Yes Please - Amy Poehler

Yes Please

Title: Yes Please

Author: Amy Poehler

Publication Date: 10/28/14

Pages: 329

Genre: Memoir / Nonfiction

How I Found It: We love Amy Poehler

Date Completed: 6/5/16

Summary: Poehler shares stories and thoughts about her life and career.

What I Thought: Kevin aunt and uncle snowbird in Florida. On their way back north this year, they stopped in to see our home and share a wonderful lunch together. It was such a treat for us. As we talked, they casually asked if we know who Amy Poehler is. We exchanged a glance and offered a strong affirmative. We're big Parks and Recreation fans and have loved watching Poehler cohost the Golden Globes with Tina Fey multiple times. So, when it turns out people we know and love spent the winter lunching and playing pickleball with Poehler's parents, we thought it was pretty cool.  

On a recommendation from Amy Poehler's own parents, who read a small section of the audiobook, Kevin's aunt and uncle listened to the book on their journey north. They, in turn, recommended it to us. We snagged the audio book for our next trip. Let's just call this what it is...we read this book on a secondhand recommendation from the author's parents. It's not really a big deal, I realize, but it feels cool to have even a weak connection to bona fide celebrity whose work we admire. 

We liked the book. It was funny. It's Amy Poehler, so that wasn't surprising. She also had pleasantly contemplative sections, including her thoughts on divorce from Will Arnett and reflections on a trip she took to Haiti after the earthquake. I was surprised by how blue some of her content was, but I probably shouldn't have been. She is a comedian, after all. Squeaky clean Leslie Knope is not her alter ego. There's definitely plenty of edge here, but plenty of laughs, too. We especially liked the section in which Poehler talks about Parks and Rec and her costars on that show. After finishing the book, we promptly started a rewatch. 

One of my best friends and I had a conversation about the plethora of comedienne memoirs that are flooding the market these days not long after Kevin and I finished Yes Please. We pretty much came to the conclusion that Tina Fey did such an amazing job with Bossypants that all of her peers felt compelled to also write a book. We both feel that while we've enjoyed reading the thoughts of Poehler, Kaling, and the like, none of these books are particularly amazing. They are enjoyable. Great for a car ride or a day at the beach, but nothing to write ground-breaking. Still, we'll keep reading them because it's fun to get a glimpse into the lives of women we admire and who make us laugh. 

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Will I Re-Read: Doubtful

If You Liked This, Try: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? / Bossypants (Tina Fey) / Let's Pretend This Never Happened

A Reduced Review: A fun glimpse into Poehler's life and career - worth taking with you to the beach this summer.