Book Review: Yes Please by Amy Poehler

 

Author: Amy Poehler

Genre: Nonfiction > Memoir • Comedy

Version: Audiobook

Listening Length: 7 hours and 31 minutes

Source: Hoopla

Publisher: HarperAudio

Amazon // Goodreads

 

Book Synopsis:

In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.

My Thoughts:

This was a bit of an impulse read for me.  I had been reading back-to-back historical fiction novels, so I needed to mix things up a bit. While scrolling through Hoopla, I came across Yes Please and I decided that I needed some Amy Poehler in my life.

Amy has something special that I like to call the “gift of entertainment.” Only Amy Poehler could talk about her uneventful childhood and have me wanting more.  Honestly, I think the woman could talk about anything and keep me interested.  Before reading this book, I honestly knew NOTHING about her.  Throughout this book we really get a sense of who Amy is as a person.  She is so “down to earth” and real.   She isn’t into all the drama of being famous.  I don’t even think she even has any form of social media!  I also love her overall positive outlook on life.  I found it both refreshing and uplifting.

What surprised me the most about this book was how insightful it was about life in general.  It was very relatable.  I appreciated her perspective on marriage, motherhood, body issues, etc etc.  My favorite part in this book, hands down, would have to be the birth plan chapter.  Coincidently, I was listening to this part while on the treadmill at the gym, and I laughed out loud so suddenly that I startled the lady running on the treadmill next to me.  Oops.

I really enjoyed learning about her journey into comedy and improv.  I respected her determination and drive.  She was not going to quit until she achieved all of her dreams.  What an amazing role model she is for not only women trying to make it in the male dominated world of comedy, but women in general! 

Being  overly familiar with Amy’s work is not necessary for enjoying this book, HOWEVER you will know what she is talking about when she talks about characters and plot line from these shows.   I feel that I would have appreciated this book just a little more had I followed Amy’s career a little more closely.  I must admit, I have never watched Saturday Night Live or Parks and Recreation… therefore some of the chapters where she talked about these shows were lost on me.  If you are a fan of these shows, this book will appeal to you.

The audiobook!  People… Amy Poehler narrates the audiobook HERSELF….Why wouldn’t you listen to this via audiobook?! This is a no brainer. 

Is this book a literary masterpiece?  No.  I don’t think that was the goal for this book.  This book was meant to entertain and give us an insight into Amy’s life.  Yes Please does tend to jump around a lot, but this didn’t really bother me.  You must remember that this isn’t a fictional story that is going to flow perfectly, it is a collection of experiences and thoughts.

Recap: Amy Poehler does a wonderful job with her book, Yes Please.  She was entertaining, funny, and insightful.  We get a sneak peak into her life and the struggles she faced coming into the male dominated world of comedy.  If you are a fan of Amy Poehler and her work on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation, this is a must read.  Listening to this via Audiobook is the way to go as it is narrated by Amy herself.

Noteworthy Quotes:

“People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.”

“You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.”

“That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her! Not for me.”

“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.”

“Emotions are like passing storms, and you have to remind yourself that it won’t rain forever. You just have to sit down and watch it pour outside and then peek your head out when it looks dry.”

“Please don’t drive drunk, okay? Seriously. It’s so fucked up. But by all means, walk drunk. That looks hilarious. Everyone loves to watch someone act like they are trying to make it to safety during a hurricane.”

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My Rating:

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Book Suggestions:

» Are You There, Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler

» Bossypants by Tina Fey

» Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

» Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

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About the Author:

Amy Poehler is a writer, actress, producer, and director. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles with her two boys. She hopes her new book, YES PLEASE, will get her invited onto her hero Judge Judy’s yacht.

More about Amy…

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Have you read Yes Please?  What were your thoughts?