When the Balls Drop: How I Learned to Get Real and Embrace Life's Second Half

A refreshingly candid and wickedly funny look at life’s second half from Everybody Loves Raymond TV sitcom star and three-time Emmy Award–winning comic Brad Garrett.

In this no-holds-barred book of comedic and personal essays, Brad Garrett divulges his hilarious—and irreverently honest—experiences with the many challenges and ultimately joys of middle age, as he advises us on how to best navigate the dreaded “second half” of life.

Ranging in topics from genetics to genitals, sex to stereotypes, and alimony to addiction, Brad leaves no stone unturned in this raw, laugh-out-loud look at getting older. With pieces such as “No Scales in Heaven,” in which Brad points out the essential pointlessness of overthinking diet and exercise, and “Celebrating Your E.D. (erectile dysfunction) During Your Mid-Life Crisis,” the star comedian encourages you to forget the overwhelming concerns that accompany middle age and to welcome the laughs—even if you throw your back out doing it.

Penned in the blunt, conversational, no-nonsense style that has cemented Brad’s status as an icon in the comedy industry, this autobiographical book will help you accept that, no matter what, we all get old. So you might as well embrace it.