Monday 6 October 2014

Is everyone hanging out without me?

This book by Mindy Kaling is an odd collection of essays (for want of a better word) and observations by the writer best known as Kelly Kapoor of The Office (for those that don't know, she is predominately a writer for that show).

I am going to quote a large chunk from the book so I hope I am forgiven if it somehow rewards her with more book sales. Details on the book are here. It's an easy and entertaining read that you'll zip through.

Part of the book is aimed at teen girls (or just teens), and one part is worthy of a lengthy quote. In the chapter titled 'Don't peak in High School' she discussed the issues of being a wallflower, not being super popular, and that it's nothing to worry about. "Not only do people not care about any of that the second you graduate, but when you get older, if you reference your successes in High School too much, it actually makes you look kind of pitiful...What I have noticed is that almost no one who was a big star in high school is also a big star in later life. For us overlooked kids, it's so wonderfully fair."

We know this. We've lived it and seen it. But as parents, we are too old (regardless of age) to have any idea about anything (even if later on our kids will remember we were right). Kaling is young, and famous. So that gives her kudos we will never have. And not the parent of our child. So they might even listen a bit.

If your kids watch The Office, get it for them, as it may just make some of High School a little easier, and for girls, it deals with dieting and body issues (and teasing). Maybe they won't 'get' it, but it can't hurt to hear someone else say the things we remind them of. If they don't know who she is, maybe read it yourself and work out how to sell them on the idea of reading it...

She's very honest about growing into your skin, working out who your friends are (and why) and all those other issues we face as adolescents. That teen stuff is so unnecessarily horrible - your world view is so small that it takes on a damaging disproportionate reality. If you only knew how stupid it all was, you'd be so much happier, hormones aside...

It's not a parenting book, it's classed as Humour/Autobiography. But isn't that how we learn best?

Linking up with #BooknificentThursdays

19 comments:

  1. I love her! And her show The Mindy Project is hysterical. This has been on my to-read list for a while now, must get.

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  2. Sounds great, wish I had this book around when I was a teenager!

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  3. Sounds like an interesting book.

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  4. I will be checking this one out - thanks for the heads up Lydia!

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  5. As the saying goes: Early ripe, early rotten. Impressive use of the word 'zip' by the way.

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  6. Sounds like a great book. My daughter is 15 and right now is going through all that teen angst that I remember so well. She's beautiful, funny and clever and destined for great things and refuses to believe me when I tell her because 'your my Mum, you have to say that stuff' - this book sounds like just what she needs!

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  7. This sounds like a really interesting book. I would not go back to highschool for all the money in the world. I mean sure I didn't have to worry about half the stuff I do now, but it doesn't mean it was any easier.

    Thanks for linking up with us at The Lounge (and yes I totally see what you did there ;)

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  8. I like the sound of this book, I love using books as a way of getting points across.

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  9. This book sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing it with #thankfulthursday

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  10. I must get my hands on this book. I loved her on The Office, and in the small bits of her TV show that I have seen. It sounds like the kind of book that I would want the girls to read when they get older (and God knows Dave and I will make them watch re-runs of The Office in the same way I watched re-runs of M*A*S*H with my Mum!).
    Thanks for linking up x

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  11. I know I've already commented on this one..but something else jumped out at me from it. I think as we get older, we see each generation behind us as not really knowing what it's like to struggle with the 'big' stuff but to them it is the big stuff. I think that all we can do is support our kids with their big stuff and hope that when they come out the other side that they will have learned from their experience.

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  12. I've never watched The Office but I loved that quote - sounds like a great read!

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  13. I'm going to get this for my eldest for Christmas. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  14. Have you written about this book before? I'm having deja vu.

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  15. I wonder if this might be a good stocking filler for Maya who is off to high school next year? Certainly sounds like sage advice, and as you say, packaged up in a much cooler way than coming from me!

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  16. Sounds like a great book! Wish I could give all the year 12s that are about to finish a copy!!

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  17. Sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing on the #LMMLinkup this week.

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  18. I can see why this would appeal to and be helpful for a teen girl!

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