I think there is something to be said for someone who can make fun of herself. Speaking for myself, for every time I poke fun at somebody else, I make three jokes at my own expense. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously, amirite people?
I think Kathy Griffin has the same perspective and you would not have to read her book, Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin to know that. Her Bravo reality series, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List lampoons her status as a perceived try-hard celebrity. Along with all of the Hollywood crazies and those who take themselves a touch too seriously (looking at you, Renee Zellweger), the common subject of humor in Kathy’s nineteen stand-up specials is…Kathy. Humorous self-deprecation is something that I admire in other people and she walks the walk.
Jokes aside, I was surprised at the candor with which she wrote. Kathy addressed a family issue that was uncomfortable to read about, but to gloss over it would lessen the authenticity of her memoir. Inevitably, others reading this book have been through a similar experience that she had and if it helps bring attention to the issue, then I have nothing but further admiration of her.
Kathy addressed her former marriage, which resulted in a painful divorce when she discovered that her then-husband had been stealing money from her. Beyond a betrayal, and especially since he spent so much time on the road with her, firsthand witnessing her hustle.
Like all of my reading, I was taking this in while on the elliptical in my gym. Imagine my embarrassment when I started crying when I got to the part when she addressed her father passing away. She told her father, who was on his last days, that she booked an especially notorious venue and though he was excited for her, he responded that next time she book an even more notorious venue. I love that she honors her dad through doing work. I really related to that, as I honor my parents who paid for the balance of my grad school tuition that I was unable to pay via scholarships and assistantships, by putting the pedal to the metal in their careers.
Okay, now I am crying again. Time to crack open her next book.
Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin by Kathy Griffin
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