Customer Reviews

A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body: Tales from a Life of Cringe

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Once I started reading this book, I carried it with me everywhere there might be a chance to get another few pages read. It went with me to the obvious places...bathroom, dentist, driving to work and to church. I stayed up late finishing the last story. I loved the humor, laugh out loud type humor. But it isn't just the comic genius of this woman, this is an extremely well-written book. I loved it. Is there more to come?

Probably not. But Lauren Weedman definitely is. It isn't so much that she "tries to be funny," (something that she does give us some great laughs over) as that she is able to see what is funny about herself. And as readers, we in turn see what is funny about ourselves. Lauren's not-exactly-unflinching, but nevertheless courageous, exploration of her own foibles is a mirror for the human condition in our bizarre age. She is a major talent, and I know we will hear more from her. This collection of episodes she would like to forget is both a brilliant satire of our celebrity-obsessed culture, and a universal expression of the ways we continually do exactly those things we will later regret so much. Buy this book. That is one action I know you won't regret.

OK I'm biased. I've seen Lauren perform her show "Bust" in Seattle several times. This woman is incredibly gifted ... she could easily hold back and not reveal her deepest thoughts, feelings and insights but she does so without concern (seemingly) about what others might say ... I find I can't help but laugh at her performances/writings because she hits that note of familiarity ("crap I've thought the same thing"). There are moments reading a book where I think "God, it would be horrible if these characters hadn't existed" (felt that reading "Sparrow") and had a similar experience reading Lauren's book (replace "characters" with "stories") (come on ... how can you ever forget the teenage girls telling their true story of the clown statute?).
Bottom line ... Lauren is a phenomenal talent and I'm so grateful she shares her gifts with us.

A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body: (Tales from a Life of Cringe)


Lauren Weedman is hard to categorize - and that's a good thing; part Lucille Ball, part Janine Garofalo, part Spalding Gray, part Lenny Bruce, she is hilarious, honest, pushes the envelope, and can sing and dance if she wants to. Though "A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body" is her first book, the same flat-out comedy that she exhibits on stage comes through here in a winning way. Always leading with her self-deprecating ego (that may sound like an oxymoron, but, in her case, it's a high-low manic way of life), Weedman's stories connect with the reader through the commonality of her situations - relationships, job interviews, family dynamics, travel mishaps - and then she adds the comedic twists and one-liners of a seasoned pro. When life hands Lauren lemons, she makes lemonade margaritas and starts journaling like a mad-woman.

Sitting down with this book is probably a lot like hanging with Ms. Weedman in person. And ya better be ready for pretty much anything. Great stuff.

Lauren Weedman has two left feet and she's ten steps ahead of the rest of us. I've observed her solo performances a handful of times and everytime I leave the theater I say the same thing, "She's gotta be one of the best performance artists in the world, right? Right?" That said, I couldn't wait to see how she made the leap from stage to page with A Woman Trapped in A Woman's Body. Just like on stage the book is such a ballsy (which says a lot for a woman), revealing, touching, nasty, heart warming and heart wrenching piece of work that I tore through it with a big smile on my face, stopping every page or two to guffaw outloud! The stories are funny and warped, and Weedman remains Weedman throughout, which is to say she is a distinct, observant character, always drawing a fence around her attitude and peering out at the rest of the world with obvious questions that need no answer. I think of Vonnegut or Bukowski in her no-nonsense, simplistic style that always winds you up for the sucker punch. "I'm Hugging You With My Voice" will touch you and "Emmys" will make you squirm and giggle. "Eagles Are Such A Good Sign" reveals her feelings and insights on relationships, as she gets caught up, but only in a good way that only Weedman can. Get this book and read it, and I think you'll agree, that Weedman is on the road to becoming a great American writer.

I haven't laughed this hard at a memoir since "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Like Sedaris, Lauren Weedman's chapters are vignettes of frenzied self-consciousness bordering on Aspbergers. And it works because it's a true account of the modern woman: who couldn't reflect on some "tales from a life of cringe?" But Weedman has the balls to say it out loud; this is a woman who leaves a reader snickering behind Jon Stewart's back. A comedian unresponsive to self-depreciation? Now that's funny. "Hey Stewart! We're open!" The reader cheers for Weedman from the sidelines; we want her to connect, and she doesn't disappoint us- she wouldn't, because she has inclusive, comedic grace. She lets us in on her jokes, on the clown midgets in her basement, and if you can read this and not fall madly in love with her, you have no soul.

I have long been a fan of Lauren's work - from The Daily Show to her stage performances, to her articles. This book is the perfect combination of all her talents. Her stories are hilarious, insightful and relatable. I tore through the book and my only complaint is that there isn't more of it. I can't wait for the next installment!!

Is Lauren Weedman the funniest woman in America? Well, there's some pretty tough competition out there, but this book is a convincing argument that she deserves the title. This Renaissance Woman has already proven herself as an award-winning playwright/performer, television actor and reporter (The Daily Show!), and comedian, and now she can add "world-class writer" to that list.

But this book is not a regurgitation of a theatrical performance or a stand-up comedy act--it's 12 distinct stories that stand up as literature because they go beyond the laugh-out-loud-funny comedy of embarrassment that Lauren is a master of. There's a serious core to this book as Weedman searches for home, family, personal insight and, yes, even growth amidst her manic and cringe-inducing adventures in Indiana, Amsterdam, on the staff of the Daily Show, and on the road to Baja with her new boyfriend.

For newcomers to Weedman's writing, the closest comparisons I can make are Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris. Anybody who enjoys the work of either writer will feel very at home here. But Lauren's funnier and less claustrophobic than Burroughs and cuts to the core more than the somewhat guarded Sedaris. And male readers, don't be afraid of the title or the pink type on the cover. It's not a "for women only" book at all. Lauren's humor is universal--in fact, if anything, she worries she's not feminine enough.

A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body is an astonishing debut by a woman you'll be hearing a lot more about.

A longtime fan of Margaret Cho and Janeane Garofalo, I have discovered a new favorite funny woman in Lauren Weedman. As outrageous as her experiences are, there is something very familiar and relatable about Weedman. A great, edgy book to share with the gals (or the guys) or to liven up book club.

Lauren Weedman made me laugh, cry and wince -- a lot -- sometimes all at once. (I wasn't sure what a life of cringe meant -- but by the end of the book, I think I figured it out.) Fairly early on, I found myself blinking, gasping, clutching my heart and even hiding my eyes at her no holds barred method of interacting with everyone from her family, her husband, his friends, her coworkers, her boss, her new boyfriend, his son and family, the Dutch -- even the customers at her mother's store. No one escapes her frank, brutal, insecure, hysterical, outrageous, insane, courageous, animated and illuminating observations. Her romantic situations were almost scary -- but through it all I was rooting for her. The first two thirds of the book were very, very funny but sort of exhausting to read. The final third, and probably my favorite, is focused on her move, and eventual return to midwestern US but mostly on her family. The family is just disfunctional and honest enough to be believably funny. Weedman's has a remarkable gift for writing dialogue and at the end I was rooting for all of them.