Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there? [Hardcover]

Whoopi Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2010

Have you noticed that things aren't as civil as they once were? Or that rudeness is no longer an exception but a lifestyle? Sure you have. All you need to do is set foot outside your door to see that bad manners are taking over everywhere. People are yakking on cell phones in restaurants, even at church. Folks in carpools wear enough cologne to make our eyes bleed. Complete strangers think it's OK to rub a pregnant lady's belly. Passengers abuse flight attendants, family outings to the ball park are ruined by rowdy drunks . . . a congressman heckled the President of the United States.

Well, Whoopi Goldberg has noticed all this and more and asked herself, "Is it just me?" Unleashing her trademark irreverence and humor, her new book of observations takes a funny and excruciatingly honest look at how a loss of civility is messing with the quality of life for all of us.

So if your pet peeve is folks who talk in movie theaters like it was their living room, or if you get bugged by people clipping their nails and performing other personal hygiene next to you on the bus, or if you cringe when "please" and "thank you" get replaced by "gimme" and "huh?" . . . you have found a kindred spirit. Because Whoopi has witnessed the growing disrespect and rudeness in our lives and realized she is not alone. And, as you'll discover in these pages, neither are you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Whoopi Goldberg is the premier comedic actress of our day. She has won a Tony, an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Grammy, as well as two Golden Globes. In 2001 she was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Whoopi Goldberg has appeared in scores of films, and is a host on ABC's The View.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401323847
• ISBN-13: 978-1401323844
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With All Due Respect...., October 23, 2010

By 

Late2Serenity "L2S" (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there? (Hardcover)

This is the name of the last chapter of this book. This chapter consists of three lines. I'm going to quote them. You can read them without ruining the rest of the book for you if you haven't read the chapters that come before. They say:

"These were just things on my mind and some ideas of ways I could be better. Maybe it helps you too. If not, pass this book on!"

This book is Whoopi's opinion on a whole range of what she perceives to be irritations. She knows that she isn't alone in her irritation. She doesn't say that you're wrong if you disagree. She does use humor, she is irreverent, and she is also serious in ALL of it. She doesn't come across as perfect in her own conduct, in fact, she states more than once that she most definitely isn't. She finds those things irritating in other people and in herself. She does not deny that she is guilty of the same things that she is complaining about.

I am a big Whoopi fan, and I could hear her saying these things in my head while I was reading them. The language that she writes is the language that you hear coming out of her mouth every day on TV etc. Whoopi addresses issues that happen and that we don't seem to notice anymore because they have become so commonplace, they've become a habit. She talks about things like cutting your toenails or picking your nose on the bus or train on the way to work. She doesn't like the word 'stupid' and yet doesn't have a problem with people using certain swear words, and why. How you can swear at someone without actually using the words aloud, just thinking them can have an effect. Things you could consider saying when you've been put on the spot and don't want to hurt someone other people's feelings.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I did find myself chuckling at what she says, how she phrases things, and the irony in some of her statements. This book uses events in her life as examples, and it is not her memoirs. If you are buying this book expecting to read only her comedy, expecting to laugh aloud, you'll be disappointed. If you asked me to describe this book in two words, I would say "humorous" and "thoughtful".

29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I thought it would be funnier, October 23, 2010

By 

A. Carlson (Anaheim, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there? (Hardcover)

I like Whoopi so I was looking forward to reading about the things we all can't stand (i.e. sharing cell phone conversations) with a dose of Whoopi humor. As one other reviewer wrote "I wanted to laugh". This book could have been so much better with some humor. In my opinion, she's preaching to the choir here. The people that read this book are those who probably have noticed the same things and the people who don't read it are the ones we are talking about so they'll never get it nor read her suggestions. It just could have been so much better.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is it just Me? Or is this a bit hypocritical, October 30, 2010

By 

L. Ward "wardmama4" (OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there? (Hardcover)

I agree - could not get past a small bit of this long harangue on the current state of society. I do admit I started it because I do believe society is uncivil and uses too many personal insults but at the same time - believe that Goldberg herself is one of those types - sadly hiding behind 'humor' to do it. So I was hoping that perhaps she was going to address that, but once again it is always someone else being wrong.

Don't waste your time or money.