Book #83: My Point...And I Do Have One

Book #83: My Point...And I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres
4/5 stars

As a huge lover of Ellen and all that she stands for, I've decided to read all of her books (I believe there are three to date), and I figured why not start with the earliest one. As you can tell from the cover, it's a bit dated. It was published in 1996! However, her humor still resonates and it was a hilarious experience reading this book. And, it's actually non-fiction believe it or not! And I rarely read non-fiction, but this is the type of non-fiction that I could actually enjoy. =)

Contrary to my original belief upon picking up this book, it is not an actual memoir. It pretends to be one, but upon reading it you come to find out that it's a hilarious comedy sketch that spans 224 pages, telling "true stories" from Ellen's life. To get a feel for the tone of the book, here's an excerpt from the beginning:

Dear Reader,
I was awfully excited when I was asked to write a book. I was however, nervous. I was afraid I didn’t have anything important to say. But when I began writing, I realized that although I don’t know a lot about any one thing, I know a little about a whole bunch of things: baking a pie; dancing; curing the common cold; running the Iditarod–it’s all in the book. And I realized I notice things that maybe some people don’t notice (or they don’t notice that they don’t notice). That’s all in the book, too. 

This is just a small sampling of the randomness presented in Ellen's book. The chapters have wacky titles, and they each explore a different idea presented in Ellen's comedic, ridiculous voice. I could almost hear her in my mind saying what was written because it was written like she talks on her show. Ellen looks at how we act in elevators, fashion trends, how to explain the birds and the bees to kids, and gives her recipe for her favorite Real Frenchy French Toast. 

This book was unlike anything I had read before; it was almost like attending one of Ellen's comedy shows, with all the randomness and laughs you would expect from her. It was a quick, light read, and great for people like me who are not normally non-fiction fans. I'm looking forward to reading her other two books, and will be sure to review those as well!

What I'm reading now...

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (classic)
2. Matched by Ally Condie (YA dystopian fiction)