Thursday, August 31, 2017

Book Reviews: 'A Lotus Grows in the Mud' by Goldie Hawn and 'Bossypants' by Tina Fey


1. A Lotus Grows in the Mud, by Goldie Hawn
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I really enjoyed reading this. It's from 2005, but I only discovered that Goldie Hawn wrote a memoir a few weeks ago and I decided I was going to read it (whenever I go through iffy periods with anxiety I look to memoirs because I find it's like someone telling you a series of stories, which I find helpfully distracting). At first I was worried it was going to be one of those overdone celebrity memoirs with unnecessary extravagant writing because Hawn sought the help of a journalist when writing A Lotus Grows in the Mud, who is the co-author of the book, but it felt like most of the writing was genuinely and authentically Goldie Hawn. She tells all different kinds of stories from all the different times in her career, from landing Private Benjamin to getting lost on a road trip to Las Vegas in the mid 60s with only her dog until a solider on leave helped her and she never saw him again. Hawn also brings up how, in the 70s, some called her a star who gave liberated women a bad name, because she was blonde and bubbly and, of course, got typecast as such. She sets the record straight and says even if all she ever wanted to be was a wife and mother growing up, all she ever wanted was to be happy, regardless of what became of her life, and I really enjoy that message. I was also worried that A Lotus Grows in the Mud was going to become repetitive as, at 446 pages, it's quite a bit longer than the typical celebrity memoir, but I was also proven wrong there because pretty much all 446 pages are necessary and enjoyable. She also interlaces her chapters with these cute little musings of stories or other writings she calls "Postcards", which was refreshing. I actually didn't know all that much about Goldie Hawn before picking up this book but it's inspired me to check out a few of her classic movies from the 70s and 80s. If you like Goldie Hawn, or are just looking for a book of stories to get you through a rough couple of days like me, I recommend. 5/5 stars.



2. Bossypants, by Tina Fey:
I'm really mad at myself for waiting 6 YEARS to check out Tina Fey's memoir, especially since I've known about Bossypants since it came out in 2011. This was really fun to read! I liked the early chapters about her childhood and teenage years the best. I kind of found the last 150 pages to be a little less engaging than the first 100 pages, most probably because it was more about the politics surrounding the behind the scenes goings-on at Saturday Night Live (where Fey was a writer for several years) followed by some stuff about 30 Rock, her NBC sitcom which I haven't watched in its entirety and of whom I am not a huge fan, so me not finding the last half as engaging as the first was probably a case of "it's me not you." In any event, it was a good celebrity memoir read to conclude my end-of-the-summer memoir kick! If you're like me and still haven't checked out Bossypants even though it's been out since 2011, I'd say to give it a shot. Tina Fey is hilarious, there's never been any doubt about that. 4/5 stars.

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