Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?: A Neurodivergent Guy in a Neurotypical World Pierre Novellie 9781785121012

During a stand-up gig, Pierre received a heckle from a neurodiverse audience member which prompted him to investigate how his own brain worked and at the age of 31, eventually led to him being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The diagnosis unravelled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions he's had throughout his life: why were people in primary school obsessed with Britney Spears and not The Goon Show like him? Why would anyone do the washing-up little and often when they could go full 'Crime Scene Clean Up' for the entire day? And why on earth is everyone chewing so loudly? Through observational comedy, Pierre gives the reader an insight into the autist's brain and demystifies some of the daily quirks that those with ASD experience, whilst highlighting a general lack of education about the disorder.

Pierre Novellie is one of the best up-and-coming comedians in the United Kingdom. He currently co-hosts The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio live on Saturday mornings and the hit podcast BudPod alongside Phil Wang, with 3 million downloads to date.

He's appeared on Dave's World's Most Dangerous Roads alongside Phil Wang as they travel around Lesotho and his comedy special Quiet Ones has racked up over 250k views online.

As a television writer, Pierre is one of the regular writers on the rebooted Spitting Image
(ITV/Britbox) and has written on Mock the Week (BBC2), The News Quiz (Radio 4), The Mash
Report (BBC2), Newzoids (ITV) and Adam Buxton's Shed of Christmas (Sky) and has also appeared on Between the Covers (BBC2) with Sara Cox. An acclaimed live act, Pierre enjoyed a sold out run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2022 and embarks on a national tour in autumn 2023.