Book description
A hilarious, heartfelt memoir about one woman's midlife obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch, and the liberating power of reclaiming our passions as we age, whatever they may be.
Tabitha Carvan was a new mother, at home with two young children, when she fell for the actor Benedict Cumberbatch. You know…
Why read it?
2 authors picked This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Rarely have I felt as seen and understood by a book as by this one. I recommend it to anyone who’s ever had a celebrity crush or any kind of pop culture obsession that people around them struggle to understand.
It’s wry, insightful, and candid. Reading it feels like chatting with a smart and funny friend who encourages you to see your passions as just as valid as anyone else’s—and to embrace joy.
From Claire's list on The best books about celebrity crushes.
It's a wonderful book, eminently readable and very, very important. Everybody should read it!
Carvan uses her obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch as a starting point, but she takes the reader along as she discovers the importance of play—of any activity that has no other purpose than bringing one pleasure. She also makes a convincing case for how institutional sexism has forced girls to give up play in order to become wives and mothers, while “boys must be boys.”
I particularly liked that she shared every step of her journey, rather than presenting her conclusions as fact. And wait ‘til you…
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