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A review by artemismatchalatte
I'm the One That I Want by Margaret Cho
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.