Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me (and other concerns) by Mindy Kaling- Review

With the likes of Tina Fey  and Amy Poehler creating shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, female comedy writers are on the rise. Mindy Kaling, author of Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me, first grabbed our attention as Kelly Kapoor in The Office. While she only appeared briefly in the first few seasons of the show, she had some of the best lines and became one of the most endearing characters on the show.

“There is no sunrise so beautiful that it is worth waking me up to see it.”

Mindy Kaling has often been confused with her character, Kelly Kapoor, something she talks about in her book. While it does appear at first glance that she is Kelly, it soon becomes apparent through her excellent writing that she is not only smarter than her counterpart on The Office, but she is also much more interesting.

“They say the best revenge is living well. I say it’s acid in the face– who will love them now?”

Comedians are often self-deprecating, which is part of their charm. What sets Mindy Kaling apart from others in her field is that she makes no apologies for who she is. Her book deals with her early childhood, her weight issues, her education, her career and her friends. Kaling adopts a rare formula for her memoir, which sets it apart from all the other books out there. She makes sure every detail she reveals about herself has a message or a lesson attached to it.

“One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.”

Kaling’s book is filled with her opinions on everything from annoying conversation topics to relationships to boy bands. This makes her book relatable as she validates some of the opinions many people would not usually express. An example of this is when she talks about dating only boys until she was thirty, since men scared her. She goes on to distinguish boys from men in the most comprehensive way. She lets you know that you are not alone and she has navigated through the ups and downs of her teens and 20s and made it to the other side.

“Men know what they want and they don’t let you in on their inner monologue, and that is scary.” “Boys are adorable. Boys trail off their sentences in an appealing way…. Boys can pack up their whole life in a duffle bag…Boys are wonderful in a lot of ways… But they suck to date when you turn thirty.”

Mindy knows who her audience is and she connects with them with her casual style of writing. At the end of her book,  Mike Schur (writer on the Office) writes a fake eulogy for her. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, you will be laughing and wishing you had friends who could do that for you. Such is the magic of Mindy Kaling.

“I can’t believe she’s gone. I console myself by thinking, well I guess the angels just wanted her to shut up. I will miss her dearly, and I hope that she is up in heaven right now watching us, smiling, even though deep down I know that if there is an afterlife, she’s a pretty much open-and-shut case for hell.”

Kaling appears to be a very outspoken person. She uses the platform she has been given to speak out on a number of issues such as racism, weight issues and gender bias, but she does this through her own personal experiences which will make readers of her book sit up and take notice. While she may not be everyone’s cup of tea, her book is a must read for any one in need of some advice and a good laugh.