Margaret Cho

Yeaaaah, I'm not sure why this is in the categories "Humor" or "Comedy". I mean, sure, Margaret Cho is a comedian, but the book itself isn't comedic. It has comedic touches, but it's overall a pretty serious account of her life leading up to her career taking off.

Content warnings (oh boy):
drug addiction
alcoholism
sexual harassment
rape
gendered slurs
transphobia (&transphobic slurs)
homophobic slurs
fatshaming
racism (in-book)
ableism

I wanted to like this so bad. My mother loves Margaret Cho, and show more although I've never seen any of her stand-up, I've heard such great things about her comedy that I just wanted to fall in love with her voice. And, I mean, I did sympathize with her cycles of self-sabatoge and making light of her sufferings (something I do too :/ ), and the very ending of the book was so hopeful and inspirational that I was left feeling rosy-eyed about everything.

But she fat-shamed people in the book, she used transphobic slurs, homophobic slurs, etc. And not just once, but several, several times. I know Margaret Cho isn't straight, but continually using the f** word made me on the verge of closing the book and picking something else up. She also seems to have a strange infatuation with gay men that seems . . . bordering fetishization? Again I'm not very familiar with Margaret Cho, but it made me very uncomfortable.

So while the ending was great, and I have nothing against her actual journey, the writing and language really put me off. show less

I think I might need to stop reading comedian's memoirs. I feel like I have been so disappointed with a bunch of them in a row.

I picked up this book mostly because I remember way back when the earth was young (1990's) catching some of Margaret Cho's stand up and just laughing til I was breathless. I saw some of her more recent stand up and was underwhelmed. Then she showed up on Drop Dead Diva and I liked her just fine - so I thought - well - maybe this would be fun to read and maybe it'll show more remind me what I liked in her early standup.

Yeah. Not really. It seemed to me that beyond all the alcohol and debauchery that was depressing in itself - there was a never ending exploration of grudges she has held over her life.

I lost count of how many times she said someone from her past showed up at a show and she pretended she didn't know them. These encounters came across so silly and adolescent. I mean - in most cases I would have a grudge about these people too - but talking about the fact that later you ignored them as some sort of triumphant gotcha? Well - not really gripping reading for an audience and doesn't do a heck of a lot for how her personality came across.

I don't think there was a single laugh in this book. I guess maybe it is unfair to expect that comedians will have a few funny stories when they refect back on their lives - but this read way more like a diatribe of bad behavior -- hers, her family's and people that she has met.

Watch Drop Dead Diva - she's great in that - and give this book a pass. show less

Listened to this on audio, and oddly enough, as Cho is such a terrific live performer, her reading really fell flat. It seemed as though she were reading someone else's work and not her own. As I was listening, I kept thinking to myself "This would really be so much better as a blog..." In the conclusion, she explains that they do actually come from her blog.

I see that some other reviewers really rated this low because they were expecting 6 discs of her stand-up routine. Having read the back show more of the box (and well, the TITLE), it was pretty obvious that this was a politically-oriented work. She makes absolutely astute observations, and is very open about where her philosophy originates. I came away with not only a new understanding of Margaret Cho, but an even greater appreciation of her. Had I read it rather than listened, I would most likely have given it the full five stars. show less

Mmm, I loves me some Margaret Cho. I've seen her live and she was awesome, but this is the book that will make you realise just how articulate she truly is. It isn't as humorous as her stand-up, which some might view as a negative, but I appreciate it; the more serious tone is better suited to book format. I definitely recommend the sections on race, feminism, and religion.