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Book Title: Yes, Please
Author: Amy Poehler
Narrated By: Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Mike Schur, Eileen Poehler, William Poehler, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner
Synopsis:
I don’t think I can sum it up better than the following snippet from Audible.com: Don’t miss this collection of stories, thoughts, ideas, lists, and haikus from the mind of one of our most beloved entertainers. Offering Amy’s thoughts on everything from her “too safe” childhood outside of Boston to her early days in New York City, her ideas about Hollywood and “the biz”, the demon that looks back at all of us in the mirror, and her joy at being told she has a “face for wigs” – Yes Please is chock-full of words, and wisdom, to live by.
Why did you choose this audio book?
I probably spent as much time listening to samples of audio books as I did listening to the actual book. This was my first audio book ever. I wanted it to be perfect! What’s more is there were far too many that really seemed fascinating. It was a tough decision, and I would have to say what probably most impacted my decision was my recent late night Netflix re-watching of Parks and Rec.
Being an Amy fan, I had wanted to read her book regardless and I figured, rather than a poor attempt of emulating her voice in my head, whilst I read it, why not listen to the real deal?
What main themes does the author explore?
While Amy doesn’t have one main theme, I feel over all, her book is very grounded. Although there are some entertaining situations clearly not commonplace for most, it is full of life lessons not from a celebrity but rather from a viewpoint that is very relate-able and sincere. It is definitely not a linear story of her life and with her seemingly random tangents it makes it feel more realistic.
People get distracted and will detour on their thoughts or feelings about different subjects. This felt like Amy putting herself out there completely and freely. She also has some great insight. Just an example, she writes two different apologies one from the heart and one from the mind and they are both spot on with their respective reactions (I pictured a scene from Inside Out).
What did you learn?
The biggest thing I think I learned was just how entertaining audio books are. I may have been a little spoiled with my first one, seeing as Amy has such a unique strong voice and is truly able to act out her emotions and words with effortless delivery. Her narration alone is a character of the book. That aside, there is something about having any voice read an entire novel that really is a unique experience.
Had I read this on my own, some of it may have seemed a little self-helpy (I’m making that a word) but having her light and quirky tone took that element away.
How has the book changed or broadened your perspective?
Amy is very open and transparent about her past experiences, and shares them in a comical way that challenges you to think. She adds a fresh perspective on a lot of elements of every day life and growing up. Amy offers an amazing array of one liners in addition to great anecdotes that were not just entertaining but valuable in learning.