emptied of any empathetic reserves by the time Feig describes his scathing reaction to his junior prom date's appearance.

Just read a good review on goodreads by Crystal who describes the childhood stories as more compelling than the adolescent ones -- that's when I started to fade in my enthusiasm here too.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoy Paul Feig's work (Freaks and Geeks, The Office, Bridesmaids) so I thought this book would be a slam dunk. It was not.

He's a good writer - it's not that. The book started out with childhood stories from his experience growing up in Michigan that I could identify with. Then his recollections of being bullied got more and more tragic and even the humor he attempted to inject didn't dull the horror. And then, the more more he talked about his quirks and beliefs as a child, the less I felt sorry for him. (I was bullied as a kid too, but man, Paul really invited a lot of bullying with his behavior.) When he got to the story of his first date, he sounded like such a judgmental asshole (both now and as a child) that I wanted to kick his ass myself.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

You may know Paul Feig as the creator of Freaks and Geeks, possibly the finest television show ever made. In Kick Me, Feig describes a series of painfully embarrassing events from his middle and high school years. It's an engaging book and offers some fascinating back story to many events and themes that made their way into the show. But while Freaks and Geeks usually offers a bit of redemption to even the most obnoxious characters, Feig's memoir portrays a world that is considerably bleaker for a weird teenage boy. Sure, this book is pretty funny, but it's also kind of disturbing.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the director of "Bridesmaids," this memoir is radioactively hilarious.

[Micah · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Paul Feig's TV and movie work, I'd recommend avoiding this book. It's hard to reconcile the person who wrote "Kick Me" with the man behind "Freaks and Geeks" and "Bridesmaids." There are a couple of treasures here, like "Scared Straight" and "The Gym Class Archipelago, Parts I and II," that prove that some of the Freaks and Geeks plots were autobiographical. However, the show was notable for the sympathy and love it showed its high school characters as they grew into the people they wanted to be.

In jarring contrast, "Kick Me" features a main character (Feig, from elementary through high school) who suffers, but has empathy for no one but himself. Its theme seems to be "Look at what a neurotic, thoughtless kid I was! Also, my gym teacher was a psychopath."

In almost every story, the young Feig demonstrates insight-free cruelty to everyone around him. The best example of this "'Tis the Season to Avoid Dating," where, to his great surprise, he gets a date to the Christmas dance with Cathy, a girl he's had a crush on for months. He thinks he might get to French-kiss her, but he's displeased when he arrives to pick her up for the dance. She got ready wrong, and Feig provides a detailed list of his objections to Cathy's looks. These include her hair, "Nazi storm-trooper helmet;" makeup "her face had been made up like a ventriloquist dummy's;" dress, "she was wearing an ill-advised dress that was very silky-esque and clingy;" body, "Cathy had the slightest bit of a gut on her;" and her bare arms, which "revealed an overabundance of moles."

He even hates Cathy's accessories. Her white pumps "looked exactly like the shoes nurses used to wear in hospital shows from the 1960s," and she wears "the exact same shawl I'd seen my eighty-something grandmother wear for years." When his poor date gets sick after chugging a beer and a half, the author chronicles his disgust and lack of sympathy for her for the rest of the night.

This story in particular make me think,"THIS is the guy who's such ally of women in TV and movies?" Assuming Cathy is a real person, I couldn't help wondering how she felt after reading his account of their ill-fated date. If I were her, I'd enjoy every bit of the young Paul Feig's suffering in "Kick Me." I might send the gym teacher flowers.

[Wes Locher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Feig's "Kick Me" was a difficult read for me. Maybe it was the emotional pain I felt for the author as he took me through 12 years of pain, torture, girl problems, abuse by his classmates, and myriad awkward experiences. Or maybe it was because I relived my entire childhood through this book.

Regardless of how I felt, I actually couldn't put it down and read it cover to cover in under 24 hours. It's good to know that I'm not the only one to suffer at the hands of abusive classmates and teachers or to grow up being completely mystified by the fairer sex.

Like all great humor writers, Feig was able to take those character-building experiences and put them out there where he and the rest of us could get a fantastic laugh from them. Through his stories, we're also able to laugh at ourselves.

Highly recommended reading for any male who suffered his through school at one point or another.

[Erin Beckwith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been on my "to-read" list for nearly 10 years, since a friend recommended it when I was around age 17 and loving the television show Freaks and Geeks, created by the author. What I expected was a gut wrenchingly hilarious, laugh-out-loud funny, cleverly crafted memoir of Paul Feig's youth. Instead, he describes bitter memories in a voice that, while sometimes humorously sarcastic, was much more bland, and serious, that I had in mind. Being surrounded by Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris books begging to be read, I had to put this down unfinished. I don't plan to pick it up again, but I will still and forever unabashedly love Freaks and Geeks along with all the other things Feig has done in screen medium.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adolescence is something that we all tackle in a lifetime, just as we tackle childhood and battle adulthood, however, this confusing time between the two can be confusing, enlightening, and scary, especially for a young Paul Feig as read in this book. As a girl I can say I don't really know what the life of an adolescent boy is like. I couldn't tell you what runs through their mind when they dance with a crush at a school formal, are dressed up as an elf for a school play, or get picked on. However, "Kick Me" is enlightening and funny as the author retells accounts of his childhood. These recounts are displayed in a sense of honesty not often seen in books directed to young people. Feig makes his writing relatable through this level of honesty, providing opportunities to laugh and gasp as the pages turn. However, after a while the book begins to draw on. As a big fan of Feig's 90's television show "Freaks and Geeks", I almost wish the book could meet the same level of satisfaction as the show does. By the end of the book I found myself reading to read, with the slight spurts of hilarity few and far apart. I commend the blatant honesty, but the ride through adolescence turned out to be a long one. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a book filled with awkward, quirky, and relatable moments that could bring them back to their days in school.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feig's childhood seemed to be painfully awkward. At times, the stories were funny, but as they progressed I found myself becoming bored and just wanting to get to the end. I also found that the stories were nothing new, they seemed to be archetypical of stories of childhood. It made me wonder if all these things happened as Feig depicts them or whether they have become exaggerated to fit a stereotypical story of gym class, bus riding, or going to the prom. All the same, the book had amusing moments and certainly gave me a little insight into how boys develop. There are people I would recommend the book to, and others I would suggest to avoid it.
On a final note, I think the "Adventures in Adolescence" is a misnomer. Only a small portion of the book actually covers Feig's adolescence. The bulk of the book covers his grade school years.

[Liesl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing at times and Feig's talent as a writer is on full display, but somewhat forgettable. The kernels for several storylines from Freaks and Geeks are present here, and some of the events documented are so cringeworthy that they verge on being uncomfortable to read. Even though I am younger and a different gender than Feig, several of his experiences are so universal that I was easily able to relate to them, and his recollections of physical education in particular brought back a wash of horrible memories. While not as memorable or humorous as I would have liked it to be, this book was an enjoyable way to pass the time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not have picked this book at all for my 6th grade library but my district did. It's a bit too explicit for my 6th grade. However, I sympathized and enjoyed the reading.

I never watched Freaks and Geeks so I have no idea how closely it adheres to the show. I enjoyed the style of writing, even though I'm not really fond of short stories and essays.

I'll not be putting this one out on the classroom shelves/library.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wickedly funny. I burst out laughing while on the bus reading through the awkward and embarrassing moments Paul Feig relates in this memoir of his time in grade school through high school. It is brutally honest, and very, very funny. At least I like this kind of humor. Thanks, Paul Feig.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my book group. Disappointing. When we picked it, we were thinking, "Something light!" But, it wasn't light so much as it was just kind of sad and pathetic. I didn't make it to this group (was on flight back from a funeral), but I got the impression no one was especially impressed.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't finish it. The anecdotes were funny and relatable, but the writing was a little dry. I was disappointed, because I love Freaks & Geeks so much. Seems like another case of a writer who is great at characterization but doesn't really know how to unfold plot.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Feig gives you a look into his life growing up with bullies and painful inability to fit in. At times the stories are funny and others, just painful to read. Delivery is a little dry but I do recommend this eye opening book.

[Samantha Allwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eminently readable and hilarious. I am genuinely bummed to have finished it.

[Meagan Houle]

Cute, but generally insipid.
Paul attempts to write one of those feel-good, nostalgic memoirs about life as a kid which, for most of us, is one long lesson in the school of hard knocks. Despite some mild hazing from his peers (really, little more than what most of us face for one reason or another), Paul manages to "blossom" into one of the most neurotic teenagers I've ever heard of. Adult Paul, while writing about his past self, is wonderfully candid about his many eccentricities, and is quick to point out the many times he was deserving of all the ridicule he received. I'll say this for him as an author: he is both honest and humble. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say.
Generally, the focus of one of these books is to create something that is relatable, funny, heartwarming, and inspiring. This book did not prove inspiring in any sense, though Paul may not have been going for quite that angle. He was an ordinary kid doing ordinary stuff, not aspiring to any great heights that we know of and certainly not reaching any. Heartwarming, well, your mileage may vary on that one, but for the most part I found myself shaking my head rather than basking in glowing rays of warmth. Funny...again, I suppose your mileage may vary. There are a few good laughs in this, and the author's overall candor is often appreciable, but many of the jokes in this little book fall flat--and they do so with a disheartening thud. Relatable? In some ways, though I've never been a teenage boy so I suppose I can't say for sure on that one.
Over and over while reading this, I asked myself "Why was this written?" What was the point? Why this man, in particular? It would have been just as sensible for me to write a book...and I'm about as much of a nobody as it is possible to be. Nobodies can write wonderful autobiographies if they have something to say, but for the most part, I don't think Paul had much to say at all. Far from being a sweet little portrait of nostalgia--or indeed a useful commentary on what it is to be an adolescent--this book reads like someone's chatty diary, with very little of the insight I look for in a good memoir.
The verdict? Borrow this if someone else happens to have it, but don't waste your money.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who's seen an episode of Freaks and Geeks should know what to expect from Paul Feig's memoir Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence. And maybe that's the problem.

Feig is certainly good at self-deprecation, and equally as good at getting to the heart of all of the things that make being a teenager so horribly difficult. Many of short essays that comprise the book hit so close to home that I found myself wincing- who hasn't been terrified of taking their clothes off in the locker room, or can't relate to hours spent agonizing over how best to start conversations with the opposite sex? They're familiar stories, almost comforting in parts- if only for the reassurance that someone else has been there too.

But the challenge to telling a familiar story is to make it fresh, and this is where I felt Kick Me fell short. There were quite a few moments that lacked impact simply because I was expecting them, often from the very first sentence of the essay.

The humor seemed to suffer from the same issue. A lot of the jokes seemed like I had heard them before- on Freaks and Geeks. There were plenty of turns of phrase and situation that made me chuckle, but very few had me laughing out loud- and a couple even had me rolling my eyes, I'm sad to report.

The sections of the book that really shone all seemed to come from Feig's childhood, rather than his adolescence, and I can't help but think that maybe that's a function of having heard too much about his teenage years already. I'd love to see Feig take on some different subject matter; perhaps it would bring some of the life to his writing that Kick Me seemed to lack.

It's an entertaining book, but ultimately forgettable. Pick it up if you're looking for something light to read on an airplane or in the bathroom. But if you're looking for gut wrenching, laugh-out-loud tales of teenage woe, watch Freaks and Geeks and give Kick Me a pass.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hail to the bus driver!

This book was amusing at times, but mostly just damn depressing! Paul Feig's early life is one cringe-inducing scene after another. And when something good does happen, he invariably somehow ends up in a literal ditch anyway.

However! I think in about the 2nd last chapter he tells some stories about bus drivers he had as a kid and the girls on the bus who would torment them until they drove them insane and/or quit. This section had me laughing out loud. The comebacks from the girls when being talked to by the drivers were fantastic! I did have to wonder how it was that I found this so amusing when I was clearly cringing at all of Paul's stories. Both the bus drivers and Paul were being tortured in a way. But, I think it comes down to kids going after adults in the bus driver stories vs. Paul being tormented by his own peer group for the most part. It seemed a little more fair with the adults...they can defend themselves. Regardless, it saved the book for me.

The last chapter was decent as well and finished the book on a high note for me. But, you've got some slogging to go through to get there.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to give this a 2.5.

I remember hearing about Freaks & Geeks in high school and then it just kind of fell off the face of the earth. I re-discovered it this summer and put the entire series (the whole 3/4 of one season) on my Netflix Queue.


I thought it was funny at times and it definitely brought back the nostalgia (as I went from geek to freak back to geek during high school.) But parts were dragged so far along it was pretty much kicking and screaming.

I can see why it was canceled during the first season. It started off pretty strong, but it ended with a slight coughing and wheezing sound.


That's how I feel about Kick Me. It's funny at times, but the stories just go on and on and on. It seems like Paul Feig is trying to put in so much detail and simple quips that make the reader chuckle that it just kind of misses the mark and goes overboard.

[Ken Heard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Feig's "Kick Me" should be be the signature anthem for us nerds who lived and went to school in the 1970s. The book is a great reminisce of the horrors of junior high gym classes, girl germs, calling each other "fag" and other names, the awkwardness of dating, the embarrassment of parents and the angst of simply going from adolescence to early adult.

Feig does a good job conveying his embarrassment on such pieces about the prom, his stint as a football announcer for his school, dealing with adults and a date with a girl who vomited and then wanted to make out.

I think those who read Kick Me can relate to all of this. And there's hope for all of us nerds, me included. Feig, despite his geeky childhood, turned out well as a writer, actor and movie director.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cringe worthy and Oh-So-Funny debut from the creator of Freaks and Geeks. Paul Feig tells stories of his germaphobic, neurotic adolescence. Not quite as funny as it's sequel "Superstud", this book nonetheless will have you laugh, maybe cry out of embarrassment and be glad that you are not Paul Feig. I especially enjoyed the story of his first kiss. Can a hyper-neurotic teenage boy kiss a girl who barfed and then ate a steak and onion dinner? Maybe, but it won't be pretty for either of them.

This review by Ira Glass says it best:

It's shocking that one person could have so many humiliating experiences and even more shocking that he chose to remember them.

Read it at home so you can laugh loudly.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Feig reveals his turmoil adolescents in this laugh out loud funny book. Although some of his struggles were pretty much self inflicted, most of the agony he suffers most of us can relate to. I love the blatant honesty he shares with us. One of my favorite chapters has to be the one with his enjoying dressing up in women's clothes. He never tries to give us a sexual reason for the enjoyment, simply the pleasure he had at seeing at how attractive he'd have been if he'd been born as a girl. I love that kind of honesty. As I read this book, I found myself revisiting tortured moments in my school life, and that's what I love about a good book. Readers who don't enjoy vulgar language should be warned, but if you want honesty about public school life, you can't avoid it. A great read.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the embarrassing, awkward and traumatic experiences you had growing up are pretty much all right here. Paul Feig has put his adolescent experiences into writing, so we can read them and dredge up all those bad memories of our own. If you’ve ever watched Freaks and Geeks, you’ll recognize some of the storylines in what you’re reading. It’s hilarious and laugh out loud funny at times and cringe inducing at others. Just like those real memories you’re trying to suppress.

I’d recommend this to anyone who had their own embarrassing childhood memories. (Which, let’s be honest, is pretty much everyone!)You can now realize that you weren’t the only one, everyone else out there was having just as much trouble with growing up as you were.

[Drew Sturgeon]

Although "Kick Me" is not a book I would recommend to teach in a whole class, I think it could be valuable to have on my bookshelf for students to read on their own time. "Kick Me" follows Paul Feig's adventures from elementary through senior year of high school. He shares embarrassing stories as well as personal highlights from his experience in 12 years of school. I read this book when I was in 9th grade, and I related with it instantly because it captures the feelings and experiences of the average student's experience with school and growing up. I believe students who decide to read this will also relate with the stories Feig shares; if anything, they will be comforted with the thought that everybody experiences highs and lows during their experience with school.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's definitely some laugh-out-loud moments in this book, with so many touch-points of 70's history and pop culture that I can't help but recommend Kick Me to anyone who grew up in that era. And, while I suspect that some of the author's memories might be...uh...enhanced a little?...I didn't really care, because the stories were great.

My favorite aspect of this book is the way Feig just skewers the twisted logic of his younger self. The thought processes that seem perfectly reasonable to a 12 year old (and absurd to the rest of us) makes for a great portrait of the precious, fragile, fleeting and completely ridiculous human condition that is adolescence.

Four Stars. (and a stick of Bub's Daddy)

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Paul Feig's other book, Superstud, and was hoping that Kick Me would be equally entertaining. Perhaps the fact I read them out of order (I think Kick Me was his first book) and/or so close together is what prevented me from finishing it - but it just didn't do it for me. Many of the stories overlap in the two books - and the humor in this one is so cringworthy, that it made it tough to read too much of it at a time. However, I still think Paul Feig is a hilarious author -- and would recommend his books to anyone in the right mood! (and the "right mood" being reverting to your teenage self and wanting to look back and cringe/laugh at it.)

[John Kroll · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I gave up halfway through.

For me, this fell into the Uncanny Valley.

In animation and robotics, that refers to the uncomfortable feeling caused by simulations of humans that are just a bit too shy of being realistic.

This book showed me that the Uncanny Valley exists with memoirs, too. The stories are almost believable, but there are too many pat, sit-com endings. Unlike, say, Jean Shepherd's childhood stories, Feig's lack a tone of voice funny enough to match the attempts at humor. I cringed more often than I laughed.

On top of all that, Feig comes across as a nasty piece of work, unconcerned with the cruelty he claims to have inflicted on other children.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids can be cruel to other kids. Gym teachers can be sadistic to kids . . . unless the kid is a bully. They can respect bullies. Alas, Paul Feig was a polite, friendly kid. The gym teacher singled him out as a target. The bullies joined in. Cruel comments followed him almost everywhere at school.

It began in jr. high and continued through high school: seven years of humiliating incidents. And, combined with his observation that childhood is built on bad decision making, it was a long seven years. Fortunately, he survived and, as a successful writer and producer, wrote this account of those years and made it hilarious with the frequent use of sarcasm.