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Friday, October 16, 2015

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

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about book:

From the author of the beloved New York Times bestselling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and the creator and star of The Mindy Project comes a collection of essays that are as hilarious and insightful as they are deeply personal.

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)

Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

my thoughts:

As a huge fan of The Mindy Project, I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of Why Not Me?.  I figured it would be a great way to get know the creative mind behind such a hilarious and fun show.  And I was absolutely right.  Mindy Kaling is laugh out loud funny, smart, and brutally honest when it comes to (over)sharing about her life in Hollywood.  Her essays focus on relationships, love, work, and success.  She shares about the time she made a new friend in La La Land and how her opinions on vaccinations put a damper (or kibosh) on the relationship.  Seems you can't ever disagree with someone if you want to continue being invited to fabulous parties.  Then there's the guy from the White House she sort of dated - talk about awkward encounters and mixed signals.  At least she met the President and attended the White House Correspondent's dinner - no thanks to him!  Oh, and of course we learn more about her and B.J. Novak - they are soup snakes (its from The Office when Michael is talking about his relationship with Holly).  Kaling also writes about how upset she was having to announce the Emmy Award nominations, after having just found out she hadn't been nominated (nor had her show, The Mindy Project).  Talk about having to work through tears, eh?  Afterward, she scarfed down her favorite food - McDonald's Egg McMuffin!  Speaking of which, she received a fat stack of gift cards from the fast food empire for her birthday - seems Mindy loves to share via twitter her love of all things McDonalds. 

In Why Not Me?,  Mindy shares the highs and lows of life in Hollywood.  Thanks to Mindy Kaling, we get to learn that being a celebrity (or an almost celebrity as she refers to herself) is not all glitz and glam. Her essays are funny, honest, and utterly engaging.  I found this book to be such a delight to read.  I would definitely recommend it to fans of Mindy Kaling and The Mindy Project.  You will LOVE this book! 

4 comments:

Ti said...

Interesting. For some reason Kaling does nothing for me. I don't know why. She is very talented but in the same league (in my mind) as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Women I respect, but don't find all that funny. I know. Weird me.

Aarti said...

I love Mindy Kaling and am so looking forward to listening to this one via audiobook when it b becomes available at the library. She is such a great role model and so much fun. I'm glad you enjoyed this one!

PS - If you wanted to (and I hope you do!), you could link to this review for #diversiverse on my blog!

Terra said...

Thanks for reminding me of this book, I mean to read it. I love humorous memoirs.

Nadia said...

Ti, I can understand that. I only liked Fey on her show 30 Rock, but didn't care for her book or really anything else she's done. The same goes for Amy Poehler, I only liked her on Parks and Rec. As for Kaling, I just really like her shows and books. I think she's hilarious and a bit more honest about the ugly realities of Hollywood.

Aarti, I totally agree! She is a wonderful role model to have. I love how funny and smart she is. I can't wait to read your thoughts on this book! And I will definitely link up!

Terra, definitely check it out! You will LOVE it!!