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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
"I’m not a superstitious person, but I was beginning to believe that I was on a bad streak and that life had made a decision to take me down.”—Tig Notaro
I was a fan of Tig’s before her Live album shot her to stardom. During that show, she shocked the audience with her honest humor about her recent back-to-back tragedies: the sudden loss of her mother, a serious C. DIFF infection, followed by aggressive breast cancer. The follow-up to that album is her memoir, I’m Just a Person, a more filled in version of that show.
In her book, Notaro relates growing up with her free-spirited mother in Houston, her eventual path to stand up comedy and Los Angeles, the tumultuous events of 2012, and how she overcame those odds to become the changed person she is today. I listened to the audio book edition, which she read in her classic deadpan voice, which lent a real intimacy to the events she related with sardonic humor. Some parts were almost achingly painful to hear, but it was never over the top. I hope to check out her album sometime soon while the book is still fresh in my mind.
I was a fan of Tig’s before her Live album shot her to stardom. During that show, she shocked the audience with her honest humor about her recent back-to-back tragedies: the sudden loss of her mother, a serious C. DIFF infection, followed by aggressive breast cancer. The follow-up to that album is her memoir, I’m Just a Person, a more filled in version of that show.
“I always considered myself a private person—both on stage and off—who made way more observations about the world around me than the one inside me. But after my life fell apart in March of 2012, I felt compelled to express myself on a much deeper level.”
In her book, Notaro relates growing up with her free-spirited mother in Houston, her eventual path to stand up comedy and Los Angeles, the tumultuous events of 2012, and how she overcame those odds to become the changed person she is today. I listened to the audio book edition, which she read in her classic deadpan voice, which lent a real intimacy to the events she related with sardonic humor. Some parts were almost achingly painful to hear, but it was never over the top. I hope to check out her album sometime soon while the book is still fresh in my mind.
The title threw me off a bit; "I'm just a person" when, at least in my reading, the story revolved around her mother and how her existence impacted Tig's. To me as a whole, it read more like a love letter to her mother and the pain she went through by not being able to say goodbye to her properly. I think this was Tig's way of coping with her death as well as a final goodbye.
Tig Notaro writes about a series of incredibly difficult life events: battling a bacteria that was killing her intestines, the death of her mother (whom she had a complicated relationship with) following an accident, and a breast cancer diagnosis resulting in a double mastectomy. While all of these would be challenging for anyone, these all happened within a course of a few months. She wrote about this time in a brutally honest way - I especially enjoyed the way she described bravery/cowardice in the face of adversary. People kept referring to her as "brave" for having cancer, while in fact she was struggling and questioning everything, and feeling the opposite of brave. This memoir was beautiful in that she was able to find humor and love through it all. Great read!
I love Tig Notaro so much; her dry, witty comedy is 100% up my alley. Her documentary on Netflix has brought me to tears more times than I care to tell, and Live is one of my favorite comedy albums. When I heard she was writing a book I knew I had to have it, and it was better than I expected it to be. It was way different from what I was anticipating, but in the best way possible. I recently lost my dad to cancer, and reading her struggle after losing her mom, her thoughts, feelings and emotions were all familiar to me and it honestly helped me tremendously to read someone I admire so much having the same experiences that I did. Then reading her reaction to being diagnosed with cancer gave me insight into what my dad must have been going through, his thoughts, feelings and fears. It was overwhelming and healing, and incredibly powerful.
I loved this book so much for so many different reasons, and I would definitely recommend reading it.
I loved this book so much for so many different reasons, and I would definitely recommend reading it.
I love Tig Notaro. She is an amazing storyteller. There were multiple times where I was laughing and crying at the same time.
If you've heard the Largo set or seen the documentary, you know the story. So you probably don't need to read the book, which feels very much like Notaro just trying to get everything down on paper -- all the details of her illnesses, her mom's death, her long-lost dad's death, her strained relationship with her "robotic" stepfather. The other autobiographical details are minimal, as are any jokes. She still seems to be shell-shocked by the experiences of 2012, and a few more years' distance probably would have helped.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I recently discovered Tig Notaro exists and I love her.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage
Tig is an absolute treasure, and I'm truly surprised she doesn't have a zillion fans. This book, One Mississippi, Tig the documentary, her standup...all wins. ❤️
In case you're not acquainted, "In the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C. diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and then she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Hit with this devastating barrage, Tig took her grief onstage. Days after receiving her cancer diagnosis, she broke new comedic ground, opening an unvarnished set with the words: 'Good evening. Hello. I have cancer. How are you? Hi, how are you? Is everybody having a good time? I have cancer.'"
yeeeeeah. The set went viral, she sort of blew up, and I feel grateful that meant I got wind of her. If you like hearing people's stories, check out this book; if you like standup, listen to hers; if you like shows with heart and comedy, watch One Mississippi. Highly recommend.
In case you're not acquainted, "In the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C. diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and then she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Hit with this devastating barrage, Tig took her grief onstage. Days after receiving her cancer diagnosis, she broke new comedic ground, opening an unvarnished set with the words: 'Good evening. Hello. I have cancer. How are you? Hi, how are you? Is everybody having a good time? I have cancer.'"
yeeeeeah. The set went viral, she sort of blew up, and I feel grateful that meant I got wind of her. If you like hearing people's stories, check out this book; if you like standup, listen to hers; if you like shows with heart and comedy, watch One Mississippi. Highly recommend.