Mindy Kaling

Is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns) by Mindy Kaling

When I was in China, I found this book in my boyfriend’s house and thought it looked like a fun read. And boy, it was! I was so engrossed that I read it in what little free time I had over three days – on the subway, on the train to Suzhou, and even when we were taking a rest in the park. I literally could not put it down! This book had me laughing out loud all the time.

Mindy starts by sharing some of her childhood experiences – including what it was like to grow up chubby and as a child of immigrant parents. She shares the oh so familiar feelings of being a teenager and having to make tough decisions about friendships, and the social pressure that we all experience at one point or another.

Of course, the main focus of the book is comedy. She was in love with comedy and in some ways knew what she wanted to do from a young age, as she grew up watching comedy and became best friends with a fellow comedy-lover. If you’re looking for a fun yet inspiring read and a good laugh, I’d highly recommend this! It also would make a great gift, especially for young women. But I think anyone can relate to her and enjoy this read.

Why not me? by Mindy Kaling

After reading Is everyone hanging out without me? I had to check out Why not me? Once again, Mindy was laugh-provoking and relatable. Her stream of consciousness style chapters about her career, dating, worrying and more will find everyone laughing – though ladies in particular. 

It’s exciting to go with her behind the scenes in her work, and gave me a greater appreciation of all the hard work that goes behind beloved TV shows like The Office and The Mindy Project. While it may be easy to assume that the celebrity life is all glamorous, the reality is that there are a lot of late night and early morning grinds to bring these shows to life. Mindy keeps it real, and as a woman I appreciate how down-to-earth she is about her body, the struggle of friendships even as an adult, and what happens in her day-to-day life.

Never Have I Ever

While I’m writing about Mindy, I thought I’d also mention that I love her recently aired show, Never Have I Ever. It’s a TV series comedy on Netflix about an Indian American girl navigating high school, with the proper doses of romance, and friend and family drama added in. I laughed, cried and felt loving warmth during the emotional roller coaster of the show (in a good way). The show ended with quite the cliff hanger, so I can’t wait for the next season!