Customer Reviews

I'm the One That I Want

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The title of this reflects my opinion of the most recent "reviewers" and their responses to this book, not the book itself--which I love. Too many of them did not like this book because they were expecting something "funny" or whatever. Typecasting--that's typical America, I suppose.

The fact is, whether or not you like Cho's comedy should be irrelevant when actually rating her autobiography. And when a person can get beyond his/her preconceived notions, I think that he/she would find it to be a sincere and intelligent reading.

Cho does something that many people overlook when addressing discrimination and identity: she brings forth issues regarding gays and lesbians, overweight people and Asian Americans. It's appalling to know that *All American Girl* was the first sitcom based on an Asian family! Think about it.

Margaret Cho, in her autobiography, may be angry at the people who have wronged her in the past; however, she serves as an example to all of us by not taking herself as serious as "True Hollywood Story" celebrities and instead deconstructing herself honestly for us. Her strength in her identity is rare among anyone in the public eye.

I recommend this text to anyone who is interested in identity politics, self love and deconstruction, minority issues and all related topics.

And those who said that her humor isn't really conveyed in the text are mistaken--all of her recent material makes fun of her tragedy but is still VERY serious. Just don't typecast her into what you want her to be (or are afraid to be yourself) and you'll enjoy the experience.

It's a shockingly honest book that made me stay up till 3am to finish. I was expecting something like her standup routine, but I found her confiding secrets that most people would pay to hide. It made me relate, laugh, and cry, because it was so real and truthful. It's not Shakespeare, but it's compelling. She brings the reader through her journey and achievement of self love.

I don't need Margaret to be funny in her autobiography, I only want that from her on stage. All I require of an autobiography is a life worth talking about, honesty, and the talent necessary to make me feel bonded to the author. I found that here. I was actually somewhat surprised by Margaret's simple yet profound writing style.
Fans coming to this book lookin for a laugh will be disappointed. Fans coming to this book to learn more about the serious side of Margaret, about alchoholism, about self-acceptance, depression, about addiction, and about degradation will find what they want here. I think the author of Prozac Nation said it best when she made reference to the fact that so many of her readers complained they found her autobiography "irritating" and she responded that it was exactly the effect that she was going for, because depression in it's sense of endlessness is irritating. One keeps hoping, while reading this book, that the depression is over, wanting to scream "snap out of it." Those of us who have lived with depression or have lived with someone who has depression can understand the feeling.
I recommend Cho's book for it's courage, honesty, and wit.

Well, it is, in parts. But she goes into such detail about her personal problems (drinking, drugs, sex, strict dieting) that this book is in turns depressing, disturbing, and poignant.

Nevertheless, it is an excellent autobiography. One wishes for such frankness and forthrightness in autobiographies. Margaret Cho does not whitewash. She comes right out. More authors should be so blunt in their writing.

So, it's not a comedy, but it does illustrate the sources of her top-of-the-line standup routines. If she can go through all of these awful situations and still come out on top, then more power to her.

I am always interested in memoirs by famous people. Tracking their path to fame is usually enlightening and entertaining.

I've found that books by comics are particularly difficult to read. So much of their entertainment value comes from non-verbal communications. This was true of Cho as well. The book felt flat to me, and it was disjointed, jumping from timeframe to timeframe with no particular rhyme or reason. While many of the anecdotes conveyed were interesting, I had trouble following along.

As a result, I stopped about halfway through. It was just too confusing for me, though I value her story and experiences.

For the light of heart -- you may want to avoid this book. It's quite graphic in parts and she doesn't hold back on the sex, drugs or rock-n-roll.

As most of the reviewers have stated, I began reading this book thinking that it was a representation of Margaret Cho's stand-up comedy. Well, it is, but not in the way one would expect. It's more about Cho's life and where her comedy comes from. It's about her journey through tragedy and pain to the beautiful places within herself, where she can love herself. Yes, there are parts of her comedy routine here, but more than that, there are incredibly powerful, inspirational autobiographical snippets. I was amazed at Cho's capacity for writing. I found myself drawn into her story, consoling and cheering along with her and her friends. That is Cho's power as a comedian and as a person. She brings us into her world and makes us hers.

Reading this book (I didn't see the film version), I was quite amazed at just how hard a time Cho had in life -- growing up, doing the showbiz thing, finally rebuilding her life and self-esteem... Most of what she says about growing up asian american, being both and yet neither an "asian" nor "american" girl, really hits home and she has some great lines about it all (especially about going to church).

Don't expect this book to be anything more than just Margaret Cho talking at you... the writing itself is nothing spectacular. It's slangy and has 4-letter words (sometimes nothing else but a 4-letter word will do), just like a friend telling you about the crappy day she's had. This isn't supposed to be classical literature.

I watched "All American Girl" on TV and always knew that whatever input Margaret Cho had was modified (gross understatement) by The Corporate Suits to make an "asian" show palatable to mainstream America. Although Cho herself says the show sucked, I still enjoyed it. I don't mean I genuinely ENJOYed it, but knowing it for what it was, I still enjoyed it. I could see that Cho herself did in fact have something special and funny and strong inside, despite the watered-down, stereotypical characters and plots. Too bad the powers that be weren't brave enough to let her have creative control.

I first read an excerpt of the book in a magazine. Once I finished the article, I ran to the nearest bookstore to pick up Margaret Cho's book. It's filled with humor and a compelling honesty about life, love (or lack there of) of self and others, and her rise and fall and rise again to the top. I started to read the first few lines of the book and couldn't put it down again until I finished the last word of the book. As an Asian-American woman myself, Margaret Cho puts a genuine face to the experience I, myself, went through in terms of identity, family, society, and the oftentimes awkwardness both in the APA community and out. I first thought that Margaret Cho's book would be "another humor book" filled with jokes and witty titles as she re-hashed her stage routine on paper. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find it a more indepth look into her life.

I strongly encourage everyone to buy and read her book! It's fantastic! I've already purchased copies for my mom and my sisters!

Valley Gay Press Book Reviewer: Liz Bradbury (Author of Angel Food and Devil Dogs - A Maggie Gale Mystery)
Margaret Cho's autobiography, a deeply personal and revealing journey through her life and career, draws you in and fascinates you. The book, written in 2001, candidly chronicles some of the most painful events imaginable. Anyone who has ever been discriminated against can relate. Cho, who is (for the most part) straight but remarkly and sincerely supportive and part of the queer community, felt the sting of anti-woman and anti-Asian prejudice from pre-school on and endured astonding "body-type" discrimination as well. She openly presents her pain, and her drug and alcohol abuse reaction to it, in a remarkably direct and frequently funny way. It's one of the few autobiographies ever that doesn't insist at the end that all the problems have been solved (autobiographers usually write that whether it's true or not.) Yet, there is a strength in Maraget Cho's words that makes the reader feel hope.
"I'm the One That I Want," By Margeret Cho, Ballantine Books $22.95

First and foremost, I want to say that Margaret Cho is one of those comedians who you either love her, or hate her - there's no middle ground. You will find what she says to be either absolutely spot-on accurate, or so horribly distastful as to be offensive. She doesn't refrain from telling just how bad off she was for a good portion of her life, and this goes for both her stand-up routines, as well as this book. Nothing is held back.

As for the book, which roughly follows Margaret's life chronologically, I found it to be extremely depressing in the beginning. Gradually, though, as she begins to take more control of her life, it becomes more about getting her life together. As I was reading, there were so many times that I just wanted to hug the girl whose childhood was spent alone and ostracized, whose teenage years were spent searching for love from others, and who ultimately, as an adult, learned to love herself.