Why Not Me?
Why Not Me? book cover

Why Not Me?

Audio CD – Unabridged, September 15, 2015

Price
$5.98
Publisher
Random House Audio
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0553551747
Dimensions
5.09 x 1.12 x 5.97 inches
Weight
8.8 ounces

Description

“Kaling has written a second book that’s funnier, sharper and more confident than her 2011 collection of personal essays and pop culture riffs called Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). Even the title of that initial effort implied that Kaling was trying to find her place; the tone of this new one announces that she’s found it and is more than comfortable inviting people to spend time with her there.” — Washington Post “Funny, thoughtful essays and anecdotes writtenxa0in the star’s trademark voice. But this time around, things arexa0just little more grown-up…This is Kaling at the height of her power.” — USA Today “Mindy Kaling may be gearing up for the fourth season of her TV show, The Mindy Project , but that didn't deter her from writing another wildly entertaining and completely relatable book… Her first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) , spent time on several best-seller lists. Why Not Me? will certainly follow in its footsteps.” — Associated Press “Hilarious…Kaling knows her strengths, and plays to them brilliantly…Aside from that effortlessly conversational tone and her pitch-perfect humor, Kaling’s biggest strength here is curatorial. She gives us the candy we came for—the advice, the anecdotes, the straight talk on body image—but sprinkles in something extra.” — Entertainment Weekly , A- “ Why Not Me? is all that we've come to expect from the creator and star of The Mindy Project : refreshing, confident, genuine, and, yes, absolutely hilarious.” — Refinery29 “…insightful personal essays from one of Hollywood's cleverest writers… Intrepid and often irreverent, Kaling humbly probes her own triumphs and defeats with laugh-out-loud results”. — Kirkus Reviews “Kaling's irreverent take on life is both uproariously funny and dead-on…Advice on a variety of topics—including why extensions make everyone more beautiful and how the world needs to start assuming that all young women are confident—make this an empowering and entertaining read.” — Publishers Weekly

Features & Highlights

  • #1
  • NEW YORK TIMES
  • BESTSELLER • From the author of
  • Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
  • and creator of
  • The Mindy Project
  • and
  • Never Have I Ever
  • comes a hilarious collection of essays
  • about her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life.
  • “This is Kaling at the height of her power.”—
  • USA Today
  • In
  • Why Not Me?,
  • Kaling shares insightful, deeply personal stories about falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, and believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.   In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–
  • this is Hollywood, baby
  • . Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)   Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(3.8K)
★★★★
25%
(3.2K)
★★★
15%
(1.9K)
★★
7%
(893)
23%
(2.9K)

Most Helpful Reviews

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If you liked her first book, you'll like this one, too

If you liked her first book, you'll like this one, too. Sure, it’s extremely light and probably only for people who love her TV show. Yes, the first chapter is on beauty tips — but I actually found myself recalling an anecdote from it at work. You'll learn about her dating an assistant to President Obama, her show being cancelled (and rescued), her rushing a sorority, her difficulties being a normally shaped woman on TV, etc. It all sounds incredibly boring, but she’s funny and smart and I love her so I loved spending time with her. Grade: A-
22 people found this helpful
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Finally someone who is REAL!

This was actually my first experience with Mindy Kaling. To my knowledge, I have not seen or read anything by her. BUT, it was hilarious and very real. I loved that turn your heart inside out and dump all your feelings on the table kind of way that she has. I would definitely read more. It was very relatable. Oh, and I love the Dartmouth parts as that is the town I work in. And I grew up crashing those parties she was going to. Oh...yes. Frat row. 🤣
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You really don't want to hear how Hollywood sausage is made

I listened to this audiobook from Overdrive.
From the description of the book, I had hoped to listen to some frank, humorous insights from someone who is not the Hollywood stereotype. Mindy does offer some of that. However, as the book goes on you realize that she has lost her soul and is just a vapid and shallow as every other fame addict. Couldn't finish it
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Good

Great
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Good, but a little disjointed and not as funny as I'd hoped

REVIEWED BY KINDLE GAL (originally posted on Goodreads)

First off, I have to say I didn't know much about Mindy Kaling before listening to WHY NOT ME? other than her role as Kelly Kapoor on "The Office." And I stopped watching "The Office" long before the show ended its run (like, before Jim and Pam got engaged/married). I knew Mindy was one of the show's writers, and I knew that she headlines her own show now. That's about it.

After listening to her read her audiobook, I'm on the fence. Mindy is a few years younger than me, but it somehow feels like she is a lot younger than me. Many things that interest and are important to her are things that no longer interest or are important to me. Her voice and flippant attitude sometimes grated on me, and she's probably not someone I'd be friends with in real life. At the same time, I'm really in awe of this woman and what she's done with her career after given a fairly random opportunity. I respect her, and I appreciate her unapologetic confidence. I love that she knows and freely admits her limits and shortcomings, and her blatant honesty was refreshing.

WHY NOT ME? is a collection of titled essays, and some of them are fairly short. This gave the overall audiobook a more disjointed feel than the other ones I've listened to. Not surprisingly, I was more drawn to the longer essays, which felt more ... satisfying. I listen to these audiobooks because I want to learn more about who these people are and what events and people in their lives helped shape who they've become. I'm also interested in behind-the-scenes career stuff and hearing them tell it, like they're confiding in me as a personal friend. While some of this was covered, I was left wanting more. I didn't get the sense that I really knew Mindy afterward. Maybe that's an unfair expectation to have, but after listening to three other audiobooks by actors/writers/comedians, I came away from theirs feeling much more satisfied.

At any rate, this was still a good listen. My favorite parts included talk of "The Mindy Project"; enjoying filming sex scenes and her unsanctioned tongue kissing; her relationship with Will, the White House aide (this was easily my favorite!); her Harvard Law School speech; and when she spoke about confidence and entitlement.

Fans of "The Mindy Project" and Kaling should definitely give this one a read/listen.

RATING: C+ (3½ stars)

Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the audio publisher.
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Five Stars

I think I like it even better than her first book!
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First book is still my favorite

This audio book was a 3.5 star read for me. I had read and enjoyed Mindy's first book. This time I decided to listen to her second book. I don't think I liked it as much probably because I remember laughing more in book one but I still smiled and enjoyed listening to her stories. Least favorite part was probably the letters written back and forth, that never comes across well in an audio listen. This book just contains a lot of odds and ends, I liked listening to her graduation commencement speech she gave at Harvard Law. I do think this book is for the fans of Mindy Kaling, not sure someone who is not familiar with her work would get a lot out of it.
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A Good listen!

I purchased the audiobook for a long road trip home for Christmas. It kept me entertained and is a must listen for Mindy fans. I don't know if non-fans would get much out of it though.
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Five Stars

Great!
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Ehh

Not as great or as funny as I had hoped. Did not live up to the humor and wit that Mindy Kaling put's into the Mindy Project. I defintely regret buying this one.