Laugh Out Loud Funny- The New Book You Must Read!

There is no doubt you have to be one brave woman to place a sizeable photo of yourself as a child sporting a bowl haircut and wielding a puppet on the back cover of your book.  You have to be even braver to have the self-confidence to knock it, and that kind of boldness is exactly what Mindy Kaling serves up in her autobiography, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).”
 
Mindy Kaling grew up in Massachusetts was a wallflower in school and masterfully survived four years of college with “Camilla Parker-Bowles”-level fame before making the move to New York to pursue her dream of comedy. She moved into a cramped apartment with her two best friends, wrote and starred in the hit comedy play “Matt and Ben,” which poked fun at the friendship between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Since, she has become an actor, writer, producer, and occasional director for the hit show “The Office.”  When she’s acting, she portrays boy-crazy, rather selfish, office gossip Kelly Kapoor (if you haven’t seen her, you should).

There are times when I get so sucked into a book I will sit reading for hours on end; shirking responsibilities, going to bed at 4 a.m., and eating marshmallows for dinner so I don’t have to leave my room.  Kaling’s book was one of those. She leaves no stone unturned in her life, giving the audience an endearing and hysterical peek at the woman behind all the comedy hype. The pages are filled with anecdotes about everything from her childhood (weighing two times more than the most popular girl in elementary school) to her explanations of the most atrocious things stylist have tried to dress her in (poet tops and cap sleeves, no thank you).
 
The cover may be rather pink and girly, but the points she makes inside all ring true. Intertwined with comedic quips are the real ideas she has about living a quality life and having meaningful relationships; the one’s she’s learned through her experiences in life. She reflects on the differences between boys and men, and what it means to date each, (men don’t sleep on a mattress on the floor or keep adding water to the shampoo bottle to avoid a trip to the drug store). And has a running list of the rights and responsibilities of best friends, the behaviors her and her friends follow with each other (keeping their contact solution at your apartment, and the ability to borrow all of their clothes).
 
Kaling’s book was relatable, while being filled with witticisms that left me doubled over in laughter. I came in looking for a laugh and came out having had a truthful, unabashed view into the life of a genuine person.  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an amusing and heartfelt read. And to answer your title, Mindy, I certainly wouldn’t hang out without you. Although, I’m pretty sure people didn’t hang out with me while I was ignoring them to read.