Review: "Seriously... I'm Kidding" by Ellen Degeneres

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A cousin of mine recently posted a photo of this book on her Instagram account with the caption, "I don't usually like to read but this book is awesome! Made someone like me finish it in three days. It'll make you smile, I promise." When my sister, who is also not a reader, asked me to look for this book, I knew it had to be good.

Seriously... I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres is like watching Ellen's talk show, only it's on paper. What struck me from the very first page is how, as you read along, you can actually hear Ellen talking. And for a writer, where tone and voice is so important, that just goes to show that Ellen's voice is so, so strong (which got me to thinking about my own voice as a writer and what it sounds like, but that's probably something for another blog post). That distinct voice is actually the key to really enjoying the book, because you find yourself imagining Ellen telling the story to you in that cheeky way of hers. The punctuation (or lack thereof) also makes all the difference when she tells a story, like this one found in her chapter entitled "Stuff":

When you're packing up a house, you're forced to decide what you really need versus what you can get rid of. You might have been holding on to cases and cases of empty glass jars, but once you have to pack them up and move them, you realize maybe you're not going to harvest your own honey.

My mama is similar to me in that she also likes to move a lot. Mama has moved thirty-two times since 1952. It's so funny because I remember sometimes I would come home from school and there would be a note on the door that said, "I moved. Try and find me!" And I would spend hours and hours trying to find the new house. Sometimes I would find it by nightfall but sometimes I wouldn't. Actually this is really funny-- one time she accidentally forgot to leave a note and I had no idea she had even moved. I lived in the house with a beautiful Mexican family for about three months before I realized they weren't my cousins visiting from out of town. They were so nice. They called me "Quien es, quien es," which I thought was  a beautiful name.

The book is filled with little anecdotes, random musings, and as Ellen herself puts it in her note for the reader, "I decided to include a little something for everyone in this book. You're going to find some short stories for adults, coloring pages for kids, and many things for all ages in between."

What I love is that in the middle of all the humor --and there is a LOT, since it's Ellen-- there are also nuggets of wisdom like this one in the chapter "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (which I couldn't help but post on my Instagram account):

The thing everyone should realize is that the key to happiness is being happy by yourself and for yourself. If everything you have got stripped away-- your home, your job, your family, your things, your favorite t-shirt with all the holes in it that you won't throw away even though it reveals a large part of your stomach region-- if you lost all of those things and you had to live in a cave all alone with absolutely nothing, you should still be happy. Happiness comes from within. You have the power to change your own mind-set so that all the negative, horrible things that try to invade your psyche are replaced with happy, positive, wonderful thoughts.

You don't have to be a fan of Ellen to enjoy this book. It's easy to read, light and humorous, but still has enough wisdom to make it worth your time and money. The title itself, Seriously... I'm Kidding, encapsulates this very balance. So I found myself laughing while reading, at the same time thinking, "Wow, Ellen makes a lot of sense!"

Try to grab a copy of this book, if you can. It's the perfect way to destress after a long day. After all, laughter is the best medicine!