Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star

Tamara Yajia

Book cover for Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star
Book cover for Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star

Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star

Cry for Me, Argentina: My Life as a Failed Child Star

Tamara Yajia

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Description

"Tamara is one of the funniest people I know and her memoir is as hilarious as she is."-Cecily Strong

"Tamara's life story is fascinating." -Taika Waititi


For readers of Samantha Irby and Jennette McCurdy, a hilarious, moving memoir by Argentine-American comedian Tamara Yajia about growing up between two worlds.

From the day she was born, Tamara Yajia entered the world on a wave of absurdity. She was the newest member of a family no one would call normal, from her grandfather the salami obsessed poppers salesman, to her mother, the OnlyFans model. Not only will her family try anything once, like moving to the United States and opening a food stand named Sexy Chicken; they'll try anything multiple times, like moving back to Argentina, then back to the United States, all while Tamara manages to achieve some success as a preteen child actress after a jaw-dropping performance where she strips down to a garter belt in front of a crowd of rabbis.

The road doesn't get easier for a twelve-year-old Argentinian Jew trying to make it big in Orange County. The disappointment of giving up her childhood career as a performer makes for a rather tumultuous coming of age. But through grit, hustle, and a series of creative endeavors like joining a girl band, and performing her own one-woman show, Cumming of Age, Tam has made it through, and she's ready to spill some shit-figuratively and literally.

Featuring an unlikely combination of comedy and tragedy, generational struggle, and filthy sex jokes, Tamara Yajia's debut memoir is the messy, blazing story of a young Argentine trying to survive while holding on to her confidence, ambition, and sense of humor.

About the Author

Tamara Yajia is an Argentine writer, comedian, and ex-child star who authored the 2022 poetry collection Poems I Wrote While Taking A Shit. She also wrote and starred in a one-woman show Cumming of Age. Tamara has written for ClickHole, Funny or Die, and several comedy series, including Acapulco, This Fool, and the upcoming Netflix series Strip Law. Currently, she's developing a show for Apple. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her dog Odie, who just pooped in the living room.

Critical Reviews

"Raw and raunchy, Yajia's account is appealingly unfiltered." --Publishers Weekly

"Tamara is one of the funniest people I know and her memoir, Cry for Me, Argentina, is as hilarious as she is. Her mother is my favorite character who also happens to be a real person." --Cecily Strong

"Tamara's life story is fascinating and magical." --Taika Waititi

"Tamara Yajia is the rare bird that awakens the dim light of my melancholy and sends me into joyous hysterical laughter all at once." --Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers

"Simultaneously funny and heartfelt." --Mark Duplass

"The women in this book are maniacal, lurid, and wildly unhinged... my favorite!" --Chelsea Devantez

"The immigrant story we need right now-funny and foul and ill-fitted for the uplifting American dream formula." --Amanda Kramer

"You're going to go into this book thinking it will simply be the funniest book you've ever read. But you'll be wrong, because it will also be heartbreaking and so human and wondrous. There's no way to walk away from this book without being madly in love with Tamara Yajia." --Sophia Benoit

"Tamara Yajia's book is everything you could want from a memoir-the juiciest details, unforgettable characters, and sensually dancing on that delicate tightrope of hilarious and vulnerable. I wholeheartedly give it five out of five child stars." --Aparna Nancherla,

"No one has lived a life like Tamara Yajia. This memoir is absurd, vulnerable, and perverted in all the best ways." --Mia Mercado

Publishing Information

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pub date: 2025-07-01
Length: 240 pages

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