“Zach Anner is way more than an inspirational figure… he’s also a great f**king writer.”
—Lena Dunham
Comedian Zach Anner opens his frank and devilishly funny book, If at Birth You Don’t Succeed, with an admission: he botched his own birth, entering the world with cerebral palsy and an uncertain future. So how did a kid who almost failed kindergarten blossom into a viral internet sensation who’s hosted two travel shows, impressed Oprah, driven the Mars Rover, and inspired a John Mayer song? (It wasn’t “Your Body Is a Wonderland.”) If at Birth You Don’t Succeed is a hilariously irreverent and heartfelt memoir about finding your passion and your path—even when it’s paved with epic misadventure.
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Zach introduces If At Birth You Don't Succeed
Recording If At Birth You Don't Succeed
Praise
“Zach Anner is way more than an inspirational figure for anyone who has ever felt impossibly different: he’s also a great f**king writer. Wise and funny, with unfailing insight into the booby trap known as the human mind, you will hang on every word as you watch him turn his considerable intellectual gifts into a life worth envying. I like that this book has no genre, and neither does this special man.”
—Lena Dunham
“Cerebral palsy couldn't stop Anner from becoming a celeb, traveling the world, and Friending Oprah (for starters).”
—Cosmopolitan
“Zach makes you want to be a better person, with his humor and his heart and everything he's had to deal with from the time he was born. I've never met anyone like him, and I've met a lot of people.”
—Oprah Winfrey
“Zach Anner is a truly inspiring and hysterical human being with a warped sense of humor (and body). He’s also an exceptional writer and his memoir is an absolute joy.”
—Rainn Wilson
“Zach Anner is the living definition of ‘giving better than he’s gotten.’ Life dealt him a difficult hand but he managed to beat the house with humor, heart, and a fearless punk attitude. Required reading.”
—Patton Oswalt
“I love Zach Anner and I love his memoir. If everyone were a little more like Zach, the world may not be a better place, but it would be funnier place, which is a great step forward.”
—Alexis Ohanian
“Wonderful... Anner’s comedy is the peppy, uplifting sort you’d expect from someone who Oprah says ‘makes [her] want to be a better person,’ such as his elaborate Olive Garden metaphors for the nature of life.... Anner remarks wryly that being expected to act as an ambassador for the disabled ‘is a tightrope walk, which is hard on four wheels.’ Maybe so, but with this book, he makes it look easy.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Funny, empowering…An inspirational memoir with a seasoned, infectious sense of humor… [Anner’s book chronicles] his three decades of life (so far) with cerebral palsy, a permanent condition that hasn’t prevented him from living his dream as a comic, a media sensation, and a motivational speaker.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Forget the travel show, Oprah. Give him a sitcom.”
—The New York Times
“Our favorite lovable, optimistic, and absolutely hilarious YouTube star in a wheelchair.”
—The Huffington Post
“He’s a unique, creative kid with a smart, edgy sense of humor.”
—Arsenio Hall
“Meet Zach Anner... He’s handsome, smart, and funny [and] has won... legions of online fans.”
—Tara Parker-Pope
“Zach Anner... Internet folk hero.”
—Vulture
““I think I speak for everybody when I say...I want to see more of Zach.”
—John Mayer
About the Author
Photo Credit: Jon Risinger
Zach Anner is an award-winning comedian, show host, and public speaker. In 2011, he won his own travel show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, Rollin' With Zach. He also hosted the shows Have A Little Faith for Rainn Wilson's media company SoulPancake, and Riding Shotgun and Workout Wednesdays on his own YouTube channel, which has over 10 million hits. Zach lives in Buffalo, NY and Austin, TX, and spends most of his spare time in his underwear, thinking about how he can change the world.
