I Know I Am, But What Are You?

By: Samantha Bee

Narrated by: Samantha Bee

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Candid, outspoken, laugh-out-loud funny essays from the much-loved Samantha Bee, the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Critics have called her “sweet, adorable, and vicious.” But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she’s Canadian - whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men-style love of baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one-half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces), and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a frame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children’s show.

Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover, or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha turns the spotlight on her own imperfect yet highly entertaining life as relentlessly as she skewers hapless interview subjects on The Daily Show. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide ranging as her deep affinity for old people, to her hatred of hot ham. It’s all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.

©2010 Samantha Bee (P)2010 Simon & Schuster, Inc

I gotta ramble.

This book is so GD funny. I've listened to it twice, and both times I nearly had to pull off the side of the road because I was laughing so hard. Samantha tells the story of her twisted upbringing so well. The contrasts between her parental figures is just a recipe for hilarity. I loved this book and have recommended it to all of my friends. And truth be told, I peed a little during the last chapter, I was laughing so hard.

35 of 37 people found this review helpful

So Funny!

Samantha Bee is hysterical! I can't imagine actually reading this book when you can listen to it. I'm sure it is a funny read as well, but you would deffinitely miss something without Bee's impressions, mannerisms, and inflections. Really, really, funny!

25 of 27 people found this review helpful

Hilarious, heartfelt and ultimately too relatable

I wished this book had several more hours. Samantha Bee takes us inside her quirky and often dysfunctional world in the most hilarious way possible.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Your new Aunt Bee

I'm a fan of the Daily Show, and I've liked Samantha Bee (especially when she wears that sexy retainer), but I wasn't expecting to love her book as much as I did. I was prepared for yet another collection of 'funny' observations - but that's not what "I Know I Am..." is. It's a genuine memoir of a non-traditional childhood, and the picture it paints was familiar to me in many ways. If you've lived a few decades, they'll likely be familiar to you too. Her stories of growing up in three different households are the very opposite of truth-y. They are genuinely funny, in a way that is real. I'd even say important. Oh! I am seriously going to have to use these two words: Uplifting. Healing. (But not in a gay way.)
If your life sucks right now - you should make her your new Aunt Bee and buy it. If you think your life might suck later, just buy it now so you're ready.

28 of 32 people found this review helpful

crude, filthy but awesome

this was very funny, sardonic, self depreciating, sarcastic, a little insulting and really filthy. my husband and I really liked it.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful

I love Samantha Bee but I don't love this book

Longtime fan of Samantha Bee's work, but this book didn't really do it for me. While there are interesting anecdotes that give us incite on who she is, the book doesn't flow well.

Wish she had written more about her adult life than her childhood, which was pretty unrelateable and downright messed up at times.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Careful - you'll pee your pants

What did you love best about I Know I Am, But What Are You??

My teen daughter and I have listened to this book three times. She would kill me if she knew I told you this, but one time she peed her pants from laughing so hard. Luckily we were at home. I keep wanting to write Samantha Bee a love note telling her how much she has added to our mother/daughter bonding experience.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably the Manwich.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

We laughed so much. Her voice and tone are perfect.

Any additional comments?

We checked this out at the library twice and finally had to buy it. Before, we only borrowed Samantha Bee. Now, we OWN Samantha Bee. But be careful - she is off the chain!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Definitely not an autobiography

This memoir starts off with stories of her family history and childhood and progresses to stories about her first terrible jobs, roommate and relationships, and then ends with a rant about gift giving and a story about a trip she and Jason took to a dude ranch. They are mostly charming and funny, but I kind of assumed that we would progress to the start of her career and subsequent progression to first female late night comedy host and one of Time's 100 most influential people, sprinkled with insight about how she manages to be such a badass in the face of torrents of vitriol, institutional sexism, and maddening stupidity. I just found out that this book was originally published in 2010 (I wish audible listed original copyright dates anywhere!) so the last part wouldn't have possible, but she also just chose not to touch on her career at all. Just, you know, fyi.

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

6 stars (on a 5-point scale)

I kinda liked her on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart but I fell madly in love with her within the first couple chapters. She's hilarious in a sarcastic and unique way. A little drier than Tina Fey or (for sure) Mindy Kaling, but never in a depressing or boring way, at least to me. I found this much funnier than Amy Poehler's book (don't get me wrong, I really adore her too, it's just a frame of reference to know what to expect!). There is a lot of adult material (it's PG-13, at least) and I generally have only a moderate tolerance for all that, since I often find real raunchiness a little off-putting or kind of disturbing. However, the way she handles grown-up topics is entirely inoffensive, original, and very funny. This book is written a little more like a stand-up routine (like Ellen's) than a memoir (like Amy Poehler's, and Craig Ferguson's is really great, too). I'm on my third listen right now and hoping she writes another book soon!

9 of 11 people found this review helpful

I love Samantha more than her book

I'm a huge Samantha Bee fan, but didn't find her book as entertaining as I do her work related to politics.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful