End Credits

How I Broke Up with Hollywood

By: Patty Lin

Narrated by: Patty Lin

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.

©2023 Patty Lin (P)2023 Zibby Books

A nice read about changing perspectives and personal growth

I stumbled upon this book after a mention on a podcast and I’m glad I did. I didn’t know who Patty was before this, but unbeknownst to me, I’d seen a lot of her work. I used to fantasize of what it would be like to work in a writers’ room or even get a spot in the offices of a successful tv show so it was a treat to peer into what that’s really like. Unsurprisingly, it’s full of the office politics and general disappointment many of us can relate to from some of our careers, but with worse hours and less stability.

Patty draws you in and paints a clear picture from the jump, and as the stories go on, she makes you feel like you’re a coworker who just happens to be on the same projects she’s on. You feel like you’re in the room for the mundane moments playing on a backdrop of high stress to the dramatic and humiliating moments that should’ve been prevented by more respectful leadership. It was also interesting to hear the thoughts of a seasoned writer during the writers’ strike in 2007.

All in all, Patty’s is a story of someone who’s spent their life trying to tick all the boxes and navigate a life that ultimately feels inauthentic. I enjoyed going with her from childhood into her 40s, learning the lessons along the way that resulted in leaving what many see as a dream job. I found her relationships just as interesting as her career and was happy with the way the book was ultimately crafted around them.

While I’m unfamiliar with what a tv writing career must be like, I am familiar with that guilt, confusion, and rationalizing that comes from trying to stay “successful” in the way your upbringing and career taught you you should be, while fighting back the realization that it isn’t what you really want and your life is on a different path than you’d anticipated. Patty’s story is one of learning how to be honest with yourself and think critically about whether or not you’re fulfilled by sticking to some status quo when your reality could be much nicer.

A great read for anyone in a transitional period of their own, especially creative types.

Loved it!

Could totally relate after my 10 yrs in the entertainment business… I also enjoyed the authors voice, it really felt as though I was listening to a friend, just did not have a cocktail in my hand.

An excellent read.

Engrossing, introspective, brave, even timely, with a last act on creative process and family that left me even more grateful I tuned in for the poignant and raw career journey story. Patty Lin, I hope to read you on Substack or somewhere✊🏻

Excellent!

This book came recommended and it did not disappoint! The story is interesting, the narrator/author reads it well, I couldn’t put it down!

Engaging

i enjoyed this a lot. Lin does a good job of tying together her experiences in the Hollywood machine with her personal struggles as a creative individual. The "peek behind the curtain" at some of the biggest shows of the 90s and 00s is eye-opening and often infuriating, but Lin writes her personal life to be just as compelling as hearing about the BS that happened in writers rooms on shows like Friends and Desperate Housewives.

Lin also makes for a great narrator, something which I find is rare for an author reading their own work.

Highly recommended!

I LOVED this book

I loved the performance, the storytelling was perfect. Every awful experience was painstakingly related and a little traumatic to listen to. While I identified a little too much, I enjoyed it immensely and am now a huge fan of Patty Lin.

A story about what really matters

What a beautiful story about finding yourself and learning what really matters. Thank you for your vulnerability and bravery!

Privileged whining

I was hoping to get some insights on what it was like to be a working writer, as it’s an incredibly competitive industry and it takes tremendous determination and luck to have the kind of career the author has had. Sadly this book was hours of whining.

9 hrs of complaining feels like 100hrs

Hear a person complain about being successful and the fallible people that took a chance on them, but didn’t behave perfect as they would’ve liked. If that’s your thing, this is for you.