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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin
4.0
A young comedian learns to embrace the positive when she joins her school's improv troupe despite her lack of experience and fear of being in the spotlight.
Winnie Friedman has always viewed herself as the funniest person alive. Unfortunately, hardly anyone recognizes her true potential. Sure, her parents and best friends laugh at her jokes, but that's not saying a lot. Everything is about to change though after one fateful day at lunch when the funniest kid in her grade, Evan Miller, laughs at a joke she makes. When he invites her to the school's improv troupe, Winnie knows this is her moment to prove to the world that she is truly hilarious. Feeling ready to embrace comedy again for the first time in a while, Winnie is hit with a shocking twist: her father has been diagnosed with ALS. Now, Winnie must try to focus on the positive despite everything that is happening at home.
This book was leagues better than I thought it was going to be. I seriously blame the cover for my lackluster expectations of this book, but I'm glad that it panned out to being a pretty solid read. I found myself laughing aloud constantly (which I guess shouldn't be too unexpected from a book called "Crying Laughing," but I was a bit surprised nonetheless). And this book has a ton of depth, which is something I really wasn't expecting.
Going into this book, I had no idea that it was centered around the wonderful art of improv. In college, I took an acting class in which we spent a ton of time practicing improv, so I definitely could relate to all the feelings that Winnie had towards this complicated art. There were times I was super nostalgic over some of the improv pieces that I had the chance to participate in and view. But I definitely felt the dread that can come after a not so successful round of improvisation. Improv comes naturally to some, but it is truly a learned artform. I really enjoyed reminiscing in my own experiences as I watched Winnie grow into a more confident performer, despite her obvious shortcomings.
The other half of this book focuses on Winnie's father's ALS diagnosis. ALS is a truly awful condition and every time I read about it, my heart goes out to everyone who has ever had to deal with this condition. Winnie learns a ton about her parent's past and struggles to cope with what her future might entail now that her father may only have a few more years to live. Books featuring chronic conditions always pull on my heartstrings and this book was no different.
Something that I found great about this book was the fact that it mentioned Amy Poehler/Leslie Knope nine times. The author of this book is definitely a fan of Amy Poehler and "Parks and Recreation," as am I, so it was really fun to read all the references that he decided to include. I wasn't aware of the depth of Poehler's career in improv though, so I'm even more excited to read her memoir "Yes Please" to learn more about this part of her life.
My least favorite part of this book was Evan. He wasn't terrible as an acquaintance of Winnie's, but I hated him as soon as he started playing the romantic interest. He was controlling, never consulted her for literally anything, and moved way too fast for my comfort. I'm glad that he convinced Winnie to join the improv group, but I'm so relieved that she picked up on his red flags almost instantly.
The diversity rep in this book is also great. Winnie's best friends are Muslim, her dad has ALS, and there are several characters that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. This story briefly touches on issues such as racism, Islamophobia, and the like, which I greatly appreciated even though it was more about learning to live with change and overcoming the hurdles that life throws at you.
Overall, "Crying Laughing" was a funny read that also has a ton of depth and heart. I've never read a book that focused on the art of improv, so that was super refreshing. I think improv is fascinating and I've partaken in it a time or two, so I really enjoyed how important improv is to this story.
Seeing Winnie's family learning to deal with her father's ALS diagnosis was the most impactful part of the story in my opinion, but I enjoyed Winnie's exploits into dating, learning to prioritize her friends, and growing confidence in herself as well. This book was way better than I thought it would be which certainly reminded me that one can't accurately judge a book by its cover.
Winnie Friedman has always viewed herself as the funniest person alive. Unfortunately, hardly anyone recognizes her true potential. Sure, her parents and best friends laugh at her jokes, but that's not saying a lot. Everything is about to change though after one fateful day at lunch when the funniest kid in her grade, Evan Miller, laughs at a joke she makes. When he invites her to the school's improv troupe, Winnie knows this is her moment to prove to the world that she is truly hilarious. Feeling ready to embrace comedy again for the first time in a while, Winnie is hit with a shocking twist: her father has been diagnosed with ALS. Now, Winnie must try to focus on the positive despite everything that is happening at home.
This book was leagues better than I thought it was going to be. I seriously blame the cover for my lackluster expectations of this book, but I'm glad that it panned out to being a pretty solid read. I found myself laughing aloud constantly (which I guess shouldn't be too unexpected from a book called "Crying Laughing," but I was a bit surprised nonetheless). And this book has a ton of depth, which is something I really wasn't expecting.
Going into this book, I had no idea that it was centered around the wonderful art of improv. In college, I took an acting class in which we spent a ton of time practicing improv, so I definitely could relate to all the feelings that Winnie had towards this complicated art. There were times I was super nostalgic over some of the improv pieces that I had the chance to participate in and view. But I definitely felt the dread that can come after a not so successful round of improvisation. Improv comes naturally to some, but it is truly a learned artform. I really enjoyed reminiscing in my own experiences as I watched Winnie grow into a more confident performer, despite her obvious shortcomings.
The other half of this book focuses on Winnie's father's ALS diagnosis. ALS is a truly awful condition and every time I read about it, my heart goes out to everyone who has ever had to deal with this condition. Winnie learns a ton about her parent's past and struggles to cope with what her future might entail now that her father may only have a few more years to live. Books featuring chronic conditions always pull on my heartstrings and this book was no different.
Something that I found great about this book was the fact that it mentioned Amy Poehler/Leslie Knope nine times. The author of this book is definitely a fan of Amy Poehler and "Parks and Recreation," as am I, so it was really fun to read all the references that he decided to include. I wasn't aware of the depth of Poehler's career in improv though, so I'm even more excited to read her memoir "Yes Please" to learn more about this part of her life.
My least favorite part of this book was Evan. He wasn't terrible as an acquaintance of Winnie's, but I hated him as soon as he started playing the romantic interest. He was controlling, never consulted her for literally anything, and moved way too fast for my comfort. I'm glad that he convinced Winnie to join the improv group, but I'm so relieved that she picked up on his red flags almost instantly.
The diversity rep in this book is also great. Winnie's best friends are Muslim, her dad has ALS, and there are several characters that are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. This story briefly touches on issues such as racism, Islamophobia, and the like, which I greatly appreciated even though it was more about learning to live with change and overcoming the hurdles that life throws at you.
Overall, "Crying Laughing" was a funny read that also has a ton of depth and heart. I've never read a book that focused on the art of improv, so that was super refreshing. I think improv is fascinating and I've partaken in it a time or two, so I really enjoyed how important improv is to this story.
Seeing Winnie's family learning to deal with her father's ALS diagnosis was the most impactful part of the story in my opinion, but I enjoyed Winnie's exploits into dating, learning to prioritize her friends, and growing confidence in herself as well. This book was way better than I thought it would be which certainly reminded me that one can't accurately judge a book by its cover.