Crushmore
Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age
LIST PRICE $19.99
Digital products purchased on SimonandSchuster.com must be read on the Simon & Schuster Books app. Learn more.
Buy from Other Retailers
Table of Contents
About The Book
In the debut essay collection from the hosts of the hit podcast Podcrushed, Penn Badgley, Sophie Ansari, and Nava Kavelin explore what it means to come of age at every stage of our lives.
Known for spotlighting your favorite artists’ tween stories of self-discovery on their podcast, Penn, Sophie, and Nava turn inward to share their own experiences for the first time. Penn, a twelve-year-old, Discman-toting introvert, starts in the solitude of his only-child household where he danced like no one was watching (because no one was watching) before embarking on a neon-lit journey to Hollywood. Sophie takes us to her middle school in Beijing where she had to ward off rumors of a boob job, and to the moment loosening her chokehold on love brought her husband straight into her living room. Nava traces the emotional aftershocks of losing her mother and guides us through the whimsical world of an imaginationship, where nothing is ever as it seems.
With compassion, humor, and insight, Crushmore charts the often cringey, sometimes luminous path from adolescence to adulthood. Together, these essays remind us that we can find healing—and even inspiration—from our awkward adolescent selves long after we thought we left them behind.
About The Authors
Penn Badgley is an actor, director, producer, writer, and podcaster best known for his starring roles in the CW’s Gossip Girl and Netflix’s You. He lives in New Paltz, New York, with his wife, two children, and two dogs.
Sophie Ansari is an illustrator, video creator, and podcast host. She moonlights as a community organizer, tallying many hours each week volunteering with children on her block, and bothering her neighbors until they offer to feed her. Sophie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, David, and their baby.
Nava Kavelin is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. She and Penn Badgley cofounded a production company, Ninth Mode, together in 2020, and Nava is CEO. Prior to her work in media, Nava was a researcher and writer at the United Nations.
About The Readers
Penn Badgley is an actor, director, producer, writer, and podcaster best known for his starring roles in the CW’s Gossip Girl and Netflix’s You. He lives in New Paltz, New York, with his wife, two children, and two dogs.
Sophie Ansari is an illustrator, video creator, and podcast host. She moonlights as a community organizer, tallying many hours each week volunteering with children on her block, and bothering her neighbors until they offer to feed her. Sophie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, David, and their baby.
Nava Kavelin is a writer and producer based in Los Angeles. She and Penn Badgley cofounded a production company, Ninth Mode, together in 2020, and Nava is CEO. Prior to her work in media, Nava was a researcher and writer at the United Nations.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (October 14, 2025)
- Runtime: 6 hours and 56 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781668119952
Raves and Reviews
"Kavelin, Badgley, and Ansari, hosts of the popular podcast Podcrushed, take turns narrating a collection of memoir-driven essays that will resonate with pop culturalists. Fans of the podcast who are used to hearing the three 30-somethings interview other famous folk will finally get a deeper dive into the hosts’ own accounts of puberty, tumultuous friendships, substances, sex, death, and other coming-of-age essentials. Badgley—best known as the lead actor in You—kicks off the collection with self-deprecating humor and captivating depth, making even stories about child acting feel relatable. Kavelin and Ansari (both ex-teachers) deliver equally resonant performances, most compelling when emotion cracks through heavier moments."
– —Kirkus
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
-
Book Cover Image (jpg): Crushmore
Unabridged Audio Download 9781668119952
-
Author Photo (jpg): Penn Badgley Photograph © Koury Angelo(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
