Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin
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| Publisher: Ballantine Books |
| Customer Rating: |
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| Retail Price: $25.00 |
| Amazon Price: $16.50 |
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Born in 1960, Kathy Griffin is well known as an American actress, celebrity and stand-up comedian. She first came into the limelight by appearing on Seinfield and the sitcom Suddenly Susan. She later went on to perform as a stand-up comedian and was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Comedy Album in 2008. Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show.
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Book Description
 Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy’s sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior—the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you’ve ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name. Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy’s life have taught her the most valuable lessons—both inside and outside the entertainment industry. Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious “Did she really say that?” moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.
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Click here to buy "Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin" from Amazon.com
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Reader Reviews |
 Better Red(head) than Dead |
| Reviewer: Connie D., Kansas, USA |
| For anyone unfamiliar with Kathy Griffin, I say check this book out right now! She has a caustic style of humor that is just raw enough for these stressful, serious times (and she gets bonus points for her socio-political stance). Like a cross between a young Joan Rivers and a chihuahua hopped up on Ritalin, Griffin hammers at everything sacred, cool, or trendy in a way that makes you think long and hard while you laugh out loud. Seriously, this book made me laugh until I peed my pants. I'm putting it on my "favorites" shelf alongside David Sadaris Talk Pretty Me Talk Pretty One Day, the Twilight series, and Chelsea Goldstein's hit new book Hook-up Chronicles Hook-Up Chronicles. I've followed Kathy Griffin since I saw the movie Shakes the Clown Shakes the Clown, and I've been laughing ever since. |
Great Book!!! I bought the book and audio version
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| Reviewer: Phillip Wells, Knoxville, TN USA |
Well, I bought Kathy's book yesterday and I stayed up all night reading it. Yes, I am a big fan of hers and so perhaps I am a little biased but why would you even be looking at this book if you weren't a fan of hers?
She successfully walks the line between serious autobiography and comedic book. Parts of it will rip your heart out while others will make you laugh out loud. I can't say that I love her more now than I did before but I do understand her a bit more. I can't wait to see her live again.
Since she talks so much in her act about her celebrity encounters don't expect any amazing revelations there. There were a few new stories (Steve Martin etc.) but for the most part it really chronicles her entire life and career and shows how hard she worked and the insanity she put up with to get to where she is now. Great stories about her early years with the Groundlings and her friends Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Kudrow, Julia Sweeney, Jeaneane Garofolo, Margaret Cho and more. You are going to learn where and why she has the work ethic that she does. She never sold out, she did do it all her way.
I loved the book, like I said I read it in about 6 hours cover to cover. My only complaint is that there were no color pictures in the book like most typical biographies.
Also as an ex Los Angelino is was nice to hear her talking about my old stomping in grounds in West Hollywood and her adventures there. I also jumped on the back of a bike at the Carl's Jr on La Brea and Santa Monica OMG!!! Wonder if we banged the same guy!! HAH!!
BUY THE BOOK!!! |
Official Fan
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| Reviewer: Literate reader, |
| Call me a literary expert when it comes to celeb autobiographies since I've read a lot of them. But Kathy Griffin's goes way beyond what this genre usually offers, the rags to riches to rehab and/or back to rags or riches saga. KG's unlikely to ever go the rags route, (plastic surgery being her version of rehab) and she's far from poor little girl gone lost in the wacky game of Hollywood fame. And that's mostly because she's one of the most savvy, if not one of the smartest stars on the block, at least when it comes to show biz, an acquired skill set after years spent paying her dues. Her persona is truth stripper and that's what makes this official memoir work and heads above most of the polished nonsense that's out there. KG is a real person who actually has something to say beyond some narcissistic rendition of her "discovery" and ascent. She's had to push herself through a business that would otherwise find her easy to ignore. I recommend potential readers and book clubs everywhere first start reading the book backwards: check out the nifty reader's guide provided at the end as a clue that there's intellect, wit, politics, religion, romance, tragedy and plenty of gossip at work on these pages, which merit both careful reading and reading between the lines. One clue: in KGland, compliments can carry an edge. (Spoiler: Jerry Seinfeld) |
Eat Your Heart Out, Oprah
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| Reviewer: Amos Lassen, Little Rock, Arkansas |
Griffin, Kathy. "Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin", Ballantine Books, 2009.
Eat Your Heart Out, Oprah
Amos Lassen
Kathy Griffin has a lot of energy and she knows how to write as well. Her book "Official Book Club Selection" is one of the funniest and most enjoyable reads that I have had in a long time. Griffin infuses her life story with gossip and irreverence that will keep you reading and make you sorry that there is no more to read when you have closed the covers. She tells all in her own unique and bawdy way. We know she has talent--she is an Emmy winner and she has a Grammy nomination. Aside from that she is everywhere when the big names are out. Her wit is amazing as she tells us about herself and about the celebrities of today. She also lets us into her own life as well as her adventures with plastic surgery (and there are pictures!).
Griffin has never been afraid to say what she thinks and she really does that here. She is candid, she is bold and she is brutally honest. I love this book and I bet you will as well.
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Fantastic and Funny!
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| Reviewer: Jackie Frye, Pittsboro, IN United States |
| This book is suprising because it's not just funny, as one would expect. It is a very honest account of her life story and she really puts her "stuff" out there. I've always loved her for her humor, and her take no prisoners attitude. Now, I just love her! Way to go, Kathy! |
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