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obsidian_blue's review against another edition
5.0
Not too much to say except I really loved this collection of essays by Ali Wong. I got to know a little bit more about her, her family, her husband, and how she started off in comedy. She manages to infuse her essays to her daughters with love, laughter, and sometimes tears. I did love how this collection ended with a letter from her husband to their daughters too. The family seems very tight-knit, slightly manic at times, but ready to pull a knife on you if you screw with one of their own.
I have to say that I found myself nodding along with Wong during parts of this essay to her daughters. I love what she had to say about marrying someone within their own culture and how it just makes things easier because you get things that someone else would not. I also loved her thoughts on traveling abroad to experience different people, countries, and food. All of the food mentioned in this book made me ridiculously hungry too by the way. When I traveled through Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong years ago it felt like I finally came home. I ate everything I could and just went for whatever was put in front of me. I finally found countries that actually cooked food so hot it made the heat travel up through my ears. I was in heaven.
Wong of course goes into how she met her now husband, how things were not perfect, still are not perfect, but they loved each other. It's also wonderful to see how she handles being the "breadmaker" in the family while he does things that are typically assigned to women. I think in America we still have that problem with men that stay at home are looked down upon by not only other people, but within their own families. Somehow stay at home husbands are not manly enough or something. But we don't say a word about how women are not womenly enough if they stay at home.
Wong's family sounds completely chaotic and I loved the stories about her parents, her sisters, and her brother.
We also get such great insights into the comedy circuit and how she forced herself out there to play in front of audiences that were diverse in order to get better. If you just play in front of the same crowd of white men and women, how are you stretching yourself and growing?
Definitely would love to read another book from her in the future.
I have to say that I found myself nodding along with Wong during parts of this essay to her daughters. I love what she had to say about marrying someone within their own culture and how it just makes things easier because you get things that someone else would not. I also loved her thoughts on traveling abroad to experience different people, countries, and food. All of the food mentioned in this book made me ridiculously hungry too by the way. When I traveled through Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong years ago it felt like I finally came home. I ate everything I could and just went for whatever was put in front of me. I finally found countries that actually cooked food so hot it made the heat travel up through my ears. I was in heaven.
Wong of course goes into how she met her now husband, how things were not perfect, still are not perfect, but they loved each other. It's also wonderful to see how she handles being the "breadmaker" in the family while he does things that are typically assigned to women. I think in America we still have that problem with men that stay at home are looked down upon by not only other people, but within their own families. Somehow stay at home husbands are not manly enough or something. But we don't say a word about how women are not womenly enough if they stay at home.
Wong's family sounds completely chaotic and I loved the stories about her parents, her sisters, and her brother.
We also get such great insights into the comedy circuit and how she forced herself out there to play in front of audiences that were diverse in order to get better. If you just play in front of the same crowd of white men and women, how are you stretching yourself and growing?
Definitely would love to read another book from her in the future.
hartmancb's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Ali Wong is hilarious and listening to her audiobook was fantastic. I appreciate the advocacy she does for women and Asian Americans and love how raunchy she is, de stigmatizing stories about pooping, sex, and so much more.
chelseariddle's review against another edition
3.0
I wish every parent wrote a book like this to their kids I love it
calstar's review against another edition
5.0
SO SO SO good! The audiobook version is a must. I loved Ali Wong before but now she's my hero. This unflinching and hilarious memoir is laid out as nuggets of advice for her two young daughters but I doubt she will be reading it to them until they are a little older as it covers topics like the many guys she dated that couldn't get it up, peeing on her husband from laughing too hard as he trimmed her pubes, having hallucinatory sex with herself while tripping on ayahuasca etc, etc. I laughed out loud in my car every time I listened and I cried a couple of times at the touching stories about her family. It is obvious and aspirational how much she adores her husband and kids and her husband's letter to her kids that serves as the afterword to the book was incredible and should be required reading for couples who plan to have a family. I adored this book.
juliemowat's review against another edition
2.0
Love Ali Wong's stand up specials so thought I would enjoy the audiobook. There were a few laughs but once you get past the shock value, it isn't that interesting. It is kinda a mess and very sarcastic.
ashley_x's review against another edition
5.0
When you read the title of this book, more specifically when you read the words "Intimate Tales", let me tell you Ali Wong really does mean intimate. I've never watched any of Wong's acts but I did watch her in Always Be My Maybe (& loved it) & a few of her other movies but that's the one I remember her from the most. Needless to say, I am hands down a fan of her now (I already was but I really am now). I plan on consuming some more of her movies ASAP.
As always, I listen to audiobooks while working so I unexpectedly caught myself bursting out in laughter MANY times today. I would laugh before I even realized I was laughing. Ali Wong is really, really funny. I really liked this book. There was even a point where I actually teared up not because I was laughing but because the emotions got to me. This is ironic because it wasn't even that much of an emotional scene, her husband was just helping her with something a pregnant woman can't do on her own because her belly is too big & in the way! If you know, you know. Dear Girls is a big fat 5 star read for me.
As always, I listen to audiobooks while working so I unexpectedly caught myself bursting out in laughter MANY times today. I would laugh before I even realized I was laughing. Ali Wong is really, really funny. I really liked this book. There was even a point where I actually teared up not because I was laughing but because the emotions got to me. This is ironic because it wasn't even that much of an emotional scene, her husband was just helping her with something a pregnant woman can't do on her own because her belly is too big & in the way! If you know, you know. Dear Girls is a big fat 5 star read for me.
entropicecho's review against another edition
4.0
Part memoir, part comedy routine, all love. You can really feel Ali's love for her kids in this. She's witty, hard working, and just honest as heck. I appreciate that she was unfiltered in her approach.