Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Schumer is funny, raw, truthful, hilarious. I really enjoyed this book. Again, thought it would be a light walk in the park kind of read, but BAM she does pack an emotional punch. Read this book!
So I love Amy Schumer to little fan-girl bits. I was expecting this to be funny – like a book of her stand-up – but it is really heavy at times. Schumer pulls no punches, covering topics such as abusive relationships, eating disorders, rape, family drama, being an introvert, etc. It’s hard to read sometimes and I really rode a roller-coaster of emotions throughout the whole thing. Yeah, she’s trashy and brassy and balls-to-the-wall feminist (ovaries to the wall?), but that’s to be expected. She also shows her softer, vulnerable side, which makes this so powerful. Oh, and if you can listen to Schumer read it herself – DO.
It's a really good book. Very entertaining. I loved reading her stories. I loved her sincerity. I love her humor.
Well, let's see. Amy is into lists so that's how I will construct my review of this memoir.
The things I liked/appreciated/found most interesting:
1. Amy's family's backstory and all of its messed-up-ness and her descriptions of her feelings/understanding of various aspects of what happened from her young perspective and her present day more mature stance.
2. Her chapter entitled How to Be a Stand Up Comic described the craft of comedy and the business of comedy and the grind of performing as well as the satisfaction of honing a performance and getting laughs.
3. Her chapter called Letter to the Editor was kind of a feminist manifesto and a great example of calling people on their biases. Those emails back and forth were fantastic.
4. Her lovely relationship with her sister.
5. Her take on new money and being unapologetic about having it.
6. Her self-identified introversion--even if it's hard to believe based on what the media portrays.
7. Her hopefulness about her dad's illness and her practicality about relating to him even though it must be really draining and difficult to do so.
8. Her love for her young niece.
9. Her honesty about sexual assault and being in an abusive relationship.
10. Her journal entries from earlier times annotated with footnotes. This is actually s very therapeutic idea!
You'll notice I did not include her humor or her openness about sex and sexual activity. Some of it was funny. A lot of it was shocking. Some of it rung to me like massive oversharing. I get that the author is a very bold, proud, impulsive woman whose brand of comedy is forward and blunt and often crude, but I wonder if there might have been some other details to share about the many incidents of drunken hookups and exploits. But again, I'm a midwesterner. I do not know the NYC social climate and I am really kind of shocked by how casually all of this is taken. It seems to me like she is promoting self-esteem and self-confidence in part through the lens of lots and lots of sexy time and yet that is also a bit contradictory to the idea that looks, attractiveness to the male gaze and all of that is how the media wrongly and shallowly portrays women (which is bad).
So...am I glad to have read this? Sure. Now I know what all the fuss is about regarding this pop culture figure. I heard more of the story about her life that was displayed to some degree in Trainwreck, a movie which I found funny and sweet and enjoyed very much. But does having read this make me want to consume more of her comedy or watch her tv show? Probably not.
The things I liked/appreciated/found most interesting:
1. Amy's family's backstory and all of its messed-up-ness and her descriptions of her feelings/understanding of various aspects of what happened from her young perspective and her present day more mature stance.
2. Her chapter entitled How to Be a Stand Up Comic described the craft of comedy and the business of comedy and the grind of performing as well as the satisfaction of honing a performance and getting laughs.
3. Her chapter called Letter to the Editor was kind of a feminist manifesto and a great example of calling people on their biases. Those emails back and forth were fantastic.
4. Her lovely relationship with her sister.
5. Her take on new money and being unapologetic about having it.
6. Her self-identified introversion--even if it's hard to believe based on what the media portrays.
7. Her hopefulness about her dad's illness and her practicality about relating to him even though it must be really draining and difficult to do so.
8. Her love for her young niece.
9. Her honesty about sexual assault and being in an abusive relationship.
10. Her journal entries from earlier times annotated with footnotes. This is actually s very therapeutic idea!
You'll notice I did not include her humor or her openness about sex and sexual activity. Some of it was funny. A lot of it was shocking. Some of it rung to me like massive oversharing. I get that the author is a very bold, proud, impulsive woman whose brand of comedy is forward and blunt and often crude, but I wonder if there might have been some other details to share about the many incidents of drunken hookups and exploits. But again, I'm a midwesterner. I do not know the NYC social climate and I am really kind of shocked by how casually all of this is taken. It seems to me like she is promoting self-esteem and self-confidence in part through the lens of lots and lots of sexy time and yet that is also a bit contradictory to the idea that looks, attractiveness to the male gaze and all of that is how the media wrongly and shallowly portrays women (which is bad).
So...am I glad to have read this? Sure. Now I know what all the fuss is about regarding this pop culture figure. I heard more of the story about her life that was displayed to some degree in Trainwreck, a movie which I found funny and sweet and enjoyed very much. But does having read this make me want to consume more of her comedy or watch her tv show? Probably not.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Funny and real. Would expect nothing less from Schumer.
I'm not overly familiar with Amy Schumer, but the audiobook was available, so why not? There were some pretty funny stories in there, to be sure, but parts of the book got a bit tedious. Schumer read the book herself, which definitely made it more fun to listen to. I also am somewhat curious as to what her standup routine would be like. Then again, it's probably very similar to this book.
Powerful, raw, honest and unflinchingly direct memoir of a strong woman, a favorite of mine. Like her comedy, well-written and at times scathing, we need more like Schumer who are unapologetically living as themselves and helping light our way. Here we go: "Beautiful, ugly, funny, boring, smart or not, my vulnerability is my ultimate strength."
I was hesitant to pick this up in the first place - Amy Schumer is a relatively new mainstream presence. It seemed soon for her to release any sort of memoir or biography. But I am obsessed with her and funny ladies in general so I knew I had to read it.
I was mistaken - this book is fantastic. All of the sex and booze stuff you would imagine - maybe even more. But a lot of stuff that might surprise you as well. She is a textbook introvert, which I know I can relate to.
There are a few notorious chapters on sexual assault and abusive relationships - many people would be uncomfortable and unwilling to share so many personal details of these types of experiences (I know I wouldn't), but I am glad that someone like her is willing to go there - she sheds a lot of light onto what sexual assault and domestic violence can look like - and who it can affect (spoiler - it can affect someone like her, a self-proclaimed "strong-ass woman").
She also spends a lot of time reflecting on the shooting that took place in a movie theater during a Trainwreck showing - and her passionate thoughts on gun violence - and if she thought that including these opinions might deter a portion of the population from wanting to read her book, she gives ZERO F**KS.
I think I enjoyed this book the most during these chapters that focus on more serious topics. There are plenty of jokes and LOL moments in it as well - maybe a few particularly graphic moments that I could have done without - but overall I think she gives a good representation of who she is: incredibly, ridiculously hard-working, unconditionally committed to her family and friends, insecure in some ways but strong and confident in more ways, and unwavering in her values and her beliefs.
5 stars for sure.
I was mistaken - this book is fantastic. All of the sex and booze stuff you would imagine - maybe even more. But a lot of stuff that might surprise you as well. She is a textbook introvert, which I know I can relate to.
There are a few notorious chapters on sexual assault and abusive relationships - many people would be uncomfortable and unwilling to share so many personal details of these types of experiences (I know I wouldn't), but I am glad that someone like her is willing to go there - she sheds a lot of light onto what sexual assault and domestic violence can look like - and who it can affect (spoiler - it can affect someone like her, a self-proclaimed "strong-ass woman").
She also spends a lot of time reflecting on the shooting that took place in a movie theater during a Trainwreck showing - and her passionate thoughts on gun violence - and if she thought that including these opinions might deter a portion of the population from wanting to read her book, she gives ZERO F**KS.
I think I enjoyed this book the most during these chapters that focus on more serious topics. There are plenty of jokes and LOL moments in it as well - maybe a few particularly graphic moments that I could have done without - but overall I think she gives a good representation of who she is: incredibly, ridiculously hard-working, unconditionally committed to her family and friends, insecure in some ways but strong and confident in more ways, and unwavering in her values and her beliefs.
5 stars for sure.
