Amy Poehler is my girl. I’ve loved her since her years on SNL. Parks and Rec is my favorite show. I have refused to watch the final season because my heart can’t accept the fact that it’s actually over. Her relationship with Tina Fey reminds me of my very best friend. So when I went through a break-up and dropped more than $100 at the bookstore, in my non-traditional version of retail therapy, it made sense to pick up “Yes Please”.
And I’m sad to report that her book just wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. Her storytelling is a little all over the place. She rehashes her childhood, working her way up in improv theatres in Chicago, joining the Upright Citizens Brigade, her years at SNL and getting to make a second family with the cast of Parks and Rec. Her memories are all sort of out of order, but in some ways it feels like she’s just talking to you and consistently going off on tangents.
Poehler claims from the prologue that she has no business writing a book and that it’s been the most difficult task she’s been given. This pretty much scares me away from writing a book – if a successful comedian, actor, mom, producer, screenwriter struggled with it, what hope do I have? She literally says “Am I done with this book yet?” every few chapters. To give her a reprieve from writing, Seth Myers takes over for a short chapter.
I did laugh out loud plenty of times and even cried at the end of a chapter. (Although, I would argue those tears were helped along by wine and a monthly surge of hormones.) She gives mostly positive, heartwarming and light advice.
“Great people do things before they’re ready. They do things before they know they can do it. Doing what you’re afraid of, getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks like that- that’s what life is.”
And
“Change is the only constant. Your ability to navigate and tolerate change and its painful uncomfortableness directly correlates to your happiness and general well-being. See what I just did there? I saved you thousands of dollars on self-help books. If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier.”
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It gave me some chuckles before bed and I know a little more about one of my favorite comedians, but this is not on my “books-to-push-onto-friends-so-I-have-an-excuse-to-talk-to-them-about-it” list.
It’s almost time for a trip to the library for more books. Any suggestions?
and forces you to stay awake until 3 a.m. to find out what happens next.