Book Summery (Via Goodreads):
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 “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model.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.
Book Review:
About this time last year, I read Kaling's
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), and loved it. Kaling brought a fresh voice full of savvy wit and honesty. So when I saw that she was releasing another book, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. Luckily, my local library had an audio book version of
Why Not Me?, which I lapped up greedily. Now here's the funny thing...I have never watched
The Mindy Project. I only know Kaling from her appearances on
The Office (one of my all-time favorite shows). So what then does Kaling's writing have to offer me? As I mentioned before, I find Kaling's writing refreshing. I love her unique, off-beat perspective on life. I find her priorities and overall lifestyle somewhat difficult to relate to. She's interested in romantic comedies, celebrities, and fashion...things that I wouldn't place as front prioritization in my life...and that's where I think the my interest is sparked. For whatever reason, I find her obsession with this lifestyle alluring and entertaining. Kaling takes me to another demention, one in which I enjoy rubbing elbows with celebs and hearing all the latest gossip, while carving out my legacy in Hollywood. It's a life I could never imagine without Kaling's particular perspective. To be fair, Kaling is also a rather intelligent person. I feel like this (more serious) side comes out most strongly at the end of this book. Overall, I feel that you get a diverse and entertaining perspective of Kaling's life in
Why Not Me?. It's the perfect follow-up to
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? If you enjoy Kaling's brand of humor or are looking for something entertaining, but a bit different, I highly encourage you to check out
Why Not Me?.
Cover Art Commentary:
I like the simplicity of this cover. The sleek, bright colors and simple lines. It draws attention to the author rather than the background.
Rating:
