I’m coming at you with another book review this week, and I’m happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Next on my list was Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, and I was really excited to dig into it. I’ve been a big fan of Ms. Poehler since becoming a huge follower of Parks and Recreation during my pregnancy. It was my happy place and helped curb my anxiety after experiencing a loss. It means a lot to my fangirl heart. Her character, Leslie Knope, is basically what every woman aspires to be (or should), and I was happy to read that Amy was not Leslie, but someone I could relate to even more.
Yes Please gives you such a candid look into Amy’s life, and I think it especially spoke volumes to me because of the stage of my life that I am in. As a new mom in her mid-30’s trying to navigate through a world of new experiences and challenges, this book made me feel like I wasn’t alone. And not only was I not alone, but if I met Amy freaking Poehler for drinks, we would have so much common ground to talk about. And that felt refreshing.
I won’t go through the entire book, but some of the highlights that really spoke to me were the following:
“Good for you, not for me.”
This is a phrase that Amy discovered works best when you don’t agree with someone, but at the same time do not want to offend or belittle them. I think it’s so powerful and I’ve been using it a lot since finishing the book. She used it in reference to her onscreen and real life friend, Rashida Jones, who decided to give birth to her kids without any drugs and man, could I relate! I could have never passed on my epidural, but a lot of my friends have. I do not upturn my nose to their decision – good for them, not for me. I wish more people could use this mentally instead of all the verbal attacks I see being tossed around on social media. Being a woman is hard enough before everyone decides they need to judge every single one of your decisions and hold them under a microscope. Lets try to live in harmony, ok?
