Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

A review of Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling.  Post may contain affiliate links. 

This review is for the audio version.

I make it a habit to listen to audio books in my car when I am driving.  Yes, I love to read so much that I do the next best thing even when I am driving.  I’ve found that comedies and memoirs are the best.  They are entertaining enough to hold my interest and I can pick up right where I left off the next time I am in the car without having to follow a plot.  I listened to Mindy’s first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and enjoyed it, so it was a no-brainer to get her second book.

Mindy Kaling and I have practically nothing in common, other than being female.  She is a young, woman of color actor and comedienne.  She is not talking about issues that I might relate to - like grand children, or wrinkles, or what is was like to grow up watching The Brady Bunch and having a crush on Davey Jones of the Monkees.  Yet, I find her so entertaining.  She seems like such a nice person.

I love the glimpses into her life.  I love her relationship with her friend BJ.  Why Not Me? is a collection of essays, so it does bounce around a bit.  I also think that in this book, she let a little bit more of her personality come out, her natural humor.

One essay was more of a short story, in that it was a sort of hypothetical - what would have happened if Mindy had gone on to be a high school latin teacher.   It is told primarily in a series of emails.  The reading of the dates, times, and headings of each email got a little boring, and I expect that it was more successful on paper than audio, but it was still humorous.

Very entertaining and enjoyable!