Many a Smart Girl, Parks & Recreation fan and Saturday Night Live enthusiast has been waiting in anticipation of Amy Poehler's autobiography Yes Please. I for one am a sucker for an autobiography, particularly of those who have a career I am envious of. Taking a leaf out of any of Stephen Fry's autobiographies (he is the Katie Price of the BBC) Amy starts off with a very long apology. In it she explains she has two young kids and other work commitments etc, etc. You might be surprised to read this because Hadley Freeman and Jessica Valenti have both written about Poehler's wish for women to push themselves forward rather than self deprecate or apologise. I'd have written about this before but I was sticking to the embargo I was made to adhere to via email with the publishers Picador. Being a stickler for the rules and all that. Expectations lowered by Amy we press on.
Yes Please is the scrapbook of a grown woman. There is something of the Rookie yearbook about it with photos 'masking taped' to the pages, large brightly coloured 'motivational' pages in large font saying things like "FORGET the facts and remember the feelings". Taking her cue from Amy Sedaris - the master of fancy dress, Poehler has posed in various amusing photographs for the different sections of the book. Though it's hard to beat her author photo.
It is refreshing to see a woman who is happy to give up her vanity in order to make others laugh. It's probably what attracts me most to the women of Saturday Night Live. Poe goes to great pains to discuss her personal opinion of her looks. Not in order for reviewers and critics to say 'no, Amy you are pretty, you're fine, you're blond'. But to show that it is a struggle for many people. Although Amy states at one point that this book is mostly for mothers of young children I get the sense from her bon mots and feminist statements that it actually works well as a guide for young women.
But perhaps that is because I am one. Or I pass for one. I totally got ID'd yesterday buying whiskey. What I can tell you is that reading this book has somehow made me a lot less scared of life.
It is refreshing to see a woman who is happy to give up her vanity in order to make others laugh. It's probably what attracts me most to the women of Saturday Night Live. Poe goes to great pains to discuss her personal opinion of her looks. Not in order for reviewers and critics to say 'no, Amy you are pretty, you're fine, you're blond'. But to show that it is a struggle for many people. Although Amy states at one point that this book is mostly for mothers of young children I get the sense from her bon mots and feminist statements that it actually works well as a guide for young women.
But perhaps that is because I am one. Or I pass for one. I totally got ID'd yesterday buying whiskey. What I can tell you is that reading this book has somehow made me a lot less scared of life.
| It is impossible not to compare this book with Amy's regular comedy partner Tina Fey's. It's a great example of how people can be quite different and yet work well together. Amy writes about spending "many nights in Tina's office, watching her write and pretending to help her." And I can kind of imagine that. | Amy's attitude is to simply say "Good for you, not for me". In other words 'up with your bullshit, I will not put'. |
Where Bossypants chronicles Tina's life in order of appearance and is all her own work Amy is not ashamed to both jump around the order of her life and say 'Yes please' to some assistance from Seth Meyers, her mother, her father or Parks & Rec creator Mike Schur. They have annotated and added entire chapters to the book, which gives you a good impression of her community spiritedness and also her opening apology about being very busy whilst writing this book.
In both of their books they write about being working mothers. And not working mothers with a 9-5 but working mothers with no free time. Working mothers who possibly have the option financially to say no to a couple of projects (of course the title, Yes Please, explains why this is not going to happen any time soon) but they love their jobs. They have dream jobs. They also love their children and both write about criticism they receive for being working mothers. However where Tina justifies and makes sharp observations Amy's attitude is to simply say "Good for you, not for me". In other words 'up with your bullshit, I will not put'.
It's a good attitude that many people, male, female or other should adopt. This is a fun autobiography of someone who is not in the least bit shy, invested in other people's esteem and also willing to toot her own horn. No really, wait till you get to her sex advice.
Squeamish Kate
In both of their books they write about being working mothers. And not working mothers with a 9-5 but working mothers with no free time. Working mothers who possibly have the option financially to say no to a couple of projects (of course the title, Yes Please, explains why this is not going to happen any time soon) but they love their jobs. They have dream jobs. They also love their children and both write about criticism they receive for being working mothers. However where Tina justifies and makes sharp observations Amy's attitude is to simply say "Good for you, not for me". In other words 'up with your bullshit, I will not put'.
It's a good attitude that many people, male, female or other should adopt. This is a fun autobiography of someone who is not in the least bit shy, invested in other people's esteem and also willing to toot her own horn. No really, wait till you get to her sex advice.
Squeamish Kate
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