Racism 101: Are you a Racist?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

Book Description: (From Amazon.com) Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” 

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!
 
In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Opinion on this book: This is fun read. Especially if you are a comedy nerd. She talks about working at The Office, working at Saturday Night Live and how she’s anything but cool. It’s written as if she is talking to an old friend (You) who she hasn’t seen in a long time. It’s conversational and easy to read.

Favorite Part: My favorite part was by far the stories about the other comedy writers she works/has worked with. There are a couple of stories about her getting in arguments with people at The Office as well as a few great stories about Amy Poehler, from when Mindy did a guest writing stint on SNL. I love the behind the scenes stuff. It’s all good things though. If you are looking for scandal, this isn’t the book for you.

Recommend it? Maybe. If you like comedy, silly self deprecating stories and/or wonder what BJ Novak is like, you’ll enjoy this book. If you aren’t a fan of any of the former or if you hate books written in a conversational manner, this is one you’ll want to pass on.