Review: I’m Just A Person by Tig Notaro

I feel like a bit of a jerk for my response to this book, but I’m just a person too! 
I was a fan of Tig’s stand-up comedy long before she went through her year of personal hell and became more widely known through a special called Live at Largo. That’s the one where she came out and introduced herself by saying, “I have cancer”.  People called it brave and she was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Tig Notaro in concert by CleftClips via Flickr
Tig Notaro in concert by CleftClips via Flickr

I had hoped this book would include more about her career, how she built it and how it developed. There isn’t a smile or a laugh for several chapters – and really, why should there be? If you don’t know about the string of tragedies she went through, I won’t spoil it here. But I guess I hoped for some wry humour in the aftermath, once she was clear of the trauma. I almost died and I can find SOME funny in it now. There’s just nothing new for fans. She simply tells the stories she’s already told in various forums for a few years now.

I expected a broader focus. It zeros in on the hellish stuff, by and large, although it does have a happy ending. She’s an excellent writer. It’s just a depressing book. Again, it was a depressing time in her life. But this person ordered her book in advance and was super excited to get it. Now I simply can’t recommend it.

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