The summer between seventh and eighth grade I was riding my bike to the orthodontist while wearing flip flops when I stopped suddenly and my unprotected big toe was nearly severed by my kickstand. It’s not exactly catching my ballerina outfit on fire while riding on the back of my father’s motorcycle… but I could relate to some of Aisha’s childhood clumsiness. Our similarities ended in middle school (my drunken stories don’t start until the end of my senior year in high school) but Aisha’s collection of painful essays was none the less an enjoyable read.
As the eagle was killed by the arrow winged with his own feather, so the hand of the world is wounded by its own skill.” Helen Keller
I just fucked up my hand slicing a bagel. Stupid bagel.” Aisha Tyler
She touches on being an over developed 8 year old, puking on a boy she had a crush on for two years after finally getting a date and her A-Capella group at Dartmouth. This isn’t really a memoir though; while she talks a lot about growing up has a few stories from her college years there isn’t that much mention much about her personal life. Particularly her present personal life; she briefly mentions being married in two essays but there are no stories about their courtship- perhaps it just wasn’t humiliating enough. If it wasn’t for some current pop culture references (Ronda Rousey, Justin Bieber, Yo Gabba Gabba) I could have easily believed this was written 10 years ago.
If you’re not a fan of Tyler, and if you aren’t a fan you should watch Archer and reevaluate your priorities, this is still a good one to read because she is really just a funny lady talking about her childhood.
