Book Review- Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? ( And Other Concerns)

I find comedy to be the best pick for distracted reading situations, like on a plane. With that, I loaded my Kindle with memoirs by female comedians, to keep me laughing during our Europe vacation. 

PLOT - Emmy-nominated writer and actress, Mindy Kaling gives us stories involving her childhood with immigrant parents, how she broke into comedy and working on the American version of The Office. Kaling writes about her relationships, artistic ideas and her physical appearance. The range of topics included in, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, may be broad, but the comedic tone is consistent. You will laugh. 

LIKE- Kaling's voice= love it. Her writing is informal and warm, like hearing stories over wine with your best friend. She has some great stories, but ultimately, it's her voice that kept me engaged. Tell me anything Kaling, I'm listening!

Just after reading Kaling's memoir, I also read Amy Poehler's Yes Please  ( although I reviewed Poehler's first) and I felt let-down by Poehler. Both Kaling and Poehler are very funny women, but I felt like Kaling had better stories and observations, or maybe she was just more selective about what she included in her book.

Most memorable was learning how Kaling got her big break, by writing and performing a Ben Affleck/Matt Damon spoof off-broadway with one of her friends. Kaling was Ben. Take a moment to let that mental imagine sink in.  Besides being such a quirky beginning to show-biz, I love this story because Kaling took her pop-culture passion and put it to work. Clearly, she had no idea that this little play would take off. Throughout, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Kaling mentions her unabashed love for low-brow, pop-culture. It's refreshing and relatable. She is proud of who she is and defends the things that she enjoys, her attitude really makes me like her. 

DISLIKE- Nothing. I was eager to buy more from Kaling and elated to discover that her new book, Why Not Me, is set to release on September 15, 2015. 

RECOMMEND- Like to laugh? Get Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me. It's hilarious and even inspirational. 

Book Review - Amy Poehler's Yes Please

When picking vacation reads, I often go for light memoirs, fun stuff. With the release of Pixar's Inside Out, Amy Poehler has been on my mind, so I added her memoir, Yes Please, to my vacation reading itinerary.

PLOT - In Yes Please, Poehler meanders through her life. She pulls tidbits from her childhood, how she got started in entertainment and her life as a single mom. There is a heavy emphasis on her life in show business, detailing the general nuttiness of how Hollywood works. 

LIKE - It's undeniable that Amy Poehler is a power house. Just reading about all of her accomplishments made me feel exhausted. I was glad that she referenced her insomnia, if only because it made me feel marginally less lazy. Maybe if I didn't sleep I'd be just as accomplished as Poehler? Eh, probably not.  I enjoyed Yes Please, because it gave me a glimpse into the life of a strong, successful woman. 

The book includes a chapter titled Sorry, Sorry, Sorry; in which Poehler explains the fallout from an SNL sketch that was not only in poor taste, but in which Poehler unknowingly referenced a real woman struggling with severe disabilities. It turns out that the wife of actor Chris Cooper had written a television movie about this woman and was very upset by the SNL sketch. The Coopers wrote a letter to Poehler expressing their feelings and she didn't respond. This lack of an apology weighed on her for many years until it came up in conversation with director Spike Jonze. Jonze helped open the lines of communication between Poehler and the Coopers, leading to a subsequent apology and also putting Poehler in touch with Anastasia, the woman who was inadvertently mentioned in the sketch. I liked that Poehler included this in her book, because it so clearly shows that 1. Everyone screws up. 2. It's never too late to own up to your mistakes. 

DISLIKE - I didn't feel like Poehler's heart was in this book. Many of the chapters felt like filler, like she didn't have enough solid content to fill a book. It was unevenly interesting and not very funny.  In Yes Please, Poehler mentions the importance of learning to say "No" to people, I think that she should have said "No" to the publishers, waiting until she had the time and proper energy to focus on a book. It seems like every comedian has their memoir out now, but that doesn't mean they should.

RECOMMEND- Only if you're a huge Poehler fan.