Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 978-0446585026
Source: Bought
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I’ve experienced a whole lot the last few years and I have a lot to share. So I hope that you’ll take a moment to sit back, relax and enjoy the words I’ve put together for you in this book. I think you’ll find I’ve left no stone unturned, no door unopened, no window unbroken, no rug unvacuumed, no ivories untickled. What I’m saying is, let us begin, shall we?

I love Ellen DeGeneres’s work so reading her books was a no brainer. I read her book, The Funny Thing Is… when it released about ten years ago. I can’t say that I remember a ton about the book but I do remember that I enjoyed it. Enough to want to read any future books of hers which leads to Seriously… I’m Kidding.

If you’re going into Seriously… I’m Kidding expecting a memoir, well, it’s not your typical memoir. I’d say this is a series of essays and I use the term essays loosely (I do love this structure here) that can be described as half memoir half inspiration/motivational with humor on every page. Yes, Ellen talks about her time working on American Idol and whether or not Ellen and Portia will have kids, as well as why. Stuff like that. For me though, there’s really nothing in this book I didn’t already know. This wasn’t disappointing to discover as I was more curious about Ellen’s delivery of the humor which I’ll get to in a moment. But ultimately, this book was more inspiring and funny than a behind the scenes look at Ellen’s life and/or any issues she’s overcome over the past few years.

Aside from the memoir side of things, there’s a ton of advice on self esteem, self worth, and positivity. I was expecting Ellen to touch on these topics and I was expecting positivity to be the theme of the book no matter what since that’s what Ellen is all about. I didn’t realize that the extent of her inspirational words would be so large. These are all good things but I did think, “Am I reading the introduction to a self help book?” at times in the beginning of the book.

Now worth noting is how funny this book is. There’s humor in every chapter but some chapters are about absolutely nothing significant and exist solely for a punchline. Even so, everything Ellen says leads to a joke. Everything. There is not a moment of rest with the comedy here. It’s very fast paced and goofy. You don’t get a break from the funny. There’s barely time to recover from the previous joke before another one comes. It’s a lot of funny. Which you either love, can appreciate, or don’t find this approach to comedy works for you. I appreciate it. Which made this a very quick read.

The best part? It’s all Ellen. There’s a writing team behind her talk show and of course she’s the head of that team but her book is a totally different animal and a more solitary creative experience so it’s refreshing to hear Ellen’s voice and only Ellen’s voice in this medium. So, would I recommend this book? If you’re looking to learn more about Ellen, nothing serious of course, just watch her talk show to get it straight from her in real time. If you’ve got two or three hours to kill and are looking for more laughs from Ellen, go right ahead.

Seriously… I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres is available now.