literatigeek

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love this book! Not loved, I finished reading it, but I still love it. If you asked five years ago if I would relate so well to the chick on the office I would have laughed.

I love the format of the book. She speaks like a best fried over brunch. When she breaks down into lists it makes what she's saying so much funnier than if it was just a really long passage. Additionally, this is one of the better memoirs I've read in terms of flow. She easily transitions from one topic to the next and they make sense in the order presented.

I will be honest, I probably liked this book so much because I can relate so much to her. I love that she loves celebrity gossip and can have a long conversation with little girls about which member of Nsync they should marry and then write for a witty ironic show like the Office.

A rather insignificant quote that stood out to me was right before her list of "My favorite eleven moments in comedy.": "A disclaimer about these: they are all pretty recent, from the last ten or fifteen years. My boss Greg Daniels was appalled I had never heard of Jack Benny or Ernie Kovacs before I started working at The Office. I am sorry I'm not obsessed with The Honeymooners or The Great Dictator, or even Caddyshack or other classic comedy from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. This list is also pretty mainstream, so other comedy nerds will be mad I didn't include alternative comedy stuff."

As someone with an English degree who had to sit through "What's your favorite book?" at the start of every new course, I can tell you the pain and annoyance of getting the looks from pretentious peers when you name a "Best Seller" as your favorite.

I could continue to gush for the rest of the characters allowed to me but I wont. Just know, if you're an awkward 20 something and new in your field this book is perfect to get you in a happy mindset.

View all my reviews