I needed a breath, guys.
After reading Lincoln in the Bardo, I couldn't read another work of fiction right away. That book was too incredible, too groundbreaking, too amazing to just dive headlong into another novel. Anything I read after that would seem like Dr. Suess in comparison. I needed to go another direction.
My path led me to Amy Schumer.
(More specifically, my path led me to my neighborhood public library. I needed to prove to my husband I wasn't planning to buy 52 books this year. Checking out a book was nostalgic, easy and FREE. One thing, though: what happened to the Dewey Decimal System? Gone. That's a rant post for another day.)
Here's the best thing I can tell you about this book. If you hate Amy Schumer, you won't like the book. It's that simple. And, whether or not you like her is definitely a matter of taste. I happen to love her. This book made me love her even more.
I've read a lot of books by comedians and the format is essentially the same; you'll read essays about their lives, how they got where they are, random observations, etc. This is definitely that kind of book. It's a quick, easy read and you hear it in her voice. I love that she uses transitions like "Anywhoozle", which I like to drop on the regular. Does it make me sound smart? No. That's not the point. It's accessible, though, and relatable.
You won't be surprised know that an Amy Schumer book starts with what he calls "An Open Letter to my Vagina." If you're offended by that word, you won't like this book. Also, if you're offended by that word, what's your problem?)
The book, though, is not a collection of sexual and shocking stories. It goes so much deeper than that. She talks about her losing her virginity in an act of non-consensual sex - and, how it's far more common than most people would like to admit. She talks about her parents' imperfections and infidelity. She talks about the inane international press tours where every journalist thinks they're smart and compelling by repeatedly asking, "What's it like to be a woman in Hollywood?" She'll deliver something serious, then follow up with a comedic palate cleanser. She shows that she's more than a comedian; she shows she has layers, just like everyone else.
Schumer writes a lot about expectations. What society expects from her as a woman in comedy - what society expects of all women, really. And, addresses critics who say "Stick to comedy" - as if we're all supposed to be defined only by our jobs and what people expect from us.
She goes deepest, though, when she talks about an event that changed her life. She goes into detail about the shooting at a theater showing of her movie Trainwreck. A mentally disturbed man who shouldn't have been able to access a gun opened fire and killed two women. That opened Schumer's eyes to the legislative loopholes that allow people like this to get guns and kill innocent people. She goes as far as to save several pages at the end of the book to show people how they can get involved in preventing gun violence; she also lists the names of members of Congress who have taken money from and been influenced by the gun lobby.
Despite what her critics say, she doesn't blame guns. She blames the gun lobby. It's not the same thing. And, she pays tribute repeatedly to the women whose lives were lost just because they wanted to go watch her movie and laugh and escape. She even dedicates the book to them.
What resonates most are those completely relatable and, often uniquely female, experiences. Our relationships with our mothers, our relationships with our friends, our relationships with our own bodies and balancing that with what society expects us to be. I'm all in this with her. She talks about sex in her comedy, so people assume she's a "slut." In the book, she describes having a single one-night stand in her life.
I feel like Amy and I could be friends. Her book shows that delicate balance between being self-deprecating and strong as hell. From doubting herself to believing she's beautiful. And, getting to the point where she does not give a f*ck what you think of her, despite relying on fans and fan support to make a living.
"I'm a level-one introvert who headlined Madison Square Garden... I'm the overnight success who's worked her ass off every single moment for more than a decade. I used to shoplift the kind of clothing that people now request I wear to give them free publicity. I'm the SLUT or SKANK who's only had one one-night stand. I'm a 'plus-sized' 6 on a good day and a medium-size 10 on an even better day... I'm a strong, grown-ass woman who's been physically, sexually and emotionally abused by men and women I trusted and cared about. I've broken hearts and had mine broken, too."
Hell. Yes.
I liked her before; I respect the hell out of her now.
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