Retta

This book was a damn treat! I feel like I'm in the Parks and Rec Book Club because I HAVE TO read all the books they write. I'm so glad Retta joined their ranks because this book is a roller coaster of amazing. There is some real heartfelt shit in there, but it's also so down to earth and funny. I straight up felt like she was my best friend after this. Each chapter is an essay about some aspect of her life; from her addiction to designer bags, her newfound love of Hockey, making it as a show more black female comedian, growing up poor, cutting loose in college, the joys of being lazy, her love of television, to her struggle of finding amazon sized footwear (girl we wear the same size, the struggle is real!), this entire book is funny and relatable. After reading this book I instantly had to follow her on all social media (what have I been doing with my damn life?) and I coaxed my boyfriend into getting me tickets to see Hamilton (well... he's gonna try to anyways). Retta waxes poetic about the Broadway play, Hamilton, and it was better than any theater review I've ever read. I love, love, love this book!! I'm including a picture from my book club when we discussed Aziz's book and I had Parks and Rec cookies made; I wish I still had that Donna Meagle cookie!

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"stop wasting time fearing the worst. Living through the worst is never as hard as fearing it. Fight the fear and go do what you gotta do. That's what you came here for."

Being a big fan of Parks & Rec (my personality is more like a mix of Ron and April than Donna), I had to read Retta's essay collection. She didn't disappoint!

Retta's personality jumps off the page and her enthusiasm for her passions is contagious. This collection feels very much like she's sitting across the table telling show more you about her adventures. I don't even like carrying a purse, so collecting ($15,000) designer handbags is not my thing. Nor is coffee or football or hockey. But her stories are entertaining and funny, which is what I had expected from this book.

My favorite essay is "Membership Has Its Privileges" in which Retta recounts meeting Michael Fassbender and Idris Elba. But I also appreciated the first essay's message about talking oneself out of big opportunities.

4.5 stars

I bet the audio version is even better! show less

When I saw that Retta had written an autobiography, and that she was narrating it on an audiobook, I thought (predictably enough) "Treat yo'self!" I loved her as Donna Meagle in Parks and Recreation, and am enjoying the heck out of her semi-dramatic turn on Good Girls where she's breaking my heart as well as making me laugh. But I knew absolutely nothing about Retta, and I wanted to.

Turns out, she is the daughter of Liberian immigrants, a Jersey girl, and one of the most down-to-earth celebs show more imaginable. She is brutally honest about herself -- Chapter 8 in which she describes at length how lazy she is is both hilarious and reassuring because so much of it describes me too. I loved listening to her talk about her passionate love for "dark magic" (coffee) and the day she (unknowingly) was flirted with by Michael Fassbender. I love how much she loves John Hamm and her Parks and Rec co-stars, how much she loves her family, but doesn't spare them from her cutting sense of humor, and how much she loves her designer handbags. Because she's a big girl, and handbags always fit.

I love that she refuses to apologize for who she is unless she knows she's somehow in the wrong. I love that she can call out both racism and body-shaming with a sense of humor. I love that she can fangirl Lin Manuel Miranda, and that she never seems blase about meeting the likes of Idris Elba or Robert Redford. Retta knows who she is and that is no mean feat in Hollywood.

I love listening to her. Just flat out love it.

I devoured this audiobook in less than a day and wish there was more. Maybe one day there will be. Maybe one day we'll get the continuing adventures of Retta in H'wood, or even Dr. Retta, neurosurgeon (She was pre-med before she went into show business.) No matter what she wants to talk about, I'm there. show less

I love Retta as an actress and generally as a person, but this book just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t relate to her repeatedly saying she wasn’t rich and had to pay the mortgage then saying she bought a $15,000 purse on a whim while sitting on the toilet (I care not for purses and the descriptions seemed in-depth to me). There were chapters I loved - when she talked about social media trolls and the pain that is weight loss and her show more obsession with Hamilton; most of the book, however, wasn’t that appealing to me. Her talking about her level of laziness or recounting the LA Kings Stanley Cup win game by game (I could not have told you the name of the LA hockey team until now) were just not that entertaining to me personally. Usually I finish a memoir/essay book loving the author more. This book didn’t make me like her any more. I still think she’s great, but this book just wasn’t for me. show less