Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

I have loved Kathy since her My Life on the D-List show. I wish I could say this book was 100% fabulous but I found the chapter on her and Steve Wozniak a real snooze-fest. I skipped to where she is done with him. It didn't ruin the book for me as I truly enjoyed everything else.

Although she keeps insisting that she is a D-List celebrity as part of her public persona, Kathy Griffin has become anything but if you look at the cottage industry she has built through her stand-up concert tours and comedy specials, her Emmy-winning  reality-TV series , her comedy CDs, and her continuous juggernaut of media appearances heightened recently by the publication of this entertaining autobiography. Her trenchant sense of humor and sly ability to embellish stories about her celebrity encounters can be polarizing, but there is no doubt that she is sharply hilarious on camera or in front of an audience. What is refreshing about the book is that she abandons neither her acid wit nor her alternating currents of egotism and self-deprecation in print. Rather, she fearlessly fills in the blanks on what has driven her to become an incredibly hard-working comedienne whose no-prisoners-held approach to comedy turns out to be the inevitable product of her upbringing.Griffin writes the foreword as an amusingly cutting plea to Oprah to be a guest on her show, but her story truly begins with her childhood in an alcohol-soaked Irish Catholic family in Chicago when she would regularly run to the neighbors to tell them family secrets for the price of cookies and milk. Her gossip would include tales of her older brothers' beer-keg parties and her father's incessant use of profanity. However, her recollections don't stop with her nostalgic anecdotes as she lucidly describes her conviction that her late brother Kenny was a child molester. As with most families, there were troubled relationships underneath the surface, but she also shows how her sense of humor was borne out of such trying circumstances. Unsurprisingly, such candor runs rampant throughout her book, for instance, her adolescent binge-eating of Pringles and Jiffy Mix angel cakes, but there is a biting edge as well with her shrewd observations of sexism and body-dysmorphic obsessions in Hollywood.Moving forward, the comedienne talks at length about her struggling salad days with the Groundlings, the legendary LA improv comedy troupe, and her four seasons on the Brooke Shields sitcom, "Suddenly Susan"; as well as all her plastic surgeries, in particular, her botched liposuction in which she includes graphic photographs. However, the book's most poignant section is Griffin's dissection of her broken marriage, a case where she ignored the little signs of impropriety in order to make the relationship work. Even though he pilfered cash from her bank account for over two years, Griffin remained steadfast in her loyalty to him until he forced an end to their relationship. It is really this strong affection for her family and friends that makes her life story a refreshing read. Otherwise, she is pure Kathy discussing her one-night stands with donut fry cooks, her brief relationships with Jack Black and Quentin Tarantino, and colorful stories about, among others, Andy Dick, Paula Abdul, Steve Martin, and Jerry Seinfeld.Griffin does hold back on a few of her favorite subjects like Celine Dion and Clay Aiken, as well as talk show hosts in general, lest they cut her bookings in the future. The book ends rather anticlimactically with a series of emails between her and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, an odd-couple relationship that didn't come to pass, which makes it all the more baffling why she decided to spend so much time on it. Regardless, the book ends on a more conciliatory note, even including her tips on having her "banging bikini bod", but it is really her rancorously honest reflections that stick with you when you put the book down. Ever the professional, Griffin never goes for the low blow when it comes to her celebrity mocking because she knows she has become one of them despite her self-effacing denials. She knows exactly why she is famous and does not betray anyone in the process of selling books. That level of self-awareness is what makes her unflinching book feel all the more resonant.

Is it still considered gossip when it is true? There are many interesting stories about famous (and not so famous) personalities Kathy Griffin has associated with, but, as she admits throughout the book, she feels comfortable with filling in spaces with imagined reality. She takes pity on the reader when she points out the obvious as with Dakota Fanning. Another reviewer pointed out that some of the later chapters felt a bit slow. Hopefully that reviewer read through to the Guide for Reader Discussion Questions. That section alone was a highly entertaining reward for not walking out while the performance was still going on. A good read as far as entertainment value.For those considering showbiz, Griffin's early experiences with trying to find agents, manager, and work provide insight into the difficulties of getting established. There was some interesting specific advice (some interviewers wanted the free entertainment.. they had no intention of giving me the work) as well as good overall advice that might be summed up as "it is not about waiting to be discovered". So, a good read as far as career advice.As to language used in the book, Griffin sums it up on page 268 (Kindle ebook) when saying "swearing plus shocking plus good timing equals funny". In printed matter what appears is swearing plus shocking. The good timing does not come across well. It is great when I am listening to/watching Kathy Griffin. She is providing the good timing. As a reader, the timing is a function of my reading style and some of the language used comes out as jarring or "off-putting" (a word Griffin likes). The first example that comes to mind related to twitter. It is worth reading the book to find out what I mean. Not the sole reason, but a reason. My overall rating of the book was slightly lowered as the result of what I felt was out of context "shocking language".

I downloaded the audiobook when it was first released and spent the whole night awake listening to it, much like Kathy herself this book is frank, open, shocking, arresting and hilarious.

Kathy Griffin has never held back her opinion.From her early career beginnings to moving to LA with her retired parents - Kathy reveals all about her time in show-business & the comedy circuit scene!If you are a fan of Kathy, you will absolutely love this book!

Kathy Griffin is honest, hilarious and has a good soul. This was a very funny book and a great insight in to slogging your guts out to make it in the world of comedy and acting. I hope she wins an Oscar one day.

My one and only, my favourite D-List celebrity. One of the most entertaining and honest books you will come read in a long time. Team Griffin forever!

Arrived on time and as described....thank you. This lady is so funny, enjoyable book.