I Know I Am, But What Are You? (2010)

3 1/2 Stars ( )

Having recently read Sarah Silverman's book Bedwetter, I decided, apparently, to conduct a tour of favorite female comics. Anyway, unlike Silverman, Bee actually manages to construct a book that is plausibly biographical. It's made of anecdotes, but by connecting them with words like "then" and "so, next" an impression of linearity and narrative coherence is subtly conveyed. (Sorry Sarah! Luv you!) It also contains some genuinely funny material that you probably haven't heard Bee perform. Her early career in juvenile delinquency and car thievery, her mind blowing (parent cringing) pubescent experiments in self-endangerment with shady over-age men, her experiences with compulsive pet acquisition and neglect, and her humiliating involvement with cheesy fourth rate theater that led her to meet Jason Jones, all made it very difficult for my spouse to fall asleep as I read in bed. Not only did I have to laugh, but I had to wake her up to read about the cat that tried to copulate with Samantha's head. Unlike the Silverman book where you probably had to pre-love the Sarah to grok the book, this one is LOL city even if you haven't experienced Samantha on the Daily Show. It's light as a feather, but lots of fun.

Now I'd better go read a book about the Holocaust, just so I don't float away. ( )

Very funny. An empty bladder is highly recommended. ( )

Eh. There were a few actual laugh-out-loud moments, but mostly I thought this would be funnier. ( )

Fun, breezy read with some hearty laughs and lots of chuckles along the way. I was expecting a memoir; this reads more as a somewhat scattered series of reflections on aspects of Ms. Bee's life. Her observations on some of her experiences can be outrageously funny - the scenes of the male strip club and near-raping by a pet cat come to mind - but I can't say these added up to much of a portrait of the lady as a whole. Maybe deep autobiographical insights are too much to ask of a book like this. ( )