Mindy Kaling is back in print with Why Not Me?, a collection of personal stories and anecdotes that will make the regular mortals among us feel privileged that we have a good friend up in the Mount Olympus of America , otherwise known as Hollywood.
In Why Not Me?, Kaling talks about her auditioning for a sorority (and then leaving sorority life), the crucial presence of a tailor in your wardrobe decisions, having her dream job, getting dumped, getting rejected at work, and wait for it, kissing and sexy scenes in her shows.
Kaling’s voice is embedded in each word, you can actually hear her talk as you read chapter by chapter. Even the punctuation marks are characteristically Mindy Kaling, that lady in her upbeat, perky, no-nonsense, funny self.
Why Not Me? is a follow up to Everyone’s Hanging Out Without Me, which was released in 2011. While her first book shared stories on how she was excluded, her second book talked about how she was able to mingle, communicate, build relationships, and become part of a group. In this sequence, we see the unfolding of Mindy Kaling, the human being, not just the celebrity.
She talked and shared a lot in this book. Most of these stories are the kind that you have heard from your childhood best friend Jane, who moved to the big city and found herself a new best friend named Greta, who later on avoided Jane’s company because Jane did something embarrassing. Sounds familiar?
If you’re a woman (or gay, as Mindy would put it), and you progressed in reading this book from chapter to chapter, you most certainly have found yourself nodding to Mindy’s chronicles of her life experiences. The challenges at work, the pressure of keeping your job, the fact that you cannot cook… you nod and agree because you know that Mindy is the version of you who happened to reach Mt. Hollywood.
In Why Not Me?, Mindy sprinkled some photos here and there giving us snippets of her life from different stages of the 35 years she has spent on earth and show business.
Kaling wrote that to feel confident, you have to feel entitled, like you deserve something. Hence, the title. Her logic may be quite twisted; her justification probably flawed; her explanations of life beliefs may sometimes be farfetched.
But… she may be right. Mindy started a career knowing no one from the entertain industry and yet, she made it. She wrote and starred in her shows. Not too bad, eh?
So… ask yourself… if she did it, then… why not me?
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
