Official Book Club Selection

A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

By: Kathy Griffin

Narrated by: Kathy Griffin

Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It’s also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she’s always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It’s me, Kathy.)

Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy’s sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior—the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you’ve ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name.Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more.

Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy’s life have taught her the most valuable lessons—both inside and outside the entertainment industry. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there are also dozens of exclusive and somewhat embarrassing photos from Kathy’s own collection—featuring the diva of the D List herself, with her old nose as well as her new one, plus celebrity friends, foes, frenemies, and hangers-on for you to gawk at.

Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious “Did she really say that?” moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.

©2009 Kathy Griffin (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“With a foreword begging Oprah to be on her show and a chapter called ‘Brooke Shields, Don't Read This,’ Kathy Griffin's autobiography, Official Book Club Selection, is everything you’d expect. What makes it a terrific read, though, is all the stuff you wouldn't expect: binge eating (her own, not Paula Abdul’s); her conviction that her late brother was a child molester; and her unflinching accounts of her plastic surgery and her divorce. Whether or not you’re a fan, you'll respect her tenacity, work ethic, and loyalty to her parents. And if you are a fan of Griffin’s celeb-tastic stand-up, skip to chapter 8, which should be called ‘Helen Hunt, Thomas Haden Church, and Ellen DeGeneres, Don't Read This.’ Everyone else, dive in. A–”—Entertainment Weekly

“Funny, honest, and refreshingly unsentimental. Griffin embraces Michael Corleone's mantra with a vengeance: All business is personal.”—New York Post

“You feel as if Griffin is in the room with you, excitedly gesturing as she recounts a story [and] that's the beauty of Official Book Club Selection—Griffin has been made a fool countless times in her career and her willingness to share those lumps, which, face it, you’ll never read in some Oscar-winning A-lister's autobiography, endears her tremendously.”—Richmond Times Dispatch

Kathy Griffin is right on the money

Truthful. Honest. Most of us in this world, I have found have either a black sheep or ghosts in the closets. She has worked hard to get where she has in life. Despite Fanny Gate. It was a JOKE.We are walking, we are walking, Dakota sounds like a stick in the mud. Kathy is after all a comedian in the line of Joan Rivers. Thank you for helping me have acceptance in my life.

What a great listen

I’ve always loved Kathy and swore I was going to read her books one day. I finally got this one in an audio version and I haven’t been able to put it down. It’s been great. Kathy is a great story teller and it feels like you are sitting next her to her while she tells you stories. I’ve seen her live a good 7 times in my life. I never miss her when she’s come to my area. This was just as great as seeing her live, but in a different manner. If you are a Kathy fan, this is a must. Suck it Jesus, this is my favorite book now!

Best audiobook performance EVER

Listening to this audiobook was unlike any I have ever listened to before. Kathy does read her book to you...she talks to you. It’s very conversational. It’s like being at one of her shows.

Only downside, which I didn’t realize going into it, was that it isn’t the complete book. You’ll have to read it yourself to get the entire story.

A+

A funny and personal conversation with Kathy

What made the experience of listening to Official Book Club Selection the most enjoyable?

Kathy's storytelling is funny, charming, amusing, and very personal. It is like she is sitting next to you and the two of you are just chatting and laughing hysterically.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Official Book Club Selection?

Kathy's personal recounting of her experiences with celebrities.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, definitely! I stopped listening to podcasts so I could finish her audiobook quickly. Then I listened to it again.

Funny and Entertaining!!

The book was amazing! she's truly a great story teller and she's funny and has your attention all through out the book.

I LMAO many times

She is so funny. I loved that she also narrated it. I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it. If you like Kathy Griffin, you will LOVE this book. I highly recommend.

Did not want it to end

Very inspiring a true testament of hard work and where to get you in your life

It was wonderful to hear more than just the funny stories
I highly recommend this book

Such a GREAT book!

hilarious! inspiring! kathy is a great comic and her stories are so funny and real! so enjoyable!

Really good book! Made me lol alot!

loved that the author read it to me. This book is a keeper I would HIGHLY recommend it.

so strong- but with humility & experience

I loved this book and the way she read it. nothing like her delivery. sitting down with a good friend who shares the same wtf with the world that you do and I appreciate her for it.