Title: My Squirrel Days
Author: Ellie Kemper
Published: October 9th, 2018
Pages: 256
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir
Publisher: Scribner
Thank you to Netgalley I was provided a free preview on my kindle in exchange for an honest review!
Goodreads Description:
Comedian and star of The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Ellie Kemper delivers a hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman’s journey from Midwestern naïf to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker.
There comes a time in every sitcom actress’s life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. When Ellie Kemper’s number was up, she was ready. Contagiously cheerful, predictably wholesome, and mostly inspiring except for one essay about her husband’s feet, My Squirrel Days is a funny, free-wheeling tour of Ellie’s life—from growing up in suburban St. Louis with a vivid imagination and a crush on David Letterman to moving to Los Angeles and accidentally falling on Doris Kearns Goodwin.
But those are not the only famous names dropped in this synopsis. Ellie will also share stories of inadvertently insulting Ricky Gervais at the Emmy Awards, telling Tina Fey that she has “great hair—really strong and thick,” and offering a maxi pad to Steve Carell. She will take you back to her childhood as a nature lover determined to commune with squirrels, to her college career as a benchwarming field hockey player with no assigned position, and to her young professional days writing radio commercials for McDonald’s but never getting paid. Ellie will guide you along her journey through adulthood, from unorganized bride to impatient wife to anxious mother who—as recently observed by a sassy hairstylist—“dresses like a mom.” Well, sassy hairstylist, Ellie Kemper is a mom. And she has been dressing like it since she was four.
Ellie has written for GQ, Esquire, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and The Onion. Her voice is the perfect antidote to the chaos of modern life. In short, she will tell you nothing you need to know about making it in show business, and everything you need to know about discreetly changing a diaper at a Cibo Express.
Things I enjoyed about this book:
I did enjoy Ellie’s awkward encounters with people and her take on motherhood. She had a few comedic essays throughout her book. Whenever The Office or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was brought up, I was excited!
The Things I Didn’t Enjoy:
This book was completely surface level. There was no depth whatsoever. I felt like it was a missed opportunity for us to really learn about Ellie.
MRS BIRDS WORDS REVIEW
My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper deserves 3 out of 5 bird feathers. It kills me to not give her higher ratings- I think three is generous after contemplating two for so long. In a lot of was My Squirrel Days were painful. Ellie has lived a regular life, besides being a star. I didn’t feel like there was anything extraordinary being laid out in front of me. I will say I LOVE Ellie Kemper as an actor. Her role in Unbreakable is to this day, one of my favorites. So I want to make this clear. I LOVE HER, but this book wasn’t my favorite. The only time I literally became giddy was her last chapter because it was titled Tina Fey and I loved that one because it was all about Tina. I felt the book tried too hard to be funny and fell short. I found her parental anecdotes funny, probably because I too am in this stage. So overall, I would recommend buying it to look cool on your bookshelf or listen to it. I am sure listening to her tell the stories would be much more entertaining!
Parent’s Guide:
Not for kids- there’s a few f bombs!
©CLVB2018
Mrs Birds Words 
Leave a Reply