Ellen, Tina, and Mindy

I think writing a book sounds like a really daunting task. Don't you have to be really good at English? Don't you need to know the right time to foreshadow? How does one know the right time to foreshadow without giving everything away? Maybe you don't need to foreshadow but you need to be an expert about something so you can teach others because if don't know something they don't know then why the heck are they reading your book in the first place?
I love to read. Correction: I love to read for recreational purposes. I typically do not care too much for the things that are assigned to me in class. I recently started a monthly book club because I have several friends that like to read and it's a good excuse to get together and drink wine. First we read Ender's Game and most recently the book choice was Mindy Kalig's "Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me?" 

While the new book choice was being made I ordered Tina Fey's "Bossypants."  So, in a couple of weeks I have plowed though two books by comedians with similar writing styles. They both give sort of a historical account of how they came to be famous, their viewpoints on issues (Fey mostly on equality especially for women, and Kalig on romance). Each of them are self-deprecating and try to convey that there is a lot of fog and mirrors behind the scenes of Hollywood glamour- especially when considering photoshoots. Speaking of which, did you see that video of the time elapse of photoshop? Did you secretly wish someone would do that to your picture? 

These books also made me think of Ellen Degeneres' book "Seriously... I'm Kidding." Her book in many ways reads like a series of my blog posts. Just complete randomness. I mean, her randomness is much more funny than mine is but all I could think was, if I honed my skills, I could totally write a book. All I would need was about 4 million more loyal blog followers so I would be famous enough to claim I had an "audience" so I could get a publisher to put it out there. There's also the issue that these individuals have "made it." I'm still trying to "make it" and what is even worse is that my version of making it really stalls at teaching environmental policy at OSU with tenure. I had no idea when I was sitting in classrooms at OSU that I would ever regard that guy at the front with extreme anxiety about public speaking as my ultimate goal. I didn't have the slightest idea how difficult it would be to be that guy. I feel like if I could give advice to my undergraduate self I would start every semester with a handshake with my professor yelling "You Did It!!!" like Buddy the elf.

Back to the topic. What do books like these say about our society? When we choose to read, this is WHAT we choose to read? I haven't even read The Great Gatsby ( I did rent the movie the other night- it was lovely).  Should we put greater emphasis on classics and scholarly literature? If it makes us happy, should we just embrace it?
I don't really know. All I do know is that if I ever write a book that isn't some form of a text book, I am totally following the model of these women. Instead of focusing on love or photo editing I'll get on environmental soap boxes like: What kind of horrible self centered human being do you have to be to litter? And Hey Cashier, I bring my own bags, sack em up and try it with a smile this time. And How to force environmental behavior on your friends and loved ones through wedding and Christmas gifts.
You'd buy it, right? Even if only to make fun of me at your book club?

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