Yes Please

By Amy Poehler

The New York Times number one bestseller from the Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation star.

In Amy Poehler's highly anticipated memoir, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much).

Powered by Amy's charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Nov 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781447283294

Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler is a writer, actress, producer, and director who is known for her years on Saturday Night Live, her starring role as Leslie Knope on the beloved series Parks and Recreation, as the voice of Joy in Pixar's Inside Out, and for being third runner-up for Most Casual in her high-school yearbook. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles with her two boys. She hopes this book will get her invited for lunch on a fancy yacht with her hero Judge Judy. She is dressed and ready.

Reviews for Yes Please

[Kanishka Tanwar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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[mialro_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this. Loved that she put old pictures in this. Love her.

[thewestwing-864351 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun book. I listened to the audiobook and I think it would be a great introduction to audiobooks for a complete novice as you almost feel like you are just listening to a friend.

[yvonne.sevignykaiser · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Listened to this on my kindle audible edition of the book. This is about Amy and her journey into improv and her time at Parks and Rec. She bares all with humor and very serious stories.

One that struck me was about a skit she did on SNL that she regretted later and eventually apologized for the tasteless nature of the skit. It was making fun of a disabled individual. Her apology to the individual she made fun of was heart felt and it brought light to the nature of disabilities.

The audio is voiced by Amy and several other stars including her parents.

I would highly recommend the audio version of this book.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As it turns out, Saturday Night Live is just about the least interesting thing Amy Poehler has ever done. While she was acting and writing at SNL she was also running an improv theater. Before she was on SNL she had a late-night comedy show on Comedy Central. After SNL she wrote, produced, directed, and acted in 3 tv shows and a web series all at the same time. She's a dynamo.There was a small amount of mourning for me when reading this book. The Amy Poehler I thought I knew (who was completely amazing and perfect) does not exist. Instead I met this new, different Amy Poehler. She's crass, she smoked cigarettes and did drugs, she's very flawed, and she doesn't ever put up with bullshit. But she's even better than the Amy in my head. Her flaws are her strengths. Her mistakes are the best things she's ever done. She regrets nothing, because everything has gotten her to where she is, which is exactly where she wants to be.The thing that really sets Amy (and her memoir) apart from the others is how much love she has. She loves her kids, and her friends, and her parents, and her plethora of jobs, and her life. She is just so uplifting that it feels like she's loving you as you read the book. Even the overly-familiar writing style, which I usually hate, was just endearing because it was filled with so much love. This memoir was everything I needed it to be, and didn't know it.

[amcheri-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yes, it really was amazing. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE AUDIO BOOK.

I think that's all I really need to say.

[mstrust · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Poehler writes briefly about her childhood, then her beginnings with various improv groups and forming The Upright Citizens Brigade, starting at SNL and how "Parks and Recreation" was created. She touches on the topics of depression, divorce and drugs. Overall, it's not a terribly funny book but still interesting with the stress being on the connections she made and friends who have stayed in her life.

[askelmore · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Good for her! Not for me.”

The above phrase first appears about a fifth of the way through Ms. Poehler’s excellent book. If you’re familiar with her “Smart Girls at the Party” project, it should come as no surprise that she offers up some pretty sweet life advice. I’m almost 35, and I don’t think I’ve seen that sentiment summed up so perfectly. I’m considering having it tattooed on my ass.

Not literally. Well, not actively, anyway. Maybe someday. But for now it is tattoed across my mind.

This book is not exactly what I expected. I was assuming it would be closer to what Tina Fey gave us with Bossypants. I know that comparing one pretty white rich comedian to another pretty white rich comedian isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but these days when I see Ms. Fey I think about Ms. Poehler and vice versa. I picture Amy/Hillary and Tina/Sarah standing at the podium during the Saturday Night Live cold open. I’ve always felt that I know a bit more about Ms. Fey (not that we really know anything about strangers, even after they’ve written a memoir) than Ms. Poehler, although I recall reading in Bossypants the story about Amy very bluntly telling Jimmy Fallon that she didn’t care if he liked something she did or not. That’s awesome.

After reading this book, I feel like I understand Ms. Poehler a bit more. She’s an interesting woman, and a complex one who can be very sarcastic, very blunt, and very sincere in the same paragraph. The sincerity threw me a bit, but I really appreciated it in this book. Unlike Neil Patrick Harris’s book (which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago), this one feels like an exploration. I’m not fooling myself into thinking it’s not a carefully curated version of herself that she’s choosing to share, but she is at least a talented enough writer to make the reader BELIEVE that she’s sharing something real with us.

And what she shares is a mixture of pride, shame, humor, and insight. She tells a story that does not paint her in a flattering light, and while I could take the cynical route and imagine that she did it to absolve herself, I don’t actually think she did. I think she wanted to point out how she screws up, and how sometimes she doesn’t make things right, or spends way too long before she tries to make things right. She talks about hard work, about her marriage ending, and about her childhood. The book jumps around, and at times it isn’t totally cohesive, but it felt real. I imagine that Amy Poehler is someone who would use the phrase “my truth” without irony or judgment. I don’t think I would have believed that before reading this book. I think folks are expecting a laugh-riot peek behind the life of a comedic genius, and while we get that peek into her life, it isn’t all (or even mostly) laughs. It’s funny, for sure, but it’s more than that. I haven’t enjoyed this type of book this much in a while. I plan to read it again, because I think there’s more for me to get out of it.

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was exactly how I would imagine a book by Amy Poehler would sound. The audiobook was very enjoyable and funny. I liked the different people who read parts of the book and the conversations. Plus audio from different shows. I highly recommend this book as an audiobook if you like Amy.

[mountie9_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you don`t love this book, I have a feeling there might be something wrong with you. Such a real, honest and funny woman who just says it like it is, so whats not to love. So very wise for someone who lives in the world of make believe. I highly recommend listening to the audio version of this one, as it comes with some fabulous extras. This women gets life and she doesn`t sugar coat it. My only complaint is that I really want to hang out with her, and lets face it that isn`t going to happen. Also have a sudden urge to go buy every season of Parks and Recreation. Um one recommendation, don`t read it while on the bus, you may snort out loud and people will stare. Wish I had taken notes while listening so I could have made this review more articulate, but just go pick up a copy and ignore my ramblings (ok and I am sipping on a glass of wine after spending the day at the pool with 7 children, my brain has left the building)

[jewel.barnett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was not what I expected. I didn't expect to have other writers included. Amy is funny but not as funny as Tina Fey(sorry not sorry).
If you are having a down day, this is a great read.

[dougcornelius_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic. Funny. Touching. Amy shares stories from her career, her childhood and her own motherhood. The audiobook is tremendous, with Amy reading, plus guest appearances. It ends with a live reading of the last chapter.

[brikis98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and found it very entertaining. The writing is good--clear, sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious--and Poehler's reading of it, as well as random cameos from Patrick Stewart, Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, and Mike Schur made it even better. The book can be a bit scatter-brained, jumping backwards and forwards to random parts of Poehler's career, side stories, a long apology, poems, recordings from live performances, songs, and an occasionally-confusing jumble of other thoughts. That said, for the most part, it holds together well and gives you an appreciation of what it's like to be an actor, comedian, writer, work for SNL, do improv, work in show business, and do it all as a woman and mom.


Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again. Good for her! Not for me.

Great people do things before they're ready. They do things before they know they can do it.

Is there a word for when you are young and pretending to have lived and loves a thousand lives? Is there a German word for that? Seems like there should be. Let’s say it’s Schaufenfrieglasploit.

You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.

Emotions are like passing storms, and you have to remind yourself that it won’t rain forever. You just have to sit down and watch it pour outside and then peek your head out when it looks dry.

Everyone lies about writing. They lie about how easy it is or how hard it was. They perpetuate a romantic idea that writing is some beautiful experience that takes place in an architectural room filled with leather novels and chai tea. They talk about their “morning ritual” and how they “dress for writing” and the cabin in Big Sur where they go to “be alone”—blah blah blah. No one tells the truth about writing a book. Authors pretend their stories were always shiny and perfect and just waiting to be written. The truth is, writing is this: hard and boring and occasionally great but usually not. Even I have lied about writing. I have told people that writing this book has been like brushing away dirt from a fossil. What a load of shit. It has been like hacking away at a freezer with a screwdriver.

I wondered if I was just doing this as some kind of ego trip. Then I decided I didn’t care. Not enough is made of the fact that being of service makes you feel good. I think nonprofits should guarantee that giving your time and money makes your skin better and your ass smaller. Why not? There are so many people in the world with so little. Who cares why you decide to help?

Nobody looks stupid when they are having fun.

[loralu_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hilarious.

[thebentley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love celebrity memoirs read by the author, and this one didn't disappoint. I don't think I loved it quite as much as Tina Fey's "Bossypants," but it was still quite good, by turns, nostalgic, moving, spiritual, and absolutely hilarious. Poehler's voice and her talent as a comedy writer are evident on every "page."

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amy Poehler writes about growing up in a suburban town outside of Boston, her introduction to improv, and her experiences on the set of Saturday Night Live and Parks & Rec. It's not all fun and games, however, as she also takes on a more serious tone talking about the "demon" that tells us we're not good enough, drugs, and her experiences as a mother to two boys she adores.I probably would have enjoyed the book more if I was more familiar with Amy Poehler's work (I've only seen a few random episodes of Parks & Rec) or didn't have Bossypants to compare it to in the back of my head. That being said, the audio was a fun way to experience the book, as Poehler has guest appearances by Patrick Stewart (reading random haikus, of all things), her parents, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur and more. The last chapter is a live reading with an audience, which was a fun experience as well. The chapters are organized topically, and it was hard to piece together when certain events were happening - I think she loops around a couple of times, and I was able to figure out timing based on whether she was still married or which pregnancy she was referencing. I liked the first half better than the second, but that may just as well have been where I was as a reader rather than anything to do with the book.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received the book free from the Ford Audio Book Club so I read it or listened to it which I highly recommend. It's not a book I would have purchased but I really enjoyed listening to the book and even laughed as I was driving to school.
Amy reads the book herself. It is full of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship, pregnancy and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious.
Included in the audio are the voices of favs such as Seth Myers, Carol Burnett and others. I enjoyed that.
What I didn't like was near the end, Amy reads her last chapter to a live audience. To me it was very reminiscent of an I Love Lucy laugh track. That may have been intentional, but I thought it did nothing to enhance the story.
Overall a good read.

[saroz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I started this book right before emergency surgery, and I finished the final fifty pages or so - somehow - while drugged out of my mind on some fairly obnoxious painkillers. That's not to say I don't remember the book - I do. But it would be wrong to say I remember it as very much more than a blur; there's a few specific stories I recall, and I know for a fact they're all from the early parts of the narrative. It would be a mistake, then, for me to try and talk about how well Poehler discusses any particular topic. I remember thinking that many of her subjects aren't ones I necessarily have any experience in - marriage, divorce, child-rearing, a desire to please people, anxiety over (presumed) personal attractiveness - and that's about it.What I do recall strongly is that the book and its author come over as extremely sincere. My problem with memoirs by comedians is that they often feel like exercises in "Look at me! Look at me!" with the comedian in question running loops to try and keep you constantly laughing. What works in stand-up or in a sitcom, though, does not necessarily work on the printed page. I don't like feeling cajoled and I don't want to spend multiple hours in the company of one-liners. What's unusual is that Poehler pretty much never falls into that particular trap. Unlike, for instance, Tina Fey's Bossypants - a book I did not enjoy - I never got the impression from Yes Please that the author is desperate for my approval. Instead, she simply puts forth her perspective on life, which is generally upbeat, positive, a little anxious, and surprisingly reflective - not a million miles away from her character on Parks and Recreation, just less exaggerated and considerably more self-aware. On rare occasion she veers toward being slightly too chirpy, but she always pulls away again just in time, and there are actually some surprisingly revealing moments (including one or two admissions I would not have been able to make in her place). Mostly, I came away from the book feeling like Amy Poehler is an authentic person and someone I would be pleased to call a friend, which is absolutely the last result I expected. It actually made me want to support more of her projects. Will I keep a closer eye on Amy Poehler and her work from this point on? Yes, please!

[wellreadcatlady · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For a memoir/autobiography it doesn't come off very personal and just kinda scattered. Still entertaining and funny, just could of been better.

[zoes_human · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

DNF at 8%.Other than actual tragedies, this was the least funny 37 minutes of my life. Actually, I've had some tragedies that were funnier. Laughter is a coping mechanism.A few minutes into her intro, I felt wary. Whining about how hard it is to do something you decided to do but don't actually have to do is not something I have much patience for. Complaint-based humor never works for me. A few minutes later, I just felt bored. I thought, perhaps, that her intro just sucked. I wanted to give the book a chance. This audio has won awards after all. It's supposed to be hilarious.I decided to give it until the end of chapter one, one more whole chapter of opportunity to be funny or at least even interesting. It was a long 18 minutes spent checking the timer on Libby repeatedly with tired eyerolls that occasionally became entire head rolls of boredom. I felt a massive wave of relief at the end. I've attended far more interesting work meetings on multiple occasions. Most work meetings actually.Middle-class girl follows her dreams encouraged by middle-class and supportive family is a great way to live. It doesn't make for an interesting story though. Also, where the fuck does the whole thing about her being "blue collar" come from? Her parents were both teachers. She grew up in a middle-class household raised by two parents who had jobs that require a college degree, jobs that do not involve manual labor, jobs that do not receive hourly or piece rate pay. She went to college herself.

[thewallflower-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because A) I liked "Bossypants" B) it was a top book of 2014 and C) "Parks and Recreation" is the greatest show OF ALL TIME (for values of time between 2000 and 2015). Start watching it, if you're not. The book follows the same formula/style as "Bossypants". There is no linearality to the narrative. There's not much about her life before she moved out and started comedic acting. But you do get a nice spread of her life, like an appetizer sampler. It made me think that maybe she's funnier than Tina Fey. And if not, she certainly seems to be more hardworking. She talks mostly about her professional life. There's a few cute moments about her kids and a snippet or two about what it's like being divorced (but nothing about Will Arnett specifically) but those take the form of viral essays. Mostly it's about her work, and I think that's because she is her work. She's like Seth Green, she's been working non-stop since she realized what she wanted to be, and it pays dividends. It's not terribly insightful, and it focuses more on the professional life than personal. But I found it funny and interesting and couldn't put it down. I started it on my ski vacation and all I wanted to was come back so I could keep reading. (It also helped that my feet were on fire.)

[addictedtomorphemes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes Please by Amy PoehlerDigital Audio version - recommend!! Narrated by author.Excellent. This is how an autobiography should be written. Amy shares her life and how she got to be where she is now. Yes, it is humorous at times. She's a funny person. But she is more than that, and this book represents her intelligence, her warm heart, her kind spirit, her love for her children, her family, her friends. It is also full of the wisdom she's gained throughout her life. She shares her story with honesty and without conceit. She gives a thumbs-up to girls being smart, to being "bossy", to being themselves. This is a book that I would recommend to all young women with the advisory that she does drop the F-bomb a LOT and is open and unapologetic about drug use--although she does warn that it is bad and ruins lives. So determine the age level of the reader, but for sure, share Amy's story with your girls--just filter it a bit. Very well done and I respect Amy even more after reading this.

[kayis813-163108 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think that listening to the audiobook for this one was a really good choice. I felt like Amy really added a lot and I don't think it would have been the same not listening to everyone read. It felt like Amy was personally telling me the story, rather than one just being read to me. I'd definitely recommend people listen to the audiobook rather than read a physical copy and that's something I rarely say.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those books that most people will already know if they want to read or not. It’s exactly what you would expect, funny stories and advice from Amy Poehler. I love her sense of humor. From her manic Hilary Clinton laugh on SNL to her Smart Girls videos on YouTube to Leslie Knope’s eternal optimism on Parks and Recreation to her perfect co-hosting abilities at the Golden Globes, I am just a fan. So it was fun for me to hear Amy Poehler talk about self-esteem, giving birth, growing up loving attention and later joining SNL. I loved the conversational, sweet tone she took. She’s proud of where she is, but she’s also honest about the hard work that it took to get there. BOTTOM LINE: I loved it. I’ve been a fan of Poehler’s for a long time and Parks and Rec is one of my favorite shows. You probably already know if you are going to read it, but if you are PLEASE read the audio version! It is so much better to hear her reading her own stories. There’s also some adlibbing and tons of fantastic guest readers (Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and Amy’s Parents)!“People are their most beautiful when they are laughing, crying, dancing, playing, telling the truth, and being chased in a fun way.”“I believe great people do things before they are ready.”“That is the motto women should constantly repeat over and over again: Good for her, not for me.”

[cavernism · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Why didn't it occur to me earlier that listening to a celebrity memoir is the best idea ever? I highly recommend listening to Yes Please - you get Amy telling her story and thoughts directly to you, with the help of Seth Meyers, Carol Burnett, Patrick Stewart, and both of her parents. I have such goodwill for Amy and this book's dose of warmth and positivity mixed with frank honesty was exactly what I needed right now.

[regularguy5mb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amy Poehler, you beautiful starfish.I have to say that I read a lot of biographies and memoirs, and while many of them are open and honest, Yes Please is, I think, the first one I've read that simply felt like a conversation with a good friend. That's the best way to describe how Amy writes about herself, like she's just sharing stories with a friend over a quiet drink by a fireplace. She is so very sweet, and open, and honest, and if you couldn't tell that I already loved her before starting this book, it should certainly be obvious by now.But don't let that tarnish your opinion of this review or her book, I don't praise it simply because of my love for Poehler, but also because it is such a wonderful read. Amy talks about things many celebrities would either gloss over or leave out entirely (such as her drug use in her younger days), and approaches them with a great honesty and hilarious hubris. Again, this is part of her style.Amy Poehler is confident in who she is and what she has done in her life, and that's what comes through here in her book.

[katielibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the audiobook is fantastic - highly recommend

[evilmoose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook was the perfect way to enjoy this - Amy Poehler was a joy to listen to. I've recently started doing improv, so I'm more interested in the mechanics of comedy than I ever have been before. I also just recently binge watched all of Parks and Recreation, and it made me laugh quite a lot. I'm kind of sad this is over now, so I can't wander around with Amy telling me stories and giving me life advice.

[jenniferlbean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amy Poehler is funny and fresh in this book.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook performed by the author (and a few guest stars)

In general, I’m not a big fan of celebrity memoirs, but I read and loved Tina Fey’s Bossypants, and this one was getting great reviews from friends whose opinions I value, so what the heck, I decided to give it a go.

I could NOT stop listening. Poehler is funny, engaging, self-deprecating, kind, funny, outrageous, honest, funny, intelligent, dynamic and funny.

She performs the audiobook herself, for which I’m grateful, although she does have cameo appearances by Kathleen Turner, Carol Burnett and Seth Meyers, among others. The final chapter was recorded before a live audience, which adds to the fun.

As is my habit when listening to an audiobook, I also had the text copy handy. I have to say this is one of the heaviest books I’ve come across. It’s printed on thick, glossy paper and full of photos, scribbled notes and even a letter from Hilary Rodham Clinton.