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bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think I laughed once while reading this. It was written in a detached way, and she was kind of whiny.
nannahnannah's review against another edition
2.0
Yeaaaah, I'm not sure why this is in the categories "Humor" or "Comedy". I mean, sure, Margaret Cho is a comedian, but the book itself isn't comedic. It has comedic touches, but it's overall a pretty serious account of her life leading up to her career taking off.
I wanted to like this so bad. My mother loves Margaret Cho, and although I've never seen any of her stand-up, I've heard such great things about her comedy that I just wanted to fall in love with her voice. And, I mean, I did sympathize with her cycles of self-sabatoge and making light of her sufferings (something I do too :/ ), and the very ending of the book was so hopeful and inspirational that I was left feeling rosy-eyed about everything.
But she fat-shamed people in the book, she used transphobic slurs, homophobic slurs, etc. And not just once, but several, several times. I know Margaret Cho isn't straight, but continually using the f** word made me on the verge of closing the book and picking something else up. She also seems to have a strange infatuation with gay men that seems . . . bordering fetishization? Again I'm not very familiar with Margaret Cho, but it made me very uncomfortable.
So while the ending was great, and I have nothing against her actual journey, the writing and language really put me off.
I wanted to like this so bad. My mother loves Margaret Cho, and although I've never seen any of her stand-up, I've heard such great things about her comedy that I just wanted to fall in love with her voice. And, I mean, I did sympathize with her cycles of self-sabatoge and making light of her sufferings (something I do too :/ ), and the very ending of the book was so hopeful and inspirational that I was left feeling rosy-eyed about everything.
But she fat-shamed people in the book, she used transphobic slurs, homophobic slurs, etc. And not just once, but several, several times. I know Margaret Cho isn't straight, but continually using the f** word made me on the verge of closing the book and picking something else up. She also seems to have a strange infatuation with gay men that seems . . . bordering fetishization? Again I'm not very familiar with Margaret Cho, but it made me very uncomfortable.
So while the ending was great, and I have nothing against her actual journey, the writing and language really put me off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Transphobia, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racism and Ableism
homophobic slurs; transphobic slurs; the racism is in-bookcorncobwebs's review against another edition
I feel like I must have read this book before, because I went through a phase of reading all Margaret Cho's books a few years ago. I didn't particularly remember this one, so I got into it a few nights ago because I guess I felt like reading something empowering. A lot of Cho's writing borders on motivational speaker-y, which I typically don't go for. But she had a lot of terrible experiences, and it seems like she had to get in the habit of positive self-talk in order to dig herself out of the despair. So that makes all the platitudes tolerable -- for Cho, it seems like they're hard-won truths.
Overall: it was a little cliched, and I think Cho is funnier on screen than in writing...but I'd still read one of her books if I was in need of a little self-love pep talk.
Overall: it was a little cliched, and I think Cho is funnier on screen than in writing...but I'd still read one of her books if I was in need of a little self-love pep talk.
empressofbookingham's review against another edition
5.0
“I never would have known about love if I hadn't tried for once to love myself.”
~~~
I vibed with this book that I kept cheering her on every time she fell down and got back up. Thank God I didn't know the book is classified more on the humor side because I had more aha moments than ha ha moments. Oh she was funny don't get me wrong but that did not take away from the naked truth of her life.
Takes courage to lay yourself bare to the world like this. This is what did have me in awe about the book. 'I Am The One I Want' charts the raw, harrowing journey Margaret Cho undertook from a place where she could barely look at herself in the mirror to wanting and loving herself so ferociously healing was the effect.
Margaret Cho goes in deep on the makings of her childhood life, her addiction to substances, her self hatred and destructive behaviors, sex, chasing her dreams, obsession with men, dieting...
I deeply related to the story because I too have been picked on because of my name, skin color, body stature and the shocking not so shocking part from people of the same color.
~~~
I vibed with this book that I kept cheering her on every time she fell down and got back up. Thank God I didn't know the book is classified more on the humor side because I had more aha moments than ha ha moments. Oh she was funny don't get me wrong but that did not take away from the naked truth of her life.
Takes courage to lay yourself bare to the world like this. This is what did have me in awe about the book. 'I Am The One I Want' charts the raw, harrowing journey Margaret Cho undertook from a place where she could barely look at herself in the mirror to wanting and loving herself so ferociously healing was the effect.
Margaret Cho goes in deep on the makings of her childhood life, her addiction to substances, her self hatred and destructive behaviors, sex, chasing her dreams, obsession with men, dieting...
I deeply related to the story because I too have been picked on because of my name, skin color, body stature and the shocking not so shocking part from people of the same color.
matthew_p's review
1.0
Cho shares a lot about her struggles around self-image and substance abuse, but the reason this was painful to listen to was the stilted delivery. Not sure if this is because the writing was choppy, or just poor delivery, but it was an unfortunate distraction throughout.
amarrymeinbostonacademic's review against another edition
3.0
I loved Margaret Cho’s Comedy Special PysCHO on Netflix. It’s freaking hilarious. I’d totally recommend it. That’s actually what made me want to read her book, I’m the One that I Want. Granted PysCHO is a lot more recent than I’m the One that I Want is, I think this book shows that Margaret Cho has come a very long way since the 90’s when her career in stand-up comedy began. It might be good to note: she also has a comedy show with the same title as this book but they aren’t the same material from what I could tell, despite the titles being the same.
This is a very personal testimonial of Margaret Cho’s life and early career. Cho speaks about growing up Korean-American in California in the 70s and 80s. Through out her comedy career, she struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and body image/ self esteem issues. She talks about the seediness of some Hollywood producers which reminds me of Valley of the Dolls despite it being a much more modern time (sadly it seems not much has changed). I think her talking so openly about her personal struggles make her a relatable person.
She uses many of her personal experiences in her comedy. For that reason, this book reads much more like a biography than a comedy set, but there are still moments of humor along with the sadness and heavier stuff. The book ends on a hopeful note which is uplifting. In the years since I’m the One that I Want, Margaret Cho is still doing comedy, movies, and writing books.
My rating is 3.5 stars! I think fans of Margaret Cho will like this book. I have more sympathy and respect for her than before. She has long been an ally to the LGBTQ community. This is a fact that is also high-lighted in her book here and in her other work both inside and outside of comedy.
Trigger warnings: suicide, rape/sexual assault, abusive relationships, and severe body image issues.
This is a very personal testimonial of Margaret Cho’s life and early career. Cho speaks about growing up Korean-American in California in the 70s and 80s. Through out her comedy career, she struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and body image/ self esteem issues. She talks about the seediness of some Hollywood producers which reminds me of Valley of the Dolls despite it being a much more modern time (sadly it seems not much has changed). I think her talking so openly about her personal struggles make her a relatable person.
She uses many of her personal experiences in her comedy. For that reason, this book reads much more like a biography than a comedy set, but there are still moments of humor along with the sadness and heavier stuff. The book ends on a hopeful note which is uplifting. In the years since I’m the One that I Want, Margaret Cho is still doing comedy, movies, and writing books.
My rating is 3.5 stars! I think fans of Margaret Cho will like this book. I have more sympathy and respect for her than before. She has long been an ally to the LGBTQ community. This is a fact that is also high-lighted in her book here and in her other work both inside and outside of comedy.
Trigger warnings: suicide, rape/sexual assault, abusive relationships, and severe body image issues.
line_so_fine's review against another edition
5.0
Margaret Cho expands upon the material of her popular stand-up routine and film of the same name in this memoir. Less outrageously funny and downright sad in many instances, Cho writes about her lonely childhood and the odd jobs she worked at the beginning of her stand up career. She discusses her career ups and downs, her experiences with drugs, sex, and alcohol, and her family with the fearlessly honest tone that permeates her comedy persona.
formiscontent's review against another edition
3.0
While this book shares a title with her late-90s comedy show, this is not a comic memoir. Not surprisingly, since Cho's humor works more with timing and exaggerated effect rather than one-liners, but there is enough humor laced throughout to keep these slices of life from becoming too grim.
These tales of living with bullying and the self-destructive behaviors that can result should be on every high school reading list, but it won't be, because she swears and has an abortion and because parents are awful about things like that.
These tales of living with bullying and the self-destructive behaviors that can result should be on every high school reading list, but it won't be, because she swears and has an abortion and because parents are awful about things like that.