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

Funny and honest.

If you could sum up Official Book Club Selection in three words, what would they be?

Funny, honest, crazy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's an autobiography, so you have to go with Kathy on this one. ;)

Have you listened to any of Kathy Griffin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is pretty similar to her stand up, but she definitely is honest about her life. Some items are clearly bits. It's the honest moments when she really isn't trying to be funny that are the most interesting.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The results of amphetamines during pregnancy. Donut fryers of the world rejoice! (makes sense once you read the book)

Any additional comments?

This is an interesting book. If you like her stand up you will definitley likethis book as you get some insight into why she is the way she is.

One of My Favorites!

There are alot of authors out there who should farm out the reading of their books. This is NOT one of them. I don't even watch Kathy's show nor have I seen any of her stand up but I absolutely love this book. I have listened to it over and over again. It's not a straight comedy routine. This book is about growing up, struggling to make it and some scary plastic surgery story. The reading is entertaining and engaging and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys memoirs and humor!

self help book?

Hilarious and inspiring. Love the Gossip. It's like talking to a funny friend. She's a Chicago girl trying to be Rhoda in Los Angeles.

Love her!!

Kathy is my hero- she tells it like it is, wears her heart on her sleeve and also is an endearing and "real" person who bravely puts herself out there.

Fantastic

This book was so funny, but it also had a lot of heart. It reminded me a little of Craig Ferguson's recent autobiography. Witty, charming, sweet and so, so funny. It was like having a conversation with Kathy around the dinner table.

REFRESHINGLY HONEST, HYSTERICAL, ROOTING FOR YOU!

WHAT A GREAT STORY>>>I felt as if I was just listenin' to my good friend Kathy.... talkin' about her "D" List life & how she clawed her way to the top to become a household name....(Oh and NOT TO WORRY...I mean this in the MOST non-stalkerish, I know you're not REALLY my friend way possible!)

Love Kathy Griffin!

This book is hilarious! I listened to it at work and kept laughing. Kathy makes you feel like she's just talking to you, not reading something.

Thoughtful, thought provoking & delightful

My Life On the D List was the first time I came across this hilarious woman. I loved her from the start, as well as the people in her life.

Kathy covers a lot in this short book. I was surprised by the depth and honesty of some of her stories. Through it all Kathy keeps you interested while making you laugh from time to time. I've listened to a lot of memoirs, most are entertaining but few have touched me the way this one has.

I highly recommend it for any fan of memoirs or of Kathy.

Kept My Interest

The biggest challenge I have is finding a book that keeps my interest the whole time. This one did. I'm still looking for books that I loved as much as "The Glass Castle" and "The Help" - books I couldn't put down.

Laugh out loud yet strangely poignant too

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

Really funny. Kathy is very entertaining and I love her dishing the dirt on everyone. She doesn't leave herself out of the dirt either.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You like me, you really like me (ala Sally Field in her Oscar acceptance speech.)

Any additional comments?

This book is lots of fun and honest, just like Kathy.