The NerdHerd Reads: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

Title: Why Not Me?
Author: Mindy Kaling
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Source: publisher

In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it's 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, or most important, 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 "Player" tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. ("I had been replaced by a younger model.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.

Guys. I LOVE Mindy Kaling. I don't really pay much attention to celebrities and whatnot, but if there was one I was obsessed with, it would be Mindy. I've actually never seen The Office (don't hate me) and I've only seen a couple seasons of The Mindy Project, but it's just Mindy herself that I love. This book was hilarious, in Mindy's signature way, and I loved every bit of it.

I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud this much at a book. I think I may have even liked this one more than her first book, which is saying something. This book was just so... real. Mindy (we/re on first name basis duh) isn't afraid to say what she's thinking, I loved getting an inside peek at her life, from her day to her relationships (romantic and friends), to behind the scenes on The Office and The Mindy Project. But she also has a few serious essays, like the one on body image, and female friendship.

I'm not sure I can even pick a favorite essay. There's the transcript of her Harvard speech, which if you haven't seen yet, you NEED to (so worth it. You'll thank me). There was also a scene from the alternate life she imagines fro herself that had me dying of laughter.

I could gush on for hours, but this book seemed to encompass everything love about Mindy--funny, confident, poised, frank, honest. I loved this book, and I think you will too.

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