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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This book was difficult for me to listen to at times. All within the same year, Tig Notaro grieved the death of her mother and suffered through two devastating illnesses. It's incredible that Notaro survived the year that she had. She is a smart comedian. You have to listen closely to her material to pick up all her dry wit. I'm looking forward to her show in Fargo!
emotional
sad
medium-paced
brutal. immediately drawn in and sobbing. I think I expected a little more humor - it was there, but it didn't soften the blows. this is an overwhelmingly clear and honest account of grief and struggle, articulated perfectly - I just wasn't ready. maybe that's the point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Dementia
Minor: Mental illness, Abandonment
Tig Notaro's writing is very good - emotional, funny, understated. Fans of her standup know that her humor ranges from goofy to incredibly dark, but is always deadpan. There are touches of that humor in the book, but for the most part it's a straightforward narrative of an unbelievably emotionally turbulent time of Tig's life, told with clarity, heart, and depth of feeling.
The only problem is that I've heard this story a number of times now: Tig's lifechanging comedy album 'Live', her TV pilot 'One Mississippi', the documentary 'Tig', This American Life, Professor Blastoff (her podcast with friends which she was actually doing, on and off, while this was happening). So I was very familiar with most of the material here. This is probably the most complete narrative, although the documentary, because it covers them in realtime, is more detailed about the events in the final section of the book (Tig's relationship with now-wife Stephanie Allende and her attempts to have a child in spite of the chance that the hormone interventions required would cause a recurrence of her cancer, which would surely kill her). The documentary (and other audio or video performances) also gives you something you can't get by reading the book: Tig's presence. In her writing she lets you in on the full range of her internal thoughts and feelings. In almost every other performance and candid recorded moment, she has an unbelievable laid-back, calming presence, even in intensely emotional moments. ('Live' hit a nerve because of its emotional rawness, but even that is balanced by Tig's natural tendency toward understatement: like her choice to open her set by coming out conversationally, 'Hi, how are you tonight? I have cancer.') Her baseline state is to seem so incredibly relaxed (even if she doesn't feel that way), which makes her expressions of deep emotion all the more affecting. The pilot for 'One Mississippi' ends with this tiny smile, which means the whole world. You don't really see that when you are in Tig's own head.
Of all the ways I've experienced this story, the book is probably my least favorite - not because it's not good, but just because the doc, TV show, and album are so good, and seeing/hearing Tig in person adds a whole other dimension to it. With that said, I haven't heard the audiobook; if it's Tig narrating, it would probably be great.
The only problem is that I've heard this story a number of times now: Tig's lifechanging comedy album 'Live', her TV pilot 'One Mississippi', the documentary 'Tig', This American Life, Professor Blastoff (her podcast with friends which she was actually doing, on and off, while this was happening). So I was very familiar with most of the material here. This is probably the most complete narrative, although the documentary, because it covers them in realtime, is more detailed about the events in the final section of the book (Tig's relationship with now-wife Stephanie Allende and her attempts to have a child in spite of the chance that the hormone interventions required would cause a recurrence of her cancer, which would surely kill her). The documentary (and other audio or video performances) also gives you something you can't get by reading the book: Tig's presence. In her writing she lets you in on the full range of her internal thoughts and feelings. In almost every other performance and candid recorded moment, she has an unbelievable laid-back, calming presence, even in intensely emotional moments. ('Live' hit a nerve because of its emotional rawness, but even that is balanced by Tig's natural tendency toward understatement: like her choice to open her set by coming out conversationally, 'Hi, how are you tonight? I have cancer.') Her baseline state is to seem so incredibly relaxed (even if she doesn't feel that way), which makes her expressions of deep emotion all the more affecting. The pilot for 'One Mississippi' ends with this tiny smile, which means the whole world. You don't really see that when you are in Tig's own head.
Of all the ways I've experienced this story, the book is probably my least favorite - not because it's not good, but just because the doc, TV show, and album are so good, and seeing/hearing Tig in person adds a whole other dimension to it. With that said, I haven't heard the audiobook; if it's Tig narrating, it would probably be great.
Sure, it's sad, but the beauty is what comes after all the sadness.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
funny
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Nice companion to the documentary about her life. It was reflective, but not particularly funny. View this more as a memoir are a reflection of a challenging time.
More heartbreaking than hilarious, but Tig Notaro's unique voice shines through. I cried A LOT.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
I'll start by saying I don't generally find Tig Notaro funny. I enjoy her as a performer, but I don't usually laugh at anything she says. This audiobook was very much her usual style. I enjoyed it, but I didn't really find anything funny about it. It was a little bit like sitting in on a therapy session. Slightly awkward. Very Tig.
This was the story of a very dark time in this comedian's life, which also rocketed her to fame. Loving story of her mother as well. It was clearly a very disorienting time in her life, and the book reflects that.
I thought the note she ended on was perfect: "My mother always said, 'Life is all about change, and if you can't keep up, it's gonna leave you behind.'"
Well worth a read. And if you can, call your mother.
This was the story of a very dark time in this comedian's life, which also rocketed her to fame. Loving story of her mother as well. It was clearly a very disorienting time in her life, and the book reflects that.
I thought the note she ended on was perfect: "My mother always said, 'Life is all about change, and if you can't keep up, it's gonna leave you behind.'"
Well worth a read. And if you can, call your mother.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent