How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying

I am one of Carol Leifer's longtime fans. We are in the same generation, we came from the same Long Island, we were in the same women's predicament, job-wise. Lucky her... she got the funny father!

So I was really excited about reading her "memoir," as I've been reading other funny women's memoirs (Fey, Rivers, Kaling, Lawson, MacDonald, Handler, etc.). Sorry to say, I'm underwhelmed... not because of her successful career, but because I expected it to be -- I don't know -- funnier. (Most of her funny friends' blurbs on the cover don't call it funny either, if you read carefully.)

I thought it was an interesting choice to incorporate her life lessons and turn them into items for success in show business, and I will pass this on to my show more niece who expects to be a performer. But she always makes me laugh on her tv appearances and this book did not. Hence, disappointment, yet support for her effort. I can understand her not wanting to spoil her chances of continued gigs by naming names and then trashing them. Obviously. Or turning on her funny friends, still working, still friends, and telling how and when exactly they were NOT there for her. I get it.

Still, it was a fast easy read, and I liked walking down memory lane with her. There are some wild old photographs of Carol & her buds, on the way up. Wishing Carol continued success and hoping I'm wrong about this book. show less

Reading this book is like sitting at a restaurant enjoying a nourishing meal with a mentor who has a good sense of humor. Carol Leifer (better make sure I spell her name correctly) has created a guide for those who are ready to pursue a career whether it is in the arts or in business. Much of her advice is worthy but not particularly new. It is common sense. What makes the book interesting is that it is told in the context of her own career following her ups and downs, her good decisions and bad ones. Interspersed with humorous anecdotes and funny stories of her choices and interactions with friends, family and co-workers in show business she explains what to do and what not to do sometimes admitting to her own foolish behavior. This is show more a self help book with a twist! You get some good pointers and some good laughs. Also, stories about celebraties are always fascinating and you get plenty of them in this book. Buy and enjoy! show less

I expected this to be an entirely humorous book. It turns out that it's more of a how-to than a memoir, but it's a really worthwhile, enjoyable career how-to. The author uses her own career as a springboard for various useful lessons. A lot of the book focused on the importance of learning to work with, instead of beside, people. I took this to heart and loved the anecdotes about comics who are my contemporaries, and will be sending the book on to my niece. She won't know all of the names, but I'm hoping she'll take the book to heart.

I loved this book. Great anecdotes, very funny, but also excellent advice. I am going to get this book as a gift for all the future graduates I know. In addition, it also recharged my enthusiasm for my own career long after my own start in the work force. Carol's style is like talking to a very interesting, very funny friend and coming away feeling refreshed, excited and optimistic about your future.

How to Succeed provides a refreshing and unique perspective on career advice. I particularly enjoyed the glimpses into the world of comedy writing and performing, and how it all fit into Leifer's advice. Even though my chosen field is pretty distant from the upbeat world of comedy, I still found some valuable insight from what she had to share. Plus, the book is just plain fun to read. I'll certainly be on the lookout for that friend who can offer me private jet rides in the future.

Carol Leifer's How To Succeed In Business Without Really Crying combines humor, memoir and advice in one volume. Like Saget, her love for her dad is evident, and she also shares lots of fun showbiz stories, mostly from her early days of standup.

Leifer was the inspiration for Elaine on Seinfeld, and as a writer on the show she wrote one of my favorite episodes, "The Understudy" which featured Bette Midler, whom Leifer said "had a lot of heart."

Lost of famous people are in the book, like Jay Leno, whom Leifer says is the nicest person she ever worked with. There's many photos in the book, and the early ones of her, Paul Reiser and Jerry Seinfeld, whom she has known for years, are priceless.

The book is divided into three sections: How to show more Handle Yourself During the Frenzied Scramble for Gainful Employment, How to Maintain Your Sanity While Stubbornly Advancing an Ever-Arduous Career, and How to Keep Your Footing When You Finally Get a Leg Up To the Top of the Heap.

In these sections, Leifer shares not only funny stories from her difficult climb up the comedy writing heap, but useful advice for anyone looking for a job. (Don't take a soda from the refrigerator at a job interview. It cost her a job with Aaron Spelling when he found out. Like Aaron Spelling can't afford another Diet Coke).

This is a terrific, funny book, and the perfect gift for a college graduate, a woman re-entering the job market or just anyone who likes comedy (especially Seinfeld). Rating 5 of 5 show less

Carol Leifer jumps on the women in comedy memoir writing bandwagon to sit next to those who've already excelled at the form (TIna Fey, Mindy Kaling, Rachel Dratch, Sarah Silverman), and tries to put her own spin on it by positioning her book as a career advice book as well. Sadly, by trying to do a little bit of everything, she ends up less than successful. There wasn't enough memoir in here for Carol's personal story to hook me, and the career advice was pretty generalized and shallow. I also question how much what she has learned and experienced through standup and sitcom writing is applicable to people who work in other fields. It's a quick read, with some good celebrity moments from Frank Sinatra, Bryan Cranston, and of course Jerry show more Seinfeld, but doesn't hit the high marks (or big laughs) that others have achieved in this subgenre. show less