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stacey_mb

Book of the Week

stacey_mb
9 years ago

Yes please / Amy Poehler.

I don't watch a lot of T.V. or movies, so haven't seen Amy Poehler perform very often. But I was in the mood for a funny book and I had heard this autobiography was quite humorous. This is a fun read and I really liked Poehler's humor, which is sprinkled throughout the book and often appears at unexpected moments. For example, in talking about her friend and professional partner Tina Fey, she says, "The anticipation of Tina playing [Sarah] Palin was so fun to witness, and she explains it well in her book Fifty Shades of Grey." Many people will know that Fifty Shades of Grey is a real book, but very far from being written by Tina Fey!

Just as interesting are serious topics of the long road that Poehler took to get to this point in her career, her failed marriage (very respectfully treated), her drug use, the many challenges in her chosen career and her beloved children. I didn't appreciate quite as much the material written by other people, but overall a very enjoyable read.

Publisher's Weekly review: "Poehler, the sharp and self-deprecating Emmy-winning star of TV's Parks and Recreation, takes a stab here at autobiography mixed with advice on sex, babies, and even divorce. She mines her 20s, back in the 1990s, when she cut her teeth in theater at ImprovOlympic in Chicago, and with the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. Poehler struggled for many years in part-time gigs-including doing bits on Late Night with Conan O'Brien-and her humility and good work ethic shine through: for example, in the chapter "Don't Forget to Tip Your Waitress" (which was excerpted last year in the New Yorker), she recounts rather poignantly her various early jobs, such as working as a junior secretary in a podiatrist's office at age 16 and doing waitressing stints in Chicago and New York. Poehler gives ample credit to current and former colleagues, such as Matt Besser of UCB, Seth Meyers at SNL, and the cast of Parks and Recreation; elsewhere she offers some wonderful advice on apologies-both receiving and giving. Her memoir is as bewitching and chameleonlike as Poehler herself is when she appears onstage and on-screen."

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