From the bubbly soul of Kelly Kapoor in The Office to bright-eyed, independent Doctor Mindy Lahiri in The Mindy Project, it’s hard to think Mindy Kaling has any time to write about her life.
But over the summer, I discovered her book Why Not Me? under the New York Times Best Sellers section. I picked it up without hesitation and read it in a day. Then I found out she had written another memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, which I instantly ordered and finished three days later.
Watching Mindy Kaling on the screen always leaves me laughing out loud because of how relatable she is.
And going through the first few pages of her book, her on-screen personality came across perfectly, which just goes to show how genuine of a person Mindy Kaling is. Even though her definition of genuine might come across as too honest and diva-ish, her writing style creates an intimate connection with the audience, which makes me admire her even more.
In her latest collection of personal essays, she writes about her time in Dartmouth College as well as how she found people who shared her love for romantic comedies and theatre. One of her friends Brenda Withers, worked with her to create a skit that would propel them to fame. The parody they wrote, entitled “Matt & Ben,” about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, became a huge success all over the east coast. They got to perform live and were recognized by prominent news outlets like the New York Times.
Aside from the chronology of events that lead to her fame, Mindy Kaling expresses her love for cute boys next door, issues with weight and her eternal love for us fans. In less than 300 pages, she gives insightful life advice such as “Work hard, know your ****, show your ****, and then feel entitled. Listen to no one except the two smartest and kindest adults you know, and that doesn’t always mean your parents. If you do that, you will be fine.”
Or, “People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you’re succeeding. People do not get scared when you’re failing. It calms them. But when you’re winning, it makes them feel like they’re losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should’ve tried to do something too, but now it’s too late. And since they didn’t, they want to stop you. You can’t let them.”
So if you’re looking for some laughs and wise words about life, Mindy Kaling’s memoirs will give you just that. Through her diva-esque style, you surely won’t be disappointed.