Four essays about a young writer learning that the road to success is paved with failure, psychic gurus, and blood-sucking parasites

Liam Pieper's made some poor life choices, but he's (usually) meant well. He's tried to write important stories, fight racial prejudice, and rescue traumatized puppies. And he's ended up with life-threatening infestations, a punch in the face at a Leonard Cohen concert, and brief detention by counter-terrorism experts. Taking us from Nimbin to US border security to the star-studded Chateau Marmont in LA, these four essays are compelling, insightful, and very funny. Mistakes Were Made is about the gap between our ideals in life—of love, compassion, ambition—and how things actually play out.