Rating:
Genre:
memoir
synopsis.
The only script you can really write in life is your own.
What if achieving your professional dreams comes at too high a personal cost? That’s what screenwriter Patty Lin started to ask herself after years in the cutthroat TV industry. One minute she was a tourist, begging her way into the audience of Late Night with David Letterman. Just a few years later, she was an insider who–through relentless hard work and sacrifice–had earned a seat in the writers’ rooms of the hottest TV shows of all time. While writing for Friends, Freaks and Geeks, Desperate Housewives and Breaking Bad, Patty steeled herself against the indignities of a chaotic, abusive, male-dominated work culture, not just as one of the few women in the room, but as the only Asian person.
This funny, fresh, eye-opening, and inside-Hollywood story will resonate with anyone trying to please their parents, maintain a love life, and find their way in the world–and will inspire countless dreamers to listen to their inner voices and know when it’s time to get out.
Summary from Storygraph
content warnings.
ableism, institutional discrimination and ableism, dysphoria, bullying, medical content
thoughts.
I didn’t know a lot about the screenwriting industry before this year, but after the SAG-AFTRA strike earlier this year, and now after listening to Patty Lin’s memoir END CREDITS, I can confidently say that I know just a little bit more.
Today, I’m so excited to be posting my first review as a part of the Libro.fm influencer program! I love listening to audiobooks, and unlike any other audiobook platform, I love that with Libro.fm my listening supports an independent bookstore of my choosing. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can use this link to get one extra audiobook credit with your first month of membership 🎧🧡
End Credits is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to lately, and the way Lin narrates her experiences pursuing a screenwriting career in Hollywood as an Asian American woman was equal parts captivating (the writing) and disappointing (the industry). Much of the memoir was spent explaining her early experiences in the industry in her twenties–which felt especially relevant to me, as an aspiring creative in her early twenties.
How do you decide if your professional dreams come at too high a personal cost? This question is the overarching theme of Lin’s memoir, and also a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. From the sexism and racism to the utter lack of work-life balance and constant verbal abuse, Lin walks the reader through her experiences writing for an array of popular TV shows: Friends, Breaking Bad, Desperate Housewives.
We need more stories like this; stories that emphasize taking care of yourself and your physical and mental wellbeing over your career goals when your work environment isn’t conducive to either. I also hope that Hollywood learns from people like Lin speaking out about their experiences (even though that’s doubtful), and that stories like this one inspires more people to speak out, too.
Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts down below!
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day <3
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