mandasachs's review against another edition
5.0
This was an awesome book. Totally surprised me how awesome it was. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
hlparis's review against another edition
3.0
Don't read this book. Instead, listen to it. After reading Tina Fey's book, this was horribly depressing and I almost just quit reading, but then decided to try to listen to it instead. That helped me finish it and I enjoyed it more. When I had been reading the book, I dragged myself through the pages. Listening to it while I did the dishes or folded laundry was much better, but there were still a lot less laugh outloud moments than Tina Fey's book. Although, she had a rougher childhood/adolescence than Tina Fey in many respects. I might have to listen to Tina Fey now. (I read her book before.)
Next on my list to read/listen to is Betty White. I'm alternating these female comedian memoirs with fiction works. Laughter is good medicine.
Next on my list to read/listen to is Betty White. I'm alternating these female comedian memoirs with fiction works. Laughter is good medicine.
craftyyarnwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It's well-written and makes you feel like you're with her, listening to her tell her story to you. And it's funny, direct & honest, upbeat and inspiring.
ebgould's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book very much. Some of it was fun, some of it was poignant, but very little of it was sad.
It was a nice, light read that I got through very quickly. After reading it, I adore Ms. Jane Lynch even more.
It was a nice, light read that I got through very quickly. After reading it, I adore Ms. Jane Lynch even more.
tmatlin's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting memoir -- Lynch talks a lot about her struggles with herself (alcoholism, insecurities, etc) during her journey to where she is today. Inspiring at parts, although towards the end when Lynch is finally coming into her own, it seemed that many of the subjects were given superficial coverage; it seemed like she wanted to write about every single event, but jammed them into just a few chapters.
caitlin_reads88's review against another edition
3.0
Jane Lynch is one of those actors that didn't get a big break until her late 30s, the first thing I remember her being in was Best in Show (when she was 40) even though I've seen her actual first movie role- The Fugitive- a dozen times. This whole book is basically the story of her growing up and hustling her way into pop culture permanence as Sue Sylvester from Glee.
Lynch was brought up in a suburb of Chicago as the middle child of her Irish Catholic parents who brought her up in a household full of singing, laughing and booze. Her parents thew parties constantly and didn't bat an eye lash when their high-schooler joined in. She was caught relighting and smoking a cigarette butt at 12 and was applauded for taking to it so well.
Lynch realized at a young age she was gay:
"'Sometimes,' Jill said, 'you'll see boys holding hands with each other on the beach, instead of with girls. It's because they're gay.' They could already procure a tone of scandal and disgust, as if the subject were the sexual proclivities of circus freaks. I just stood there in shock.
Oh my god, I thought, that's what I have. I'm the girl version of that."
Being in the closest was a hardship for Jane, it pushed away friendships and when she finally got to college (where her parents couldn't see her) she had a relationship with an older woman that eventually led to a series of non-serious, short term relationships. There were no great romances in Jane's younger years. Jane eventually came out to her parents in a letter encouraged by her therapist, she was in her 30s, and she came out to love and support.
Jane was never a serious student but earned good grades at Illinois State once she switched to an acting major and eventually won scholarships to get her MFA at Cornell. Post-graduation Jane worked at an HSN-style show that really taught her the improvisation skills that would lead her to Second City. She never made it into the main cast, she was an understudy, and she eventually left. There were several jobs and several cities in Lynch's early years (primarily Chicago, New York and LA)- it would take forever to list them all and if you're interested in her early career her book is very thorough and entertaining in explaining all she did to get where she is now. A lot of it involved never saying no.
One early job was a parody of the Brady Bunch in which Jane played Mrs. Brady. The show was a big success but she was surrounded by 20 year olds (she was in her 30s at this point) and drinking like them too. She realized at this time in her life that she had a drinking problem. She drank Miller Tall Boys every night and partied hard after her Brady shows. She eventually went to AA and has been sober since 1992. Her story of sobriety was probably the most interest to me because it was unexpected, she got sober before she got famous so you never really hear about it.
Once she met Christopher Guest, through two chance encounters, she became one of his more regular fixtures showing up again in A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration, she also became a bit of a Judd Apatow fixture after her performance in The 40-Year Old Virgin. This is when she came in to the collective conscious of my generation.
And then there was Glee. There was actually some backstage drama leading up to her "iconic" (for some I suppose) role as Sue Sylvester involving her accepting a crappy pilot- because she can't say no- days before talking to Ryan Murphy about Glee. We know how it turned out, Glee launched Jane Lynch into the pop culture stratosphere winning her an Emmy and a Golden Globe. I watched the first season of Glee, Jane Lynch looks like she is having a great time and Sue Sylvester had some great scenes but it admittedly went off the rails since.
The last section in the book details her relationship with the woman who would become her wife. It would have been a lot more romantic if they weren't already divorced (post-publication).
I read Jane Lynch's book because it was loaned to me, it's not something I would have bought myself since I wouldn't call myself a fan of hers but it was an interesting read. I'd recommend it to someone who was a fan of Lynch's or not.
Lynch was brought up in a suburb of Chicago as the middle child of her Irish Catholic parents who brought her up in a household full of singing, laughing and booze. Her parents thew parties constantly and didn't bat an eye lash when their high-schooler joined in. She was caught relighting and smoking a cigarette butt at 12 and was applauded for taking to it so well.
Lynch realized at a young age she was gay:
"'Sometimes,' Jill said, 'you'll see boys holding hands with each other on the beach, instead of with girls. It's because they're gay.' They could already procure a tone of scandal and disgust, as if the subject were the sexual proclivities of circus freaks. I just stood there in shock.
Oh my god, I thought, that's what I have. I'm the girl version of that."
Being in the closest was a hardship for Jane, it pushed away friendships and when she finally got to college (where her parents couldn't see her) she had a relationship with an older woman that eventually led to a series of non-serious, short term relationships. There were no great romances in Jane's younger years. Jane eventually came out to her parents in a letter encouraged by her therapist, she was in her 30s, and she came out to love and support.
Jane was never a serious student but earned good grades at Illinois State once she switched to an acting major and eventually won scholarships to get her MFA at Cornell. Post-graduation Jane worked at an HSN-style show that really taught her the improvisation skills that would lead her to Second City. She never made it into the main cast, she was an understudy, and she eventually left. There were several jobs and several cities in Lynch's early years (primarily Chicago, New York and LA)- it would take forever to list them all and if you're interested in her early career her book is very thorough and entertaining in explaining all she did to get where she is now. A lot of it involved never saying no.
One early job was a parody of the Brady Bunch in which Jane played Mrs. Brady. The show was a big success but she was surrounded by 20 year olds (she was in her 30s at this point) and drinking like them too. She realized at this time in her life that she had a drinking problem. She drank Miller Tall Boys every night and partied hard after her Brady shows. She eventually went to AA and has been sober since 1992. Her story of sobriety was probably the most interest to me because it was unexpected, she got sober before she got famous so you never really hear about it.
Once she met Christopher Guest, through two chance encounters, she became one of his more regular fixtures showing up again in A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration, she also became a bit of a Judd Apatow fixture after her performance in The 40-Year Old Virgin. This is when she came in to the collective conscious of my generation.
And then there was Glee. There was actually some backstage drama leading up to her "iconic" (for some I suppose) role as Sue Sylvester involving her accepting a crappy pilot- because she can't say no- days before talking to Ryan Murphy about Glee. We know how it turned out, Glee launched Jane Lynch into the pop culture stratosphere winning her an Emmy and a Golden Globe. I watched the first season of Glee, Jane Lynch looks like she is having a great time and Sue Sylvester had some great scenes but it admittedly went off the rails since.
The last section in the book details her relationship with the woman who would become her wife. It would have been a lot more romantic if they weren't already divorced (post-publication).
I read Jane Lynch's book because it was loaned to me, it's not something I would have bought myself since I wouldn't call myself a fan of hers but it was an interesting read. I'd recommend it to someone who was a fan of Lynch's or not.