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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong
20 reviews
bherrmann525's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Death of parent
crybabybea's review against another edition
3.75
I went into this knowing nothing about Ali Wong and also knowing nothing about stand-up comedy, so I wasn't exactly the target audience for this memoir, but I still surprisingly had a fun time and enjoyed listening to it.
I'm not a super big fan of raunchy/dirty comedy, but I found Ali Wong's approach kind of endearing and wholesome. She makes herself the butt of jokes before anyone else can, and it makes her come across as very open-minded and shame-free. I think her comedic approach really worked well for a memoir written as a letter to her daughters. As terrifying as it would be to read about your mom's sexcapades and fecal matter, there were a lot of truly heartfelt moments that broke up the overwhelming amount of poop jokes (seriously, there's lots of poop). But the whole thing was just filled with a tone of passion and genuine love and I found it moving despite the over-the-top comedy.
She briefly touched on some more political topics, like how she defines her identity as an Asian-American woman in a male-dominated career field, but it wasn't the main focus and I enjoyed that each absolutely unhinged story circled back around to a word of advice for her girls.
I found her narration in the audiobook to be super entertaining too and made it easy to keep listening.
I'm not a super big fan of raunchy/dirty comedy, but I found Ali Wong's approach kind of endearing and wholesome. She makes herself the butt of jokes before anyone else can, and it makes her come across as very open-minded and shame-free. I think her comedic approach really worked well for a memoir written as a letter to her daughters. As terrifying as it would be to read about your mom's sexcapades and fecal matter, there were a lot of truly heartfelt moments that broke up the overwhelming amount of poop jokes (seriously, there's lots of poop). But the whole thing was just filled with a tone of passion and genuine love and I found it moving despite the over-the-top comedy.
She briefly touched on some more political topics, like how she defines her identity as an Asian-American woman in a male-dominated career field, but it wasn't the main focus and I enjoyed that each absolutely unhinged story circled back around to a word of advice for her girls.
I found her narration in the audiobook to be super entertaining too and made it easy to keep listening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Cancer and Alcohol
mari1532's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
This is a reread of this book for me. I had purchased this book when it came out and devoured it immediately. Now I am on a quest to read all of the physical books that I own in some way. I needed a beautifully written and funny read so I immediately went back to this book.
Wong is such a brilliant, honest comedian that every minute of this book is fantastic and heartwarming. Although I have to say I did not like the graphic description of the long pinky fingernail...it's so descriptive it makes me gag every time.
Wong's detailing of her experiences for her daughters (and the general public) is an enjoyable read. I truly loved her discussion of how she met her (now ex) husband and how they fell in love and decided to have their two daughters. I also think that her current relationship with the father of her children is beautiful. Too often people disparage their exes and sometimes that can be called for, but the ability of Wong to openly discuss how she remains friends with her exes is so refreshing.
If you are looking for a great memoir to read and/or are a fan of Wong's other work I would highly recommend this book!
Wong is such a brilliant, honest comedian that every minute of this book is fantastic and heartwarming. Although I have to say I did not like the graphic description of the long pinky fingernail...it's so descriptive it makes me gag every time.
Wong's detailing of her experiences for her daughters (and the general public) is an enjoyable read. I truly loved her discussion of how she met her (now ex) husband and how they fell in love and decided to have their two daughters. I also think that her current relationship with the father of her children is beautiful. Too often people disparage their exes and sometimes that can be called for, but the ability of Wong to openly discuss how she remains friends with her exes is so refreshing.
If you are looking for a great memoir to read and/or are a fan of Wong's other work I would highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Excrement, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent
lindsayvale's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
3.5
Really enjoyed the audiobook as someone who hasn't seen any of Ali Wong's standup. I don't think I would've enjoyed this as much if I read the physical book. It was pretty funny and heartfelt in many parts of the book and went by quickly, but some of it felt off for me. I think part of the reason is because I don't like the word "pussy" and she uses it a lot. If you aren't into raunchy comedy at all, I'd say skip this. Another part that could be the reason it didn't work for me as much is when she is talking about being Asian it always comes off as very east Asian-centric, and it always makes me feel like if you arent that kind of Asian then you aren't Asian. Even tho she is Chinese Vietnamese and talks about her time in Vietnam, it was still super east Asian-centric. When discussing choosing Asian restaurants, she really only mentioned east Asian cuisine. Maybe this is just telling me I should stop looking for wider/inclusive Asian rep from east Asians.
Not to say the book is bad by any means, I overall did enjoy listening to the audio since she delivers it in such an engaging and entertaining way. It def isn't the worst non-fiction I've read, but it's not my fave either. It's a good, quick read if you are looking to fill a little bit of time.
Not to say the book is bad by any means, I overall did enjoy listening to the audio since she delivers it in such an engaging and entertaining way. It def isn't the worst non-fiction I've read, but it's not my fave either. It's a good, quick read if you are looking to fill a little bit of time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy
Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
miacorkum's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage and Death of parent
leweylibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I obviously don't like kids, so the entire premise of the book was a bit meh for me 😬 but I did think it made for good structure for the book that was a lot more interesting and engaging than a chronological detailing of her life. I did also like the bit from her husband at the end, although that also felt a little weird? Almost like he had to defend her and their relationship? Also there was one relatively lengthy section in which there was waaaaay too much discussion about all the ways children are disgusting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexism, Xenophobia, and Vomit
whisper88's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
aus10england's review against another edition
funny
4.0
Fun quick read by a hilarious comedian!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
amandacssingh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Excrement, and Pregnancy
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, and Death of parent