By: Mike Nisiak
Megan Amram is a writer on Parks and Recreation who got started in comedy through Twitter, with gems such as “Dolls teach girls very unrealistic body standards. A Russian doesn’t have to have many tiny Russians inside her to be beautiful” and “our scariest president was probably Rushmore, because he has four heads.”
Now, she has released her first book, Science... for HER!
Science... for HER! is a satirical science textbook in the style of Cosmopolitan that helps women learn many (not many) scientific facts. Amram marketed the book to women with the selling points that women’s brains aren’t biologically constructed to understand scientific concepts, and women’s tiny hands aren’t biologically constructed to turn the large heavy covers of most science textbooks.
Just for full disclosure: I am not a “HER!” Fortunately, my lack of X chromosomes didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. I thought it was incredibly funny. The jokes are very absurd, but always carry with them a strand of intelligence. It quickly becomes apparent that Amram crafted the book with extreme precision.
Beyond being funny, Science... for HER! acts as a clever social commentary. In the same vein as Stephen Colbert’s conservative character, Amram taking on the perspective of a Cosmopolitan writer emphasizes the absurdity of how our society views women. Reading this book has shown me more ways that sexism is present in our society than any feminist literature ever has.
These feminist ideas come in articles such as “Women with Jobs?!” in which she ponders whether women should work or not, pointing out that this question remains one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Her opinion is that women should not work outside the home, stating “it’s Steve Jobs, not Eve Jobs.”
At one point, Amram shows what women scientists like Marie Curie and Elizabeth Blackwell look like without makeup. It feels so demeaning of these women and begs the question of why I didn’t get this feeling when I’ve seen comparisons like this about celebrities?
Overall, this book is very entertaining. But more importantly, it made me question my innermost assumptions about gender. I feel like this book has made me a better person.
I would’ve given this book an even higher rating, but I felt uncomfortable purchasing this book at the bookstore because of its “girly” cover. Perhaps Amram should consider releasing a version with a black sleeve over the cover, maybe with some flames or skulls or something.
By: Lorraine Chune
Amy Poehler really seems to have it all, and to have done it all. Her career has been prolific in the last two decades; she’s helped start a sketch-comedy training center (The Upright Citizens Brigade), risen to Saturday Night Live stardom, and portrayed the hilariously endearing Leslie Knope for six seasons of Parks and Recreation. She somehow manages to do this all while maintain- ing a sense of normalcy in her life and parenting two small children. So it’s not surprising that in her new part-memoir, part-satire (and in many ways, part-self-help book) Yes Please, she imparts a sensible, heart- warming wisdom.
Considering her book is a memoir, Poehler is lucidly selective about what she shares with readers. She doesn’t hesitate to recount elaborate childhood tales, vivid accounts of her early improv career, or details of her BFF-ship with Tina Fey. But she reminds us that her memoir is not the place for divulging truly intimate information, and sets clear restrictions early on; mainly, she draws the line at her divorce, which is "too sad and too personal" to write about.
Despite setting these boundaries, Yes Please is still, at times, vulnerable and honest. This is perhaps most apparent when Poehler recalls her first big television faux pas, and the subsequent guilt and shame that followed her for years later. She shares this story, among many others, with an acute introspection and fantastic comedic delivery. And with each comical story, she also shares a tidbit of (mostly legitimate) life advice.
The book sometimes verges on chaos. For instance, much to my delight, every few pages are interrupt- ed with a nostalgic relic from a Random Stage in Amy’s Life (my personal favorite is a melodramatic poem written by her 13-year-old self for social studies class). In one particularly manic chapter, she crams all the highlights of her SNL career into one 20-page stream of consciousness (which includes anecdotes about humping Justin Timberlake, high-fiving Queen Latifah and how Antonio Banderas smells good). Rather than being abrasive, however, such pandemonium just seems to capture the essence of SNL and the whirlwind that is Poehler’s life.
Fans of SNL and Parks and Recreation alike will devour the inside scoop on what day-to- day life is like in TV-comedy land. Just like her on-screen personality, Poehler's writing is punchy, funny, and instantly likeable. Anybody who already loves Amy Poehler will surely appreciate Yes Please.
