Why Not Me?

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After all these years with friends who are five ten or taller, I have come to carry myself with the confidence of a tall person. It’s all in the head. It works out.” Mindy Kaling had the habit of paying for other people’s dinner. The strangers and most of the celebrities showed gratitude and told thank you to her for her generous gesture. It’s about time, then, that the prolific multi-hyphenate has entered the world of publishing with a new imprint. Starting today, Mindy’s Book Studio will publish titles from a diverse roster of new and established literary voices. In honor of the launch, Kaling is recommending some of her favorite recent reads that also happen to make great gifts. “I love Bridget Jones as much as Agatha Christie,” she says, “but all of my favorite books have one thing in common—they’re cinematic.” When Mindy first introduced her childhood friend in this book, I was worried that Mavis would only appear this one time, but I’m glad they became good friends.

Whining about married people who say that it's hard work, because she doesn't want it to be like that. The conversation about me and my show is so frequently linked to the way I look that people who are deciding whether or not to watch my show must think subconsciously, Oh, that's that show about body acceptance in chubby women, because that's all they seem to hear about it. And my show is about so much more than that! It's about the struggles of a delusional Indian thirtysomething trying to scam on white dudes!"

Growing up with a single mom and watching her do single mom things, I was totally able to resonate with Mindy in these essays. Mindy talks about our expectations of romantic relationships and marriages vs. reality. I really enjoyed hearing about her personal story of being a single mom, and how it might be nice to have a husband, but it's not necessarily the best option for everyone. It's refreshing for someone like Mindy to talk so openly about how the traditional way isn't the only way and anyone can be a parent with or without a partner. There was something about the unexpectedly kind way she said that that made me happy to be with her, and not them. For some reason, I immediately thought about how my parents had always been especially fond of Mavis, and here was this moment when I understood exactly why: she was a good person. It felt so good to realize how smart my parents had been all along. “Are you kidding me?” I said. “We have to go home and film this sketch.”

While Kaling doesn’t shy away from bringing culture into the story – Devi’s cousin Kamala is in the throes of navigating an arranged marriage set-up; Devi has her textbooks blessed at the mandir, which she also attends for Ganesh puja – it isn’t the defining and only driving force behind the show.Mindy Kaling is an actor, writer, producer, and director. She currently stars in the Hulu original comedy series “The Mindy Project," which she also writes and executive produces. Update 9/22/15: This isn't going to be my best review ever. Since last night I've been fighting exhaustion, and I think I might have a sinus infection, but I wanted to get this review done within 24 hours of finishing because I know that I will forget what I want to say about it if I wait any longer than that. I don't know how Mindy managed to touch on such deep and personal topics in just one short story, but of course she did it. This story was all about social anxiety and being introverted and lonely in a new city with no friends. It was so relatable and she was able to put all my thoughts into words. It felt like I was listening to my friend talk to me.