ALL THINGS ASIDE

A comedian shares her thoughts on womanhood, motherhood, comedy, and many things in between.

Comedian Shlesinger (b. 1983) rose to prominence as the first woman to win NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2008 and has since become a fixture in stand-up comedy, with credits that include five Netflix specials. Despite her prolific career, she admits that “this book didn’t pour out of me….It wasn’t writer’s block, it was self-imposed fear.” The book is divided between standard text and indented asides, a format that mimics the author’s thought process. As she was writing, she worried that she didn’t have anything worthwhile to say or that her words and insights, however well intentioned, would be maliciously taken out of context. Shlesinger grapples with a fear of being “canceled by the internet,” and she states outright her belief that “the saccharine and often performative wokeness of pop culture are a constant threat to comedy.” These themes recur throughout the collection amid the array of additional topics she covers with biting wit and humor, which will be instantly recognizable on the page to her stand-up fans. Some of the essays feel more like written stand-up sets than others, such as the pieces on why “everything is a scam” and her generation’s obsession with nostalgia. Regarding the latter, the author highlights the Elder Millennial, a term she coined and which provided the title of her 2018 special. (Other references from her stand-up, such as the “Party Goblin,” also appear.) While the essays are enjoyable as a whole, Shlesinger’s writing is most affecting when she talks about personal subjects, such as her miscarriage and her experience of being a mother, her support of women’s health care initiatives, and her yearslong ordeal with a stalker. Shlesinger makes clear that she owes no one these stories; however, by sharing her experiences, she hopes she can provide solace to “people who have to deal with the same bullshit.” Margaret Cho provides the foreword.

A delight for the author’s fans plus worthwhile insights for a broader audience.