Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Review by Lauren
Source: copy from library; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: Do you want to get to
know the woman we first came to love on Comedy Central’s Upright
Citizens Brigade? Do you want to spend some time with the lady who made
you howl with laughter on Saturday Night Live, and in movies like Baby
Mama, Blades of Glory, and They Came Together? Do you find yourself
daydreaming about hanging out with the actor behind the brilliant Leslie
Knope on Parks and Recreation? Did you wish you were in the audience at
the last two Golden Globes ceremonies, so you could bask in the
hilarity of Amy’s one-liners?
know the woman we first came to love on Comedy Central’s Upright
Citizens Brigade? Do you want to spend some time with the lady who made
you howl with laughter on Saturday Night Live, and in movies like Baby
Mama, Blades of Glory, and They Came Together? Do you find yourself
daydreaming about hanging out with the actor behind the brilliant Leslie
Knope on Parks and Recreation? Did you wish you were in the audience at
the last two Golden Globes ceremonies, so you could bask in the
hilarity of Amy’s one-liners?
If your answer to these questions is “Yes
Please!” then you are in luck. In her first book, one of our most
beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately
inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love
Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists,
poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and
advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,”
“Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes
Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest,
personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.
Please!” then you are in luck. In her first book, one of our most
beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately
inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love
Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists,
poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and
advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,”
“Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes
Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest,
personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.
Review: I’ve been a fan of Amy Poehler’s
for a while now, so it was great getting to know her a bit more and in
such a personal format. Yes Please is essentially a variety of essays,
broken up into three sections, which give you a peek into Poehler’s
childhood, career, marriage, and children. She also includes a lot of
fun and amusing essays that speak to any girl, like “Plain Girl Versus
the Demon.” No matter how rich, talented, or pretty you are or seem to
be, every girl has their own demon that will sit on their shoulder and
tell them negative things about themselves, and in Poehler’s essay, she
does a great job describing this phenomenon.
for a while now, so it was great getting to know her a bit more and in
such a personal format. Yes Please is essentially a variety of essays,
broken up into three sections, which give you a peek into Poehler’s
childhood, career, marriage, and children. She also includes a lot of
fun and amusing essays that speak to any girl, like “Plain Girl Versus
the Demon.” No matter how rich, talented, or pretty you are or seem to
be, every girl has their own demon that will sit on their shoulder and
tell them negative things about themselves, and in Poehler’s essay, she
does a great job describing this phenomenon.
One of the best things about this memoir is that
you truly believe everything Amy says. She feels like a real woman,
someone you could be best friends with. She respects her privacy and
family enough to touch on her divorce with Will Arnett, but she does not
include intimate details. She does, however, describe her two boys in
beautiful and loving words.
you truly believe everything Amy says. She feels like a real woman,
someone you could be best friends with. She respects her privacy and
family enough to touch on her divorce with Will Arnett, but she does not
include intimate details. She does, however, describe her two boys in
beautiful and loving words.
Poehler includes old poems, photos, and more
throughout the book, which gives Yes Please a more personal, scrapbook
like feel to the book. I thought this was a great touch, and again, it
just goes along with the idea that Poehler is just one of us. She just
happens to have been on TV. This doesn’t exempt her from embarrassing or
upsetting moments, though, and Poehler is honest enough to share some
of these with her readers. I have to commend her for that.
throughout the book, which gives Yes Please a more personal, scrapbook
like feel to the book. I thought this was a great touch, and again, it
just goes along with the idea that Poehler is just one of us. She just
happens to have been on TV. This doesn’t exempt her from embarrassing or
upsetting moments, though, and Poehler is honest enough to share some
of these with her readers. I have to commend her for that.
Yes Please is not always the best written – some
essays were a bit difficult to keep track of, since she went back and
forth multiple times- but overall, this is a fun, enjoyable memoir.
essays were a bit difficult to keep track of, since she went back and
forth multiple times- but overall, this is a fun, enjoyable memoir.
****
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I love that this book gave you a real feel in to Amy Poehler's life. The scrapbook style with photos, poems, and essays sounds like it was a real treat to read. Great Review Lauren 🙂
Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
Interesting. I’ve got this book in my TBR pile, and I still want to read it… Nice review!
Haniya
booknauthors.blogspot.com
Interesting. I’ve got this book in my TBR pile, and I still want to read it… Nice review!
Haniya
booknauthors.blogspot.com
I'm not usually big on memoirs, but this one has caught my eye time and time again. Perhaps it's time to finally buy it!
xx
I totally need to get my hand on this book.
Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird
Great to hear it was enjoyable overall even with some of the essays not the easiest to follow
Yay for memoirs that actually work! This sounds like it was a great way for you to really feel something for her and get to know here in a sense.
I saw 2 other great reviews about this one and they both loved the novel so I confess that I'm intrigued in the end.
I am a bit curious about this one. I did read Tina Fey's a few years ago,I think I would like this one.
I'm always interested in these kind of books, they give you a peek into the real person behind the famous face. I'd have thought this one was more on the funny side, but it still sounds good.
This is on my TBR list! Now, I'm really intrigued by the scrapbook feel.
I'd love to read this. I used to read nonfiction by comedians all the time, particularly during my college days. I miss this type of book.
Not a person I am familiar with though that doesn't necessarily mean I wouldn't read the books which after all sounds like an eventful read.
:D:D I really enjoyed this as well! I've always loved Amy Poehler, but hearing her talk about various moments in her life and her thoughts, just really brought home how down to earth she is and made me love her even more 🙂
I used to read a lot of books like this. Even about the most random people I'm never heard of. I should start doing that again, at least occasionally. I've been curious about this – Amy is really clever and quick-witted. Gotta love a woman like that.
I've heard so many great things about this book, and although this sort of read isn't something that I would normally go for, you review really makes me want to give it a try!
I actually bought a copy of this one when it first came out, but have had it sitting on my shelf as I usually don't enjoy memoirs or autobiographies. But this sounds so incredibly funny and touching actually, perfect for a pick me up. Thanks for the wonderful review Lauren and finally pushing me to crack this one open <3