Book Review: "You're Not Doing It Right"

I was absolutely obsessed with Michael Ian Black's first book, "My Custom Van". The wacky essays were so hilarious I didn't care that there was essentially no point to the whole thing other than making me snort from laughter, of course. When I saw he had come out with another book, I figured it would be the same as the first, though I'm sure ant small amount of research on even an unreliable website would have told me otherwise.

Instead of a collection of random essays, Black has given us a somewhat linear recap of his life. In a 180 from the last book, this one gets personal. The humor is still there in full force, but this time, it is being used to guide us all through the difficulties of an unconventional childhood, marriage, and raising children. Humor is now become a tactic for making certain topics less uncomfortable.

At first I was disappointed to see something other than the off the wall essays I expected, but I quickly came o appreciate this more grown up Michael Ian Black. If nothing else I know that if I one day have a moment (or 10) of resentment toward my husband or kids, someone else has felt the same thing. And that someone else is wildly successful in Hollywood and, now, literature, which means he must be right about some things.

3.8 out of 5 stars