If you’ve followed Lena Dunham’s career or read some of her most moving essays in this magazine, you probably know she isn’t afraid to share her personal struggles—whether about relationships, health, or even overly long nails. A signature quality of her nonfiction is how she blends deep reflection on the body with sharp observations about the toughness and humor of everyday life. In a Vogue essay about her hysterectomy, she wrote: “My nurse is model-gorgeous, sardonic and odd, like the sidekick on a TV show who producers try to make look less stunning by putting glasses on her.”

This spring, ten years after her bestselling memoir Not That Kind of Girl, she’ll release her second book, Famesick. It’s a nonfiction work exploring how health issues have intertwined with her life in the public eye.

Describing the writing process—which involved digging through old emails and diaries—she says, “I felt a bit like the detective in a movie with newspaper clippings and red strings, trying to piece together exactly what happened, how it happened, and why.”

Of course, the book isn’t just a medical mystery. It also examines ambition, the urge to please—especially as a young woman—and what happens when those drives collide with physical limits. Dunham first found success at 23, when her debut film Tiny Furniture came out in 2010, followed by Girls in 2012. Around the same time, her health struggles—along with substance abuse issues—were intensifying.

She admits it was hard to slow down despite her obligations and desires. Writing for film and TV felt like her “version of going to the Olympics—it doesn’t matter if you have a cold, it’s the Olympics.” The turning point came when, as she puts it, “the override function stopped, and I could no longer suppress what I needed to just to get through daily life.”

Looking back, she says 2018 felt like “the year that did not exist,” as if she had stepped “through the looking glass” into another reality. “You start to feel like, I’m no longer in the land of the living, and will I ever get to go back there?” (It’s no coincidence that the cover of her new book—a photo by Anna Gaskell that Dunham has long admired—references Alice in Wonderland.)

She worried that being open about her struggles would make people see her as a liability: “We live in an ableist, capitalist world, for lack of a better term, where your ability to produce is so tied to your perceived worth.” Now, she believes that “honestly expressing how hard things got, and how you moved through them, actually makes you the opposite of a liability.” She also found comfort and inspiration in writers who have contributed to this genre, like Leslie Jamison, Melissa Febos, TV producer Barbara Gordon (author of the memoir I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can), and Joan Didion (especially Blue Nights).

Dunham sees this new book, which took seven years to write, as quite different from her first. “I’m very proud of that book, but it’s funny to look back at my 28-year-old self publishing work with these neat life lessons, as if I had any idea what was coming.” This one is more of a three-part reflection on nearly a decade of her life, written with the clarity that hindsight provides. “I don’t think I understood when I was younger how powerful hindsight and time are—not just for understanding what happened to you, but also your own motivations and actions. So while the tone is still recognizable, I hope it has a little more thoughtful distance from the events I’m describing.”

As many who’ve kept up with Dunham’s recent work likely know, a new chapter of her life began aA few years ago, she married musician Luis Felber, with whom she created her latest series, Too Much. “I don’t want to make it sound like meeting my husband made everything perfect,” she says. “But I think I was only able to enter that relationship because a certain kind of ease settled in.” For her, a happy ending isn’t so much about romance as it is about “coming out the other side with new perspectives, new tools, and a better ability to manage your own emotions.”

We’re excited to follow her journey. Famesick will be released by Random House on April 14, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Lena Dunhams Second Book

1 Who is Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham is an American actress writer and director best known for creating and starring in the HBO series Girls She has also written essays and a memoir

2 What is the title of Lena Dunhams second book
As of now the title has not been officially announced It is expected to be revealed closer to the release date

3 When exactly will the book be released
The book is scheduled for release in spring of next year Specific dates may be announced later by the publisher

4 What is the book about
Details are still limited but it is likely to be a collection of essays or memoirs similar to her first book Not That Kind of Girl which explored personal experiences and reflections

5 Is this book fiction or nonfiction
Based on her previous work it is expected to be nonfiction likely autobiographical or essaybased

6 Who is the publisher
The publisher has not been officially confirmed yet but it will likely be a major publishing house similar to her first book which was published by Random House

7 Will the book be available in audiobook format
It is very likely as her first book was released as an audiobook narrated by Lena Dunham herself

8 Where can I preorder the book
Preorder details will be available once the title and cover are announced Major retailers like Amazon Barnes Noble and independent bookstores will likely offer preorders

9 Has Lena Dunham discussed the themes of the new book publicly
Not in detail yet She may share more insights through interviews or social media as the release date approaches

10 How does this book compare to her first book Not That Kind of Girl
While specifics are unknown it may continue in a similar veinhonest personal and reflectivebut could explore new topics based on her experiences in recent years

11 Will there be a book tour
It is common for authors to go on tour for new releases so there will likely be events and signings Details will be announced later

12 Are there any controversies expected with this release
Given Dun