Yes Please!

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This book was the first one to make me consider listening to audiobooks. I had always considered reading to be such a private experience that I didn’t want someone else literally dictating my reading to me.

Then I saw someone comment somewhere on the Internet, not long after this book came out, that they loved listening to this audiobook because it was like Amy Poehler was just chatting on the phone with them. That, combined with the fact that the book got good reviews in general, was enough for me to became interested in it.

So I got the audiobook from the library and absolutely loved listening to it! I’m actually sad that I finished it 🙁

Poehler is as witty and entertaining in her book as she is in everything else she does. She talks about everything from the little attention whore she started out as, to the divorced mother of two working on the final season of the show she starred in.

Poehler talks about divorce without going into specifics about her divorce. She says so upfront because, as she puts it, “It don’t like people knowing my shit.” I actually prefer it that way. Honestly, I don’t want to know the nitty gritty details of her divorce. That is way too personal. But the comments she did make on divorce managed to be both humorous and heart wrenching, because Poehler is just that talented.

Like Tina Fey in Bossypants, Poehler doesn’t spend a lot of time talking about how hard it is to be a woman in comedy. She does give a few anecdotes that illustrate how men and women in the business are treated differently, and some of the ways women can overcome that (hint: stop apologizing!) But she also talks about some of the ways she has struggled to overcome a lot of her own instincts that push women to compromise, even when they shouldn’t (such as the need to be liked).

Poehler talks about everything in her personal life from growing up in Boston to the sleep problems she has dealt with her whole life. When talking about her professional life, she includes everything from her job at SNL to how weird Hollywood awards are (and how to get through it if you get nominated for one).

This is one instance where I would absolutely recommend listening to the audiobook over reading it yourself. Poehler brings in a whole cast of friends and family to help her read her audiobook, including her parents and Patrick Stewart. In some cases (parents), they’re there to read passages they wrote for her book. In other cases (Patrick Stewart), they’re just there to read the passages in that oh-so-smooth voice of his.

My favorite was when she joked around with her friends and colleagues who wrote chapters for her book and read them from the audiobook. In one case, Amy pretended to leave the recording booth before he started reading (including making door slamming and car starting/driving off sound effects). When he was finished, she pretended she had fallen asleep and was dreaming that he was saying really nice things about her.

These are the kinds of things you just can’t get from reading the book. And they are priceless.

What did you guys read/listen to this week? Anything in a format that’s better than other formats? I want to hear all about it!