How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is British journalist Toby Young’s memoir of his ups and downs —­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ mostly downs —­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ in the upscale magazine world of Manhattan. The book, released in 2001, can now be seen in its film adaptation starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox. In the movie, Young is portrayed as a bumbling fish out of water, leaving viewers wondering how he ever got hired at “Sharp” (in the book, Vanity Fair). In the memoir, Young, an academic who spent a summer studying at Harvard, finds himself fighting his intellectual instincts only to remain entranced with everything “celebrity.” He begins his journalistic career by starting a magazine where scholars and academics discuss the importance of Homer Simpson and Terminator movies. He is eventually scouted by Vanity Fair, then fired. He is banned from the most fashionable bar in the city and can’t seem to find love. The book is not shy to name names including Vogue’s infamous Anna Wintour. Toby Young’s struggle is of someone who fights his own intellectual instincts telling him to not succumb to the ridiculousness of celebrity, but he can’t help but be fascinated. He can’t seem to find a way to fit in to this extravagant world, and eventually hits rock bottom, only to produce this entertaining read.