Jen Kirkman wants to be the voice in your head that says, Hey, you're okay. Even if you sometimes think you aren't! And especially if other people try to tell you you're not.
In I Know What I'm Doing--and Other Lies I Tell Myself, Jen offers up all the gory details of a life permanently in progress. She reassures you that it's okay to not have life completely figured out, even when you reach middle age (and find your first gray pubic hair!). She talks about making unusual or unpopular life decisions (such as cultivating a "friend with benefits" or not going home for the holidays) because you don't necessarily want for yourself what everyone else seems to think you should. It's about renting when everyone says you should own, dating around when everyone thinks you should settle down, and traveling alone when everyone pities you for going to Paris without a man.
From marriage to divorce and sex to mental health, I Know What I'm Doing--and Other Lies I Tell Myself is about embracing the fact that life is a bit of a sh*t show and it's definitely more than okay to stay true to yourself.
Review: I was generously sent this book for review by the publisher and I am so glad that I was because this was a thoroughly enjoyable read! I have to admit that I hadn't really heard of Jen Kirkman's stand up until I heard about this book and then I took to Netflix and watched what she did. I am pretty glad that I watched her stand up before reading this book because I think that it set the tone for what the book was going to like. There was limited crossover so there will definitely be new material in here for die-hard Jen Kirkman fans.
This book is structured like a series of anecdotes about life and love and what is really great about it is that you wouldn't have to read this one chronologically because it isn't written that way. Jan offers witty takes on aspects of life that wouldn't normally have any humour in them, such as divorce and break ups, and adds her own dry sense of humour to them. This book is definitely not for the faint hearted because Jen really doesn't hold back when she offers her opinion on something and that's another thing that I really loved about this read.
I think that this book would be great for anyone who hasn't seen Jen's stand up but I think it is a really good companion for her shows that are currently on Netflix, or is you have been to see her live. I wouldn't necessarily say that this book is for younger readers, just because the life experiences that are mentioned wouldn't necessarily seem relevant, and its helps if you have been through some of the things she has been through as it will make it easier for the reader to relate. I don't like putting ages on books, but I would say that mid twenties would be a good starting point with this one!
I actually downloaded the audio book version of this one because I cannot begin to tell you how much I love hearing authors reading their own memoirs and this definitely fell into that category. It was great hearing Jen tell stories in her own words and her own voice and she puts on an accent to imitate her mother, who has a strong Boston accent and i think that really adds something to the book. I am glad I have a physical copy too though, because this is definitely one of those books that I will go back and dip into again. I haven't read Jen's first book but I will definitely be adding it to my TBR and you should definitely do the same with I Know What I am Doing!
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