Like all great adventures, this one starts with someone trying to get a girl. After all, King Meneleaus didn’t go to Troy for the baklava.

Playwright, journalist, comedian and bestselling author Mark Leiren-Young recalls his teenage escapades in this hilarious memoir and coming-of-age story. A geeky bully-magnet, Mark was seventeen and wanted to be a playwright, but even more than that, he wanted to impress Sarah, the girl he’d pined for since elementary school. It’s 1980 and, thanks to Doug Henning, magic is hip, so Mark hooks up with Randy, a stoner magician, and Kyle, an ambitious young actor, to chase fame–and the women of their dreams. Seeing a chance at having all of their desires come true, they risk everything to create a show they know will be like Star Wars on stage. But is getting a date worth having your head cut off?