[amazon_link id=”0307886271″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]
[/amazon_link]Title : Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Author : Mindy Kaling
Narrator : Mindy Kaling
Publisher : Random House Audio
Rating : 4.5/5
After I discovered that I liked audiobooks because they make my walk/commute more interesting, I’ve listened to quite a few. “Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me” is one of the very few non-fiction ones I’ve listened to. It is written and narrated by the Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling (I’m assuming Kaling is a shortening of her last name Chokhalingam; smart – imagine people trying to pronounce that), who played Kelly Kapoor on “The Office”. She was also a writer on “The Office” and now has her own show “The Mindy Project” where she plays the lead character Dr. Mindy Lahiri, a gynecologist. And yes, the “Lahiri” bit of her name is inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me” is basically about Mindy, her life and her opinion on various things: family, career, friends, relationships, guys, guy chest hair, weight gain etc. etc. She makes this all personal by relating anecdotes from her life. Some are funny and some are just painful and/or embarrassing but she does a great job in making them appear hopeful and/or the types of things that you would listen to and learn from (or should).
Mindy has a very distinctive voice (both literally and figuratively) and she narrates the book in a casual, easygoing fashion. What I really like about the book is that in it, Mindy seems honest and earnest and really telling you the story of her life. She goes from her childhood – her brother, her parents – one doctor and one architect, to college to her ambitious move to New York. She talks of sharing an apartment with two other friends, of afternoons and evenings spent karaoke-ing, and her initial attempts at trying out for roles, where she might fit. Her success hasn’t come easy and it was inspiring listening to her recount it with humor.
This book is laugh-out-loud funny. But it is also heart-felt, and in her witty, humorous uptakes Mindy manages to squeeze in some of life’s truths. I especially liked where she talks of getting her values from her Indian parents, her description of their patience and resilience even in times of stress (her mom was doing her residency and her father commuted 2.5 hours to a construction site), and her description of their down-to-earth, but strong marriage :
“I’m not complaining about Romance Being Dead – I’ve just described a happy marriage as based on talking about plants and a canceled Ray Romano show and drinking milkshakes: not exactly rose petals and gazing into each other’s eyes at the top of the Empire State Building or whatever. I’m pretty sure my parents have gazed into each other’s eyes maybe once, and that was so my mom could put eyedrops in my dad’s eyes.”
I really liked the book. I also liked Mindy – she seems nice, funny but practical, with her head screwed on straight, and brains to match. From the get-go she seemed like my kinda gal, because she believes in this just like I do :
“There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.”
Indeed! Let me sleep. Also I identified with her desi background, which made all her thoughts about family and values (love, relationships, friendships, men vs. boys, commitment, marriage) ring true.
A lovely, lovely listen – highly recommended especially if you are a (desi) female.
