Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
Four Stars
This was a delightful book to read. I laughed out loud more than a few times, and found myself staying up later than I probably should have because I wanted to finish it. I interrupted my husband more than once to read to him from the book, something I haven’t done in probably a year.
If you enjoyed Ms. Kaling’s first book – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this one. It has much of the same tone, but doesn’t feel like a rehashing of the stories she’s told us previously.
She shares some more of her personal life with us in this one, including a pretty interesting story about her experience dating (maybe?) someone who worked in the White House. Honestly, I don’t even know if that chapter was fully true, but it read like it was, so I’m going to say sure, why not. Either way, it was entertaining.
There was really only one misstep, involving her imagining an alternate life where she teaches Latin at a prep school. I get what she was going for (I think), but I didn’t really find it that funny or interesting. But perhaps I’m alone on this one. And frankly, in a 200+ page book, it makes sense that there’d be at least one thing that I am kind of ‘meh’ about. Doesn’t mean it isn’t overall a worthy read.
I originally put myself on the waiting list to get this from the library, because I figured I’d enjoy it but read it quickly (which was true – I started and finished it yesterday). But in the end, I purchased it, because I like giving my money to talented, funny women writers, and Ms. Kaling clearly fills that bill.
