Book Forty-Four: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
So here's to my second humor authored book of the year: Mindy Kaling. I've stopped watching The Office for a whole host of reasons, none of which are any good, but mostly revolving around the fact that I don't currently live with a television (for over a year now!) and also that I'm too lazy to do past season catch up, and most definitely because Pam became a huge b*word when she was pregnant and I was so turned off I never went back.
This book, much like Tina Fey's book, attempts to chronicle how Mindy got her acting fame and fortune. But more so than Tina, this book had a very chronological story line and actually revealed a lot to me about how Mindy thinks, feels, and has really come into her own. I finished Bossypants feeling like I knew even less about Tina Fey than when I started, but I finished Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me feeling much more informed about how Mindy is in real life. One thing I couldn't quite shake was that although Kaling wants us to know that she's not Kelly Kapoor, I couldn't help but read the whole book with Kelly's ditzy, silly, girl voice in my head. I was happy to hear that the reason we don't see as much of Kelly as we could is because Mindy is actually more of a writer and producer/director. I think her ability to write quality sketches translated well into a good book, like Tina Fey, but I also believe that her limited screen time, or having to prove herself through her words made the book more palatable and personable.
Kaling talked in her book like she was talking to a friend. She didn't try to hide behind her fame or have to be mysterious on purpose, like I felt Fey felt she had to be. There was talk of her childhood, her college besties, the hard times they had in New York City before becoming famous, and then suddenly, crazily, they just were. She makes no bones about being lonely in Los Angeles after moving out there all by herself, talking on the phone to her mom and friend for hours, loudly and obnoxiously, in diners. She just felt like a friend I could have had if time and space aligned differently. And while I didn't laugh as hard as I did when I was reading Bossypants, I felt more connected and drawn in by the question Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? because that's actually how I feel most of the time :)
This book, much like Tina Fey's book, attempts to chronicle how Mindy got her acting fame and fortune. But more so than Tina, this book had a very chronological story line and actually revealed a lot to me about how Mindy thinks, feels, and has really come into her own. I finished Bossypants feeling like I knew even less about Tina Fey than when I started, but I finished Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me feeling much more informed about how Mindy is in real life. One thing I couldn't quite shake was that although Kaling wants us to know that she's not Kelly Kapoor, I couldn't help but read the whole book with Kelly's ditzy, silly, girl voice in my head. I was happy to hear that the reason we don't see as much of Kelly as we could is because Mindy is actually more of a writer and producer/director. I think her ability to write quality sketches translated well into a good book, like Tina Fey, but I also believe that her limited screen time, or having to prove herself through her words made the book more palatable and personable.
Kaling talked in her book like she was talking to a friend. She didn't try to hide behind her fame or have to be mysterious on purpose, like I felt Fey felt she had to be. There was talk of her childhood, her college besties, the hard times they had in New York City before becoming famous, and then suddenly, crazily, they just were. She makes no bones about being lonely in Los Angeles after moving out there all by herself, talking on the phone to her mom and friend for hours, loudly and obnoxiously, in diners. She just felt like a friend I could have had if time and space aligned differently. And while I didn't laugh as hard as I did when I was reading Bossypants, I felt more connected and drawn in by the question Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? because that's actually how I feel most of the time :)