The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo: Amy Schumer's Autobiography

Do you ever feel like you read the same books?  Back when I got into reading in my early twenties, I had only read Nicholas Sparks' books.  No offense to our friend Nick, but once you've read one, you've read like 5 of them.  Shortly after that I began reading other authors and even developed a list of favorites.  Then the Twilight books came which broadened my horizons to fantasy novels.  I still stuck to my usual fiction but challenged myself to find other others I enjoyed such as Liane Moriarty, Judy Blume, Jodi Picoult, Emily Giffin and others.  Sometimes I would venture off and read historical fiction, which I have a secret love for, but otherwise I knew what I liked and would only read in my comfort zone.  So when I saw this title on the bookshelf and knew it was an autobiography about one of my favorite comedians, I had to give it a go and expand my horizons once more.

If you have seen Amy's stand-up, her movie, or television show- you know what kind of woman we are dealing with here.  Amy's book is a true refection of who we see, but also what we may not see.  Behind the bold statements, swearing, and jokes about her sex-life is a girl who actually enjoys being on her own and has lived quite the life.  She goes into detail of her family, childhood, and how her self discovery has evolved over the years.  While doing all of that, she adds in her humor and twists which makes it enjoyable to read.  It isn't all jokes though.  Some of the chapters entail abuse, a complicated relationship with her parents, and how much work she had put into getting to where she is in the world of the rich and famous.  For example, I had no idea how many connections her movie Trainwreck had to her life.  I also never knew how tumultuous the comedy world can be.  I know the title sounds silly and the cover can speak for itself, but I loved how empowered she made me feel as a woman after reading this and think many of us have gone through what she has so it was nice to relate and see how one woman overcame obstacles thrown at her.

Goodreads ranked this at 3.9/5 and Barnes and Nobel gave it a 3.4/5.  I think both ranks are fair assessments and will meet in the middle with a 3.5.  She is a comedian first over a writer so sometimes it was finicky to follow.  I also felt there were points where she was trying to be honest and not politically correct, but was actually pretty offensive.  With that said, there was much more to enjoy with this book than not.  I think it would be a great read for Amy Schumer fans as well as feminists who want to find out about one woman's journey.