It’s no secret that I love Amy Poehler—who doesn’t? She’s brilliant, talented, and hysterically funny. Poehler is one of the best comedians of our time, and whether she’s starring on Saturday Night Live, playing Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, or writing and acting in movies like Baby Mama and Mean Girls, she can always make us laugh. So it was a no-brainer for me to immediately rush out and snatch up a copy of her first book, Yes Please. Yes Please is a nonlinear, memoir-ish collection of Poehler’s thoughts and experiences, both in her regular life and her life as a comedian and performer. However, readers looking for the Amy Poehler-version of Tina Fey’s Bossypants or Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? should take a hint from Amy herself and
Well, maybe don’t lower your expectations, but definitely adjust them. While Bossypants and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? are funny almost without interruption, Yes Please does not skim over the unpleasant parts of Amy’s life, and she is unapologetic in sharing her true feelings about fame, writing, and relationships, as well as telling readers that she is not required to share every aspect of her life, like her divorce from Will Arnett.
But more than anything, Yes Please is a collection of stories (some serious, some very funny) and heartfelt life advice. If you need any other reasons to read this book, here are three reasons why Yes Please should be the next book you read.
- The Extra Tid-Bits: Guest Appearances and Photos of Amy
Yes Please is made even better by additions from fellow comedians. Seth Meyers writes a whole chapter about Amy’s pregnancy during her run on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey also gets a chapter to herself (and an acrostic poem), Louis C.K. dispenses wise life advice, and Mike Schur annotates Poehler’s chapter about her time on Parks and Recreation. The audiobook version features most of these comedians as voice guests, as well as appearances by Carol Burnett, Kathleen Turner, Sir Patrick Stewart, and even Amy’s parents. Yes Please also features tons of photos of Amy as a kid that make certain stories even funnier.
- Amy Opens Up
In Yes Please, Poehler is totally honest and upfront about her experiences with drugs, sex, divorce, love, and motherhood. She discusses her experimentation with cocaine and ecstasy during her time with Upright Citizens Brigade, and her decision to stop smoking marijuana on a regular basis after the birth of her first son, Archie. She also briefly touches on her divorce, her new relationship with Nick Kroll, and frequently discusses her struggles with body image and self-doubt.
- Instantly Quotable Life Advice
Yes Please is full of amazing life advice in the form of one-liners, often surprising you with its relatability and wisdom. Some of the best, most underline-able quotes include: “Other people are not medicine”, “If you can surf your life rather than plant your feet, you will be happier”, “That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her! Not for me”, and “Decide what your currency is early. Let go of what you will never have. People who do this are happier and sexier,”.
Also, shout out to Amy Poehler’s author photo on the dust jacket of the book for being another compelling reason to read this book:
So the next time you find yourself with a little bit of free time (what is that, again?) and are looking for a book to read, consider saying ~yes please~ to Amy Poehler’s Yes Please (#sorrynotsorry).