Book Review END CREDITS Patty Lin

Thank you to the author Patty Lin, publisher Zibby Books, and as always NetGalley for an advance digital copy of ᴇɴᴅ ᴄʀᴇᴅɪᴛs. All opinions are mine



What an excellent read! Both funny and touching-- I've read many Hollywood insider stories, but never one from a series writer. It was so enlightening, and it made me sympathize more with the writers on strike right now!

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I connected so much to Linn's discussion about her childhood, from having no clue about her period when it started, to craving validation from any and all adults because she wasn't getting it at home, to being a creative lost in a family of science minded people.

2. Friends is one of my favorite shows. I've watched all the seasons at least five times. I loved reading Lin's memories about writing some of its greatest jokes. My favorite bit was about Lin jumping in as an extra and working for David Schwimmer, who was directing that day:

David Schwimmer, who was directing the episode, came over to give instructions.... “Patty, can you scooch closer to the door?” I scooched, thrilled that instead of saying, “Hey, you,” Schwimmer addressed me by name. Really, it takes so little for a celebrity to seem like a decent person. That night was the high point of my Friends experience. For once, I felt like I had something to do with the show. Loc. 1976

3. How Lin writes about returning to Manhattan after living in L.A.:

I couldn’t say that I missed the day-to-day stress of living in Manhattan, yet many of my fondest memories of the city were intertwined with this difficulty. The rats and cockroaches, the taxis that nearly ran you over when you crossed the street, the soup vendors yelling at you for not ordering fast enough. Surviving all that stuff builds character and fosters an intense, if perhaps irrational, loyalty. Loc. 2098

It reminds me completely of episodes of Seinfeld, particularly the soup Nazi episode. It makes me realize how real some of that show is! That is another of my favorite shows. Reading this book is wonderfully surreal at moments!

4. I absolutely love how Lin writes about being an adult with childhood trauma. I don't really know what these passages read like to perfectly functional adults who had ideal childhoods with flawless parenting, but to me, with an inner child still crispy from the two decade volcano eruption that was my childhood home, Lin's ability to articulate the challenges of navigating certain aspects of adulting is beyond precious. It's priceless.

The person who felt inadequate at all those jobs—the one who was crushed when she got yelled at or rewritten or fired— was just a kid. Though I had always balked at “inner child” clichés, I now saw that a part of me remained stuck in a kind of arrested development. The thought of that inner third-grader being put through all the pressures and humiliations of my career filled me with compassion. I would never let that happen to her again. Loc. 3969

It's feels so strange to feel normal. Only really good writing could ever give me this gift.

5. The way she writes about moms and trauma.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Lin made me tear up twice in this book!🥹🥺

2. She writes as though Burning Man is some small private garden party that no one's ever heard of but, uhm, it's that huge thing in the desert, yeah?


Closing quote: If a person told me, "Your writing sucks and no one wants to read it," would I trust them? Would I think they were looking out for me? No, I would ignore them and keep going. Loc. 4100 --on negative self-talk and determination

Rating: 📓📓📓📓📓 / 5 screenplays
Recommend? Definitely!
Finished: August 14 2023

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