Mindy Kaling is an exceptionally intelligent woman who has worked hard for her success in an industry that's been famously unfriendly to women. Her book is mostly not about that. Instead, it's a deceptively hilarious extended meditation on how she from bribing classmates to like her with Skittles at the age of 12 she became the force of nature that she is. In Hollywood, which believes its own fictions about what the world wants from female writers of comedy and even more about what it wants from female TV icons, she's done what every woman in the TV business must have thought was impossible: created her success by hard work and being herself. She was there before Lena Dunham and before Amy Schumer.
This book is funny, so maybe a younger person might miss the recurring message: to achieve success, MK had to pick her priorities (make sacrifices) at every turn. Near the end of the book, there's an excellent account of how she learned the difference at a young age between earned success and unearned self-esteem, which is something many parents today don't understand.
How did she learn to rise above her own insecurities? By refusing to concede that other people's ideas about what she was entitled to achieve were more valid than her own--and by hard work, sleepless nights, and knowing what she wanted. Most important, she emphasises the absolute and seldom acknowledged connection between self confidence and self acceptance and hard work plus tenacity. And yet on the surface, it's a funny book that's not about any of those things.
I liked it. Any ambitious young woman would benefit from reading this.
She's an excellent role model for any young woman who wants to learn how to get there (or anywhere) from here.
Customer reviews
Review this product
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
NJ
An Excellent Role Model
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015Verified Purchase
Julie S.
Hot and Cold
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2018Verified Purchase
katarinaism
but has her undeniable wit and humor that fans of the Mindy Project would love. I would have liked
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016Verified Purchase
soccerjude
Funny in spurts, but lacking in introspection
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2018Verified Purchase
Chick Lit Central
Enjoyable, entertaining, hilarious, and insightful
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2015Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Mrs Lamb
Fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2019Verified Purchase
Kenny
I love Mindy Kaling
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2017Verified Purchase
Serendipity
The final chapter redeemed the rest
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2019Verified Purchase
heidi
Love it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2020Verified Purchase
Mrs Louisa Emedo
Enjoyable but not a very cohesive book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2020Verified Purchase