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laurencehebberd's review against another edition
5.0
This book is bonkers, but absolutely fantastic. I’ve never seen Simon’s comedy live, so to read a book of his set / jokes / stories mixed in with filler anecdotes worked perfectly. I loved it - and it’s inspired me to do something similar. I laughed a million times!
amychunks's review against another edition
5.0
For the first time in about six years I’ve read a book in one sitting (bar my studious course cramming) and the nature of this is hardly surprising. An Amstell lover being alone enough to read a book in its entirety without being interrupted, what a dud and predictable incident.
Amstell has expanded his paradox of crippling shyness and ruthless, unflattering honesty which forces me to look in on myself more. Like many people who have suffered long term with a treatable yet enduring disease, there is the frustration that we as humans are unable to listen to ourselves. I’ve found a book which warns you about the intricate dangers of love and paramount importance of self acceptance which is rung off with the Beatles echo from his ayahuasca not-trip that love is all you need. Which feels pretty shitty when you’ve been alone all day and have dragged yourself through your own childhood and heartbreaks
Amstell has expanded his paradox of crippling shyness and ruthless, unflattering honesty which forces me to look in on myself more. Like many people who have suffered long term with a treatable yet enduring disease, there is the frustration that we as humans are unable to listen to ourselves. I’ve found a book which warns you about the intricate dangers of love and paramount importance of self acceptance which is rung off with the Beatles echo from his ayahuasca not-trip that love is all you need. Which feels pretty shitty when you’ve been alone all day and have dragged yourself through your own childhood and heartbreaks
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
2.0
As a teenager, I loved stand-up comedy, but as I got older my enthusiasm for it waned as I found performers both arrogant and frequently sexist or homophobic. Simon Amstell is one of the few comedians I continue to find enjoyable. I saw his stand-up in Dublin as part of his 2017 tour, and enjoyed it a lot. However, this book doesn't cover any new ground unless you are not familiar with Amstell's previous work: it is a collection of extracts from his previous routines, along with a few new anecdotes and passages from his current set. As he admits himself, it's a bit hard to work out what the audience for this is: People who like comedy but hate stand up? Also, while Amstell talks about being brutally honest in his work, there still seems to be a sense of distance in this book: the chapters are disjointed and without context: it's more like a series of anecdotes than work of any true insight. That being said, maybe I'm looking for too much in what is essentially a short, very funny book. It was nice to read Amstell's stories, and I find his writing about depression and being gay very easy to relate to. A mixed bag, but worth a look.
wllmrlw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
jeremiglio's review against another edition
3.0
My main take-away from this is a desire to try both MDMA and the whole Ayahuasca experience.
whiterosereader's review against another edition
1.0
Humorous at the beginning, particular lines and scenarios that were also in Simon's sitcom Grandma's House, but towards the end, rambling nonsense and I couldn't wait to finish it. Glad I just borrowed this from the library, had I bought it, I would have been very disappointed.
verlkonig's review against another edition
4.0
I bloody love Simon Amstell, and I hope you do too. If not, go and look up his live shows, or watch his stint on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, or his sitcom Grandma's House. I promise, they are all hilarious, and they will all bring you joy. I am honestly so grateful for comedians, just as I am so grateful for anyone who can make me laugh. They just brighten my day exponentially.
Help is a very honest book. It's basically an autobiography, interspersed with extracts from four live shows (No Self, Do Nothing, Numb, and To be Free). I've seen 3 of them, but there's so much extra material here that at no point did I feel like it was too repetitive. The other thing is that the tone is really different from his shows. Go and watch the beginning of this one:
WATCH IT
This is how it starts:
"I'm quite lonely, let's start with that. I bought a new flat about two years ago. In this flat, in the bathroom, there are two sinks. I thought that would bring me some joy. It is a constant reminder. And so what I have had to do, this is what I am doing now in my life, I am actually doing this - I'm using both sinks. Now, everyday I brush my teeth in the left sink and in the right one, I mainly cry."
I remember watching this a while ago and laughing hard, but reading the book I smirked but felt a bit sad too. And that's the whole book, basically. His delivery live makes the slightly more depressing aspects of his anecdotes very funny, whereas reading the written words made me really think about what he's saying. (Damn you, Amstell, for making me think about your words!) For this reason, and as many others have said, the audiobook version of this might be better than the physical book.
Amstell discusses many parts of his life here in a brutally honest way. It's clear that he's faced challenges in his life, such as:
Being openly gay and Jewish:
"In the Jewish religion, if you're a boy and you have a boyfriend, it's important that he's a girl."
Or having relationship troubles:
"The problem with needing people to love you, despite who you are, is that ou end up subtly compromising for them and so internalise their prejudice and their rage. Rather than let them reject you, you allow all their nonsense to live inside you. You don't realise it but you agree to feel uncomfortable about this bit of yourself too, just slightly, just enough to keep them in your life. You settle for being mildly content with you who are, rather than proud or thrilled, and any attempts at love will be thwarted by this refusal to love yourself completely."
Or lacking self esteem:
"Frustrated and, I suppose, scared by the conventional, I've spent a lot of energy, one stage and off, fretting about how much of who I am will be tolerated before I'm rejected."
Or suffering from depression:
"When I feel sad now, I know it's not because I'm a broken human being, it's because it is one of the emotions that human beings feel."
He handles everything with such wit that it's hard not to be utterly charmed by him. I laughed, I cried, and I honestly feel like this makes a better self-help book than loads of others on the market. There's no bullshit here, it's just an honest and straight to the point account of feelings and situations that will make you laugh while also making you think.
"Everything is a choice between fear and love. We may as well choose love because death is coming. Death is coming. Death is coming."
Help is a very honest book. It's basically an autobiography, interspersed with extracts from four live shows (No Self, Do Nothing, Numb, and To be Free). I've seen 3 of them, but there's so much extra material here that at no point did I feel like it was too repetitive. The other thing is that the tone is really different from his shows. Go and watch the beginning of this one:
WATCH IT
This is how it starts:
"I'm quite lonely, let's start with that. I bought a new flat about two years ago. In this flat, in the bathroom, there are two sinks. I thought that would bring me some joy. It is a constant reminder. And so what I have had to do, this is what I am doing now in my life, I am actually doing this - I'm using both sinks. Now, everyday I brush my teeth in the left sink and in the right one, I mainly cry."
I remember watching this a while ago and laughing hard, but reading the book I smirked but felt a bit sad too. And that's the whole book, basically. His delivery live makes the slightly more depressing aspects of his anecdotes very funny, whereas reading the written words made me really think about what he's saying. (Damn you, Amstell, for making me think about your words!) For this reason, and as many others have said, the audiobook version of this might be better than the physical book.
Amstell discusses many parts of his life here in a brutally honest way. It's clear that he's faced challenges in his life, such as:
Being openly gay and Jewish:
"In the Jewish religion, if you're a boy and you have a boyfriend, it's important that he's a girl."
Or having relationship troubles:
"The problem with needing people to love you, despite who you are, is that ou end up subtly compromising for them and so internalise their prejudice and their rage. Rather than let them reject you, you allow all their nonsense to live inside you. You don't realise it but you agree to feel uncomfortable about this bit of yourself too, just slightly, just enough to keep them in your life. You settle for being mildly content with you who are, rather than proud or thrilled, and any attempts at love will be thwarted by this refusal to love yourself completely."
Or lacking self esteem:
"Frustrated and, I suppose, scared by the conventional, I've spent a lot of energy, one stage and off, fretting about how much of who I am will be tolerated before I'm rejected."
Or suffering from depression:
"When I feel sad now, I know it's not because I'm a broken human being, it's because it is one of the emotions that human beings feel."
He handles everything with such wit that it's hard not to be utterly charmed by him. I laughed, I cried, and I honestly feel like this makes a better self-help book than loads of others on the market. There's no bullshit here, it's just an honest and straight to the point account of feelings and situations that will make you laugh while also making you think.
"Everything is a choice between fear and love. We may as well choose love because death is coming. Death is coming. Death is coming."
magpiegem's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
rcbick's review against another edition
2.0
It feels more than a bit padded as it least 1/3 seems to be taken from his stage show, which were the funniest parts.
clocrim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
quite funny, but I felt a little weird about how his attraction to 18 year olds kept being mentioned