I received a copy of Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life as a Christmas present and read it straight through that day. As is typical of Martin’s writing style, it is light and approachable. It isn’t heavy on details, but instead has an introspective style. I can imagine the same subject covered by a fan would detail every appearance, every album, every movie. I’ve read several books in that style that were interesting but left out the emotions and motivations. I appreciated how Martin discusses his struggle with panic attacks and his strained relationship with his father.

One detail that stood out for me is Martin’s love of the Somerset Maugham novel The Razor’s Edge. I really enjoyed that novel when I discovered it in college. I even like Bill Murray’s movie version. So, his mention of it made another point of validation for my admiration of Martin’s work.