★ 11/03/2014
Poehler, the sharp and self-deprecating Emmy-winning star of TV's Parks and Recreation, takes a stab here at autobiography mixed with advice on sex, babies, and even divorce. She mines her 20s, back in the 1990s, when she cut her teeth in theater at ImprovOlympic in Chicago, and with the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. Poehler struggled for many years in part-time gigs—including doing bits on Late Night with Conan O'Brien—and her humility and good work ethic shine through: for example, in the chapter "Don't Forget to Tip Your Waitress" (which was excerpted last year in the New Yorker), she recounts rather poignantly her various early jobs, such as working as a junior secretary in a podiatrist's office at age 16 and doing waitressing stints in Chicago and New York. Poehler gives ample credit to current and former colleagues, such as Matt Besser of UCB, Seth Meyers at SNL, and the cast of Parks and Recreation; elsewhere she offers some wonderful advice on apologies—both receiving and giving. Her memoir is as bewitching and chameleonlike as Poehler herself is when she appears onstage and on-screen. (Oct.)
Yes Please is a great story…because it is self-damning and hopeful at the same time.” — Los Angeles Times
“Pure charm” — People
“Poehler is very funny, so the jokes are very good…Poehler is very wise, so her advice is on point.” — Slate
“Delightful...Poehler is frank and funny throughout [Yes Please], as is her nature, but her writing unearths a wise narrator who’s seen some of the worst of life and come out the other side unscathed…Can we get more from Amy Poehler? Yes, seriously, please.” — Newsweek
“Demonstrates the skill of this excellent comic actress, a funny woman who roots hilarity in specifics.” — Washington Post
“Required reading for all young women.” — Huffington Post
“[Yes Please] is honest words of wisdom within a joyous story structure.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“Yes Please veers between reminiscing and philosophizing. Poehler had developed some principles over the years and shares them in usually funny fashion.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“Yes Please isn’t a scan of the comedic brain so much as it is something far better—the full exposure of Poehler’s funny and very magnanimous heart. — Elle
“Yes Please delivers what it should: life lessons and vicarious thrills…the book is largely a portrait of confidence. Reading it, some of it rubs off on us.” — New Yorker
Pure charm
Required reading for all young women.
Yes Please veers between reminiscing and philosophizing. Poehler had developed some principles over the years and shares them in usually funny fashion.
Demonstrates the skill of this excellent comic actress, a funny woman who roots hilarity in specifics.
Yes Please is a great story…because it is self-damning and hopeful at the same time.
Poehler is very funny, so the jokes are very good…Poehler is very wise, so her advice is on point.
[Yes Please] is honest words of wisdom within a joyous story structure.
Delightful...Poehler is frank and funny throughout [Yes Please], as is her nature, but her writing unearths a wise narrator who’s seen some of the worst of life and come out the other side unscathed…Can we get more from Amy Poehler? Yes, seriously, please.
Yes Please isn’t a scan of the comedic brain so much as it is something far better—the full exposure of Poehler’s funny and very magnanimous heart.
Yes Please delivers what it should: life lessons and vicarious thrills…the book is largely a portrait of confidence. Reading it, some of it rubs off on us.
Demonstrates the skill of this excellent comic actress, a funny woman who roots hilarity in specifics.
Yes Please is a great story…because it is self-damning and hopeful at the same time.
Yes Please delivers what it should: life lessons and vicarious thrills…the book is largely a portrait of confidence. Reading it, some of it rubs off on us.
Delightful...Poehler is frank and funny throughout [Yes Please], as is her nature, but her writing unearths a wise narrator who’s seen some of the worst of life and come out the other side unscathed…Can we get more from Amy Poehler? Yes, seriously, please.
Yes Please veers between reminiscing and philosophizing. Poehler had developed some principles over the years and shares them in usually funny fashion.
Poehler is very funny, so the jokes are very good…Poehler is very wise, so her advice is on point.
Actress and comedian Amy Poehler’s memoir is full of charm and life lessons, but what’s REALLY fun is how out of the box the audiobook production is. Listeners know they’re getting something special, unique, and a bit absurd right from the start when Poehler claims to be narrating from her own personal audio booth, built at the base of Mt. Rushmore. Poehler sounds consistently warm, funny, and genuine, and it’s only a matter of time before she’ll have you laughing out loud. When she’s joined in “her” studio by Seth Meyers and Mike Schur to reminisce about “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation,” it sounds like we’re overhearing candid (and giggly) conversations between friends. Cameos from Carol Burnett, Kathleen Turner, Patrick Stewart (intoning strange haikus), and even Amy’s parents add even more flavor. What a treat. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2015 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Actress and comedian Amy Poehler’s memoir is full of charm and life lessons, but what’s REALLY fun is how out of the box the audiobook production is. Listeners know they’re getting something special, unique, and a bit absurd right from the start when Poehler claims to be narrating from her own personal audio booth, built at the base of Mt. Rushmore. Poehler sounds consistently warm, funny, and genuine, and it’s only a matter of time before she’ll have you laughing out loud. When she’s joined in “her” studio by Seth Meyers and Mike Schur to reminisce about “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation,” it sounds like we’re overhearing candid (and giggly) conversations between friends. Cameos from Carol Burnett, Kathleen Turner, Patrick Stewart (intoning strange haikus), and even Amy’s parents add even more flavor. What a treat. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2015 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
2014-10-06
The star of Parks and Recreation shares stories from her adolescence, her star-making tenure at Saturday Night Live and her abiding love of improvisation.In her debut book, comedian Poehler credits her approach to work to Carol Burnett, who was "funny and versatile and up for anything" and "a benevolent captain" on her eponymous variety show. The author's successful career proves that collaboration, good manners and gratitude are assets in both business and life. She has written a happy, angst-free memoir with stories told without regret or shame; rather, Poehler provides a series of lessons learned about achieving success through ambition and a resolute spirit. She affectionately recounts her perfect-seeming childhood and adolescence, including making lifelong friends, waiting tables, and living and working in the rough, pre-gentrified Greenwich Village. Poehler is especially grateful to her proud, comical parents and shares their wisdom with readers: "Make sure he's grateful to be with you," "Ask for what you want" and "Always overtip." With benevolent humor, she shares "Obligatory Drug Stories, or Lessons I Learned on Mushrooms" ("I've tried most drugs but avoided the BIG BAD ONES") and explores why ambivalence is an important component of success in a chapter titled "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend." Along with Meredith Walker and Amy Miles, Poehler has created a Web series, "Smart Girls at the Party," to empower and celebrate women and girls who "chang[e] the world by being themselves." The author conveys the ethos of this project in pithy statements and reassurances sprinkled throughout the book in large type—e.g., "If It's Not Funny, You Don't Have To Laugh" and "Everybody Is Scared Most Of The Time." This is not a treacly self-help book or spiritual guide but rather motivation from a hilarious and kindhearted champion. A wise and winning—and polite—memoir and manifesto.
