Seriously... I'm Kidding

This is a review of the audiobook version.

I'm a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres and of celebrity memoirs. She's one of my favorite comedians and I enjoy quite a bit of her stand-up. I was excited to check out this book to see what sort of things she would write about. While it's not exactly a memoir, there are certain things that she does touch on in the book. It's most certainly not a “life story” book, so if you're looking for one of those, you will be disappointed. American Idol is just touched on and her wife Portia only gets a short mention once every few chapters.

This book is really just a bunch of anecdotes, but at times it is more than that. Ellen questions a lot of things that are commonplace in our society. Why are we not impressed with the simple things in life? Why are we so do dependent on technology? Why are we never happy? It's a lot more introspective than I would have expected.

There's definitely a lot of funny stuff, so don't worry that it's all philosophical. In fact, I think a lot of the thought provoking undertones won't really matter much to people – they just want to laugh. There are times, though, when Ellen seems to ramble. Especially near the end of the book. However, all the chapters are pretty short, so if a “bit” isn't working, rest assured it will be over soon.

If you “read” this book, I highly suggest reading it in audiobook form. Ellen adds a lot of stuff for the listener and it definitely adds to the experience.