{"id":242,"date":"2011-05-14T19:04:33","date_gmt":"2011-05-15T02:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/landguppy.com\/eatreadandbeharried\/?p=242"},"modified":"2011-05-14T19:04:33","modified_gmt":"2011-05-15T02:04:33","slug":"should-famous-people-write-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/landguppy.com\/blog\/should-famous-people-write-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Should famous people write books?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just finished Bossypants <\/em><\/a>by Tina Fey. It was okay, kind of funny. But I am increasingly disillusioned with the literary efforts of funny television and film stars. Over the years I’ve picked up books by Paul Reiser, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jerry Seinfeld. None of them were as funny as I hoped. The alternative was for them to be serious and deep, delving into the lives these people led before they were famous. Nope. They skim the surface.<\/p>\n

I’m sure there are examples where this isn’t true. I just haven’t read those. Not true: Chelsea Handler’s books are hysterical. But I don’t think they’re “the truth” and I don’t read them for anything more than a laugh.<\/p>\n

I can reach back to the 1996 autobiography by Katherine Hepburn, Me: Stories of My Life<\/em><\/a>, a book I looked so forward to, but found thin (figuratively) upon reading. At the same time, I can look at memoirs by people who are not famous for performing, but rather for writing, and find dozens of satisfying reads.\u00a0 Sarah Vowell, Amy Tan, Alexandra Fuller, Mark Twain for instance, have all written wittily and engagingly about their lives. Their stories ring true and dig deep.<\/p>\n

Look on any remainder table in a book store: there you will see the autobiographies of television personalities from shows popular 20 years ago. I don’t know that Tina’s book will end up there. She’s a comic genius and a fine writer in her own right. But not this kind of writing. At least not unless she looks at a memoir as more than a skit with some good lines. I want to know more.\u00a0 Otherwise, she can release a book of funny essays and I might pick it up to read on an airplane or at the beach. But don’t call it memoir.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just finished Bossypants by Tina Fey. It was okay, kind of funny. But I am increasingly disillusioned with the literary efforts of funny television and film stars. Over the years I’ve picked up books by Paul Reiser, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jerry Seinfeld. None of them were as funny as I hoped. 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