Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin is a New York Times mega-bestselling memoir chronicling the legendary comedian’s rise, peak, and decision to walk away from stand-up at the height of his fame.

Named one of the year’s best nonfiction books by Time and Entertainment Weekly, the memoir traces Martin’s journey from performing magic tricks at Disneyland as a child to becoming the biggest stand-up draw in history by the late 1970s. With humor and honesty, Martin reflects on the creativity, discipline, and isolation behind his success, his reconnection with family, and the cultural shifts of the 1960s and ’70s that shaped his career.

Candid, funny, and deeply personal, Born Standing Up is both a portrait of a groundbreaking artist and a powerful story of perseverance and reinvention.