The Choke Artist Confessions of a Chronic Underachiever

Missing that last basket in a pick-up game. Chickening out on that perfect first kiss at the last second. Seizing up, again and again, under pressure. The life of a choke artist isn't an easy one, and the mere possibility of disappointment is enough to keep plenty of people from really trying in the first place. David Yoo perfectly captures this cycle of failure and fear in this collection of often cringe-inducing episodes: whether he's wearing four layers of clothing to artificially beef up his slim frame, Spider Solitaire-ing his way through fifty temp jobs, or pining for validation through dating unattainable women, Yoo celebrates and skewers the insecurities of young adults everywhere.

David Yoo is the author of two YA novels, Girls for Breakfast (Delacorte, 2005) and Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before (Hyperion, 2008). They have received numerous awards including NYPL Best Book Teen Age Selection and Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best". His fiction and nonfiction have been published in various journals and he writes a monthly column called "The World According to Dave," for KoreAm Journal, the largest Asian American magazine in the U.S.