Review: My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper

Summary from Goodreads:

Meet Ellie, the best-intentioned redhead next door. You’ll laugh right alongside her as she shares tales of her childhood in St. Louis, whether directing and also starring in her family holiday pageant, washing her dad’s car with a Brillo pad, failing to become friends with a plump squirrel in her backyard, eating her feelings while watching PG-13 movies, or becoming a “sports monster” who ends up warming the bench of her Division 1 field hockey team in college.

You’ll learn how she found her comedic calling in the world of improv, became a wife, mother and New Yorker, and landed the role of a bridesmaid (while simultaneously being a bridesmaid) in Bridesmaids. You’ll get to know and love the comic, upbeat, perpetually polite actress playing Erin Hannon on The Office, and the exuberant, pink-pants-wearing star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

If you’ve ever been curious about what happens behind the scenes of your favorite shows, what it really takes to be a soul cycle “warrior,” how to recover if you accidentally fall on Doris Kearns Goodwin or tell Tina Fey on meeting her for the first time that she has “great hair—really strong and thick,” this is your chance to find out. But it’s also a laugh-out-loud primer on how to keep a positive outlook in a world gone mad and how not to give up on your dreams. Ellie “dives fully into each role—as actor, comedian, writer, and also wife and new mom—with an electric dedication, by which one learns to reframe the picture, and if not exactly become a glass-half-full sort of person, at least become able to appreciate them” (Vogue.com).

Review:


What I Liked:

Humor/Writing Style. I had some issues with the formatting but overall I really enjoyed the content. Kemper is a great writer and has a interesting writing style. I would read more from her if she wrote another memoir in the future. Plus, there was a funny/humor-filled moments throughout the memoir.

What I Disliked:

Organization/Format. I found the format and placement of the stories a little hard to follow. Each story felt disconnected from one another and I was confused at times. 

Length. I felt the memoir could have been expanded and focus more on Kemper's present day experiences. 

I recommend checking out this interesting memoir from Ellie Kemper, it was funny and well-written. 

Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars