The story of one chronically anxious woman's hilarious year-long quest to change her own timid nature by seeking out the kinds of experiences she's spent her life avoiding.

During the nine years Courtenay Hameister hosted NPR's Live Wire, she lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety, and she didn't just fret about and fear her next radio show; she fretted about and feared everything.

Until about a year ago, when she decided to take arms against a sea of anxieties and by opposing... maybe not end them, but at least become a little more adventurous, spontaneous, and comfortable in her own skin. OKAY FINE WHATEVER tells the story of Courtenay's year-long fight against her own nature, which took the form of pushing herself to try new things, things that scared her or made her uncomfortable, things that the average person might consider doing for a half-a-second before deciding: "nope."

Things like: attending a fellatio class. She did that. She also spent an afternoon in a flotation tank, visited a sex club, went on 28 first dates, and got hypnotized. She had a session with a professional cuddler. She got high (legally) in the middle of a workday. And she came away with a lot of amusing and occasionally poignant stories about her adventures on the front lines of Mere Human Woman v. Fear.

Refreshing, relatable, and very funny, OKAY FINE WHATEVER reminds us that "the tiniest amount of bravery is still bravery," and that it's possible to fight complacency and grow bolder a little at a time.

About the Author
Courtenay Hameister is a professional nervous person. During her 12 years as host and head writer for Live Wire, a nationally-syndicated public radio show, she interviewed over 500 intimidating people and wrote 200 personal essays in bursts of anxiety-fueled inspiration at midnight the night before each show. Her work has also been featured in McSweeney's, APM's Marketplace, More Magazine and some scathing emails to the customer service department at Macy's.


Book Information
ISBN 9780316395700
Author Courtenay Hameister
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Little, Brown & Company
Publisher Little, Brown & Company
Weight(grams) 424g
Dimensions(mm) 219mm * 183mm * 27mm