Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen Degeneres
“Laugh. Laugh as much as you can. Laugh until you cry. Cry until you laugh. Keep doing it even if people are passing you on the street saying, ‘I can’t tell if that person is laughing or crying, but either way they seem crazy, let’s walk faster.’ Emote. It’s okay. It shows you are thinking and feeling.”
I’m not going to do a too-serious review of this book, as it is more of a feel-good, funny, make-you-laugh book than a serious, informational dialogue on Ellen and her life. Literally, some chapters are only sentences long, and a few chapters don’t even have sentences, but are rather picture outlines or made-up words.
As far as Ellen Degeneres goes, I absolutely love her (and I think, from many of the reviews I’ve read of this book) that a lot of other people feel the same way. She’s just such a genuinely nice person that I can’t believe all of the bad press she gets just for being outside normal gender/romantic boundaries. She’s gay. So what? Her marriage seems so much happier than many “normal”, heterosexual marriages are. Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. She’s just awesome. I think I love her most for her dislike of judging others or putting them down. (Even Justin Bieber – who has certainly done justifiably “roast-able” things in the past.) So much comedy these days is based on making fun of other people. Stereotypes. Negative qualities. But Ellen just seems to rise above that, and I respect her for it.
Now, a lot of people love Ellen but generally dislike this book, as it isn’t serious at all – except for the odd section or two. And I agree with the sentiment that I would have liked to read more about Ellen, her life – especially with Portia (they’re just so cute), and how she sees the world. But instead, we’re just given a lot of uplifting, silly, (somewhat) insubstantial advice.
Yet, regardless, I laughed so many times throughout the book. (I honestly wasn’t even going to buy this book, but I read the back cover one day, and then proceeded to devour the first couple chapters before realizing I was still standing in the Target Books section.) Ellen’s intention with this book was to provide humor, laughter, uplifting comedy… and she certainly accomplished that. ~It was just the expectations for what the book could be that spark the negative commentary.
I enjoyed each chapter. I felt as though I was more self-confident and positive by the end of the book. I was able to put aside my own dark thoughts and worries and just have a good time for a few hours. And, to me, that makes this book worth reading.
“Find out who you are and figure out what you believe in. Even if it’s different from what your neighbors believe in and different from what your parents believe in. Stay true to yourself. Have your own opinion. Don’t worry about what people say about you or think about you. Let the naysayers nay. They will eventually grow tired of naying.”
Other books by Ellen Degeneres
Comments and opinions are welcome!
Have you read any other comedy/humor books recently? If so, please share! I’m always looking for more to read!
May your life have many creased pages,
‘Manda
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