Microthrills: A Life of Small Highs, by Wendy Spero

Like any good comedian, Wendy Spero uses a lot of self deprecating humor. It's both her best strength and potential biggest weakness in this very talky autobiography. The way she describes the situations that she ends up in reminds me heavily of Arrested Development, even though she is by no means similar to the hilariously incompetent characters on that show. It just seems like she likes to focus on them for the sake of the self deprecating humor - which unfortunately leads my train of thought to the one time I heard someone somewhere say that comedy is in essence humor and fun based upon someone else's suffering and awkwardness. I don't like that quote, because it makes me feel mean and implies that most human beings are. Since I'm mostly an optimist, I completely dislike that thought.

However, I will say that I'm probably just over-thinking it. Wendy only talks about people she likes in this book, and in such a loving way that you know of all people she can't possibly be a pessimist or a cynic. Her style of storytelling is very talkative and flowing, so I can just imagine her somewhere in a bar or elsewhere with a crowd around her being the life of the party. Oh, and that knife selling company that she worked for and excelled in? I had that very same interview, but after reading a few negative things about the company afterwards, I declined the position for another wage paying, hourly position. I also totally envy her relationship with her boss, who seems to fill in partially for a father figure in her life.

Because the style is so talkative and friendly, it's a very quick read. The chapters are short. She has a very strong voice, very memorable, and the narrative is very straightforward. It makes me want to recommend this to one of my friends, whose immediate family situation is similar. Anyhow, aside from making a person laugh out loud, Wendy Spero also does that other thing that good comedians do: make true, thoughtful comments in a very uplifting way. A recommended read for everyone, no matter what your station in life, as long as you understand the English language.