Life As I Blow It

The reason that I picked up Sarah Colonna's first memoir “Life as I Blow it: Tales of Love, Life and Sex... Not Necessarily in That Order” was because I work at a bookstore and sold her most recent memoir “Has Anyone Seen My Pants?” to Jon Ryan's Mom - her future-mother-in-law”. (If you don't know who Jon Ryan is, take this moment to Google him. He's the first NFL kicker to throw a touchdown pass in a postseason NFL game and he happens to be from my hometown, Regina, Saskatchewan). But this a review about Colonna's book, not a magazine article about their happily-ever-after, so let's just get to the point: I picked up this comedian's book because I wanted to take a break from weighty non-fiction to simply laugh. “Life as I Blow it” accomplished just that, and so much more.

I had many chuckles throughout this memoir, but there is a reason that Sarah Colonna's two books are not shelved in the Humour Section along with Mindy Kaling's and Chelsea Handler's books. The chapters are not random stories; instead, they follow her life in chronological order. The then 36-year-old holds nothing back in terms of her dating life (the word “sex” is in the subtitle so expect to read A LOT on that topic), her family and friends, religion, jobs, and her struggles to be a traditional adult with the desires to be playful and free. Sure, Colonna's memories can be lighthearted at times but she does offer the reader many moments of depth and maturity. She doesn't simply laugh through her heartaches and mistakes, she looks for the lessons along the way.

I was afforded the opportunity to meet Sarah soon after reading this, her first book, and she was honest, hilarious, and authentic - just like her memoir. I asked her if she had anything to contribute to her review and she nonchalantly said, “Oh, just tell people that I think it's really great.” And I'd have to agree.

“Life as I Blow it” allows readers to escape from their lives while simultaneously relating to the setbacks and successes that come from trying to create a life true to oneself. Colonna states on page four, “I'm a $^&*ing mess, but so are you. Most of us are, I don't just mean women. Men are a mess, too. We're all in this together.” I think those sentences capture the essence of her memoir - it's a raw look at someone who isn't afraid to embrace her humanness in order to add a little understanding into the world. Ahhh, who am I kidding? “Life as I Blow it” will make you feel better about your life choices while you laugh at hers.