Rating: 
Summary: like this = self centered, shallow and annoying
Review: A lot of this book was familiar to me having grown up in the Northeast. The embracing of the self centered, shallow and annoying character traits was exhausting. I kept waiting for her to pick up a mirror, say "Ew" and then gain at least desire for depth. Reading the acknowledgements made me want to slap those folks for encouraging her and myself for not noticing the "USA Today" aka McPaper was the source of the "Knee-slapping hilarious" review. I even paid full price for it!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Bungled, uncensored hilarity
Review: Actress/author Cynthia Kaplan takes us on a hilarious and uncensored journey into her sometimes hopelessly bungled world populated by pill-popping therapists, eccentric grandmothers, her tyrannical 1yo son - and somehow manages to find a deeper meaning to life, power, and the search for contentment.
Rating:
Summary: So close to Sedaris
Review: After gobbling up all of David Sedaris's books, I went searching for similar writers. I read David Rakoff (who is good), but then I found this book and Cynthia Kaplan. She is at once hilarious, personal and empowering and I felt an immediate connection with so many of her essays/stories. Her writing style is so extraordinarily personal, you feel as if she is in the room telling you these awesomely funny stories. I wish she had other books out. I couldn't put this one down.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't live up to the hype
Review: Although this book was interesting and tried to delve into issues that make a person who they eventually turn out to be, in some cases I found myself skipping entire paragraphs due to the details. It was almost painful to keep reading on and on about one event...just didn't seem to add to the story. I did enjoy the book somewhat...not an entirely bad read.
Rating:
Summary: Mildly amusing
Review: Cynthia Kaplan is a talented writer, but she's nowhere close to being "the female David Sedaris." Her writing style is nice, and her essay on her grandmother's Alzheimner's is beautiful. Mostly, though, she is too self-conscious and whiny to be funny. You don't have to be completely comfy with all your flaws to be funny about them, but you do have to be honest. The way Kaplan pokes fun at herself seems false, because it's clear that at the end of the day she still wants the reader to think of her as the cleverest girl in class.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is a hoot!
Review: Cynthia Kaplan's "Why I'm Like This" alternates hilarity (experiences at all-girl camp, being a waitress) with life's more sober times (putting her grandmother in a nursing home, having difficulty getting pregnant). Because of the mood swings (for lack of a better phrase) the book undergoes, it's sometimes a bumpy and uneven ride--but whether she's being serious or poking a proverbial elbow in your ribs, Kaplan is a talented writer who's fun to read. Some gems from the book:One of the many pitfalls of working in a restaurant is that eventually you will wait on your peers. Or people who had been your peers before they became successful bankers and you became a waiter. First, there will be the requisite "Hi!" "Hi!" "How are you!?" "What are you doing?!" (What am I DOING? I think it's pretty clear: Good evening, my parents spent fifty thousand dollars on my education, would you like some more bread?) After the initial pleasantries are dispensed with, you will embarrass everyone with "Let me tell you about our specials." * * * On one of the last true blue days of August, when the oppressive midsummer haze had been blown away by some zippy cumulus clouds, opportunity knocked once more. At the counselors' pool party, [my crush] Jamie Karlin asked me to rub sunblock onto his back. He had the most unbelievable, fair, freckly skin. Had I this moment to live again, I would have offered to apply the sunblock later, in private, with my tongue. * * * Writing about her father's love of gadgets: He was one of the first people to have a phone in his car. This was the late 1960s, decades before cellular technology, and it was essentially like having a shortwave radio in your car . . . At stoplights, my brother and I used to open the window, hold out the receiver to the driver of the car next to us, say, "It's for you," and collapse in hysterics. * * * Kaplan covers so many different topics I can't begin to cover them all here, but every baby boomer woman I know who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s will love this book. I even had a bathing suit like the one in which Kaplan appears on the cover--kindred spirits in more ways than one!
Rating:
Summary: This book is a hoot!
Review: Cynthia Kaplan's "Why I'm Like This" alternates hilarity (experiences at all-girl camp, being a waitress) with life's more sober times (putting her grandmother in a nursing home, having difficulty getting pregnant). Because of the mood swings (for lack of a better phrase) the book undergoes, it's sometimes a bumpy and uneven ride--but whether she's being serious or poking a proverbial elbow in your ribs, Kaplan is a talented writer who's fun to read. Some gems from the book: One of the many pitfalls of working in a restaurant is that eventually you will wait on your peers. Or people who had been your peers before they became successful bankers and you became a waiter. First, there will be the requisite "Hi!" "Hi!" "How are you!?" "What are you doing?!" (What am I DOING? I think it's pretty clear: Good evening, my parents spent fifty thousand dollars on my education, would you like some more bread?) After the initial pleasantries are dispensed with, you will embarrass everyone with "Let me tell you about our specials." * * * On one of the last true blue days of August, when the oppressive midsummer haze had been blown away by some zippy cumulus clouds, opportunity knocked once more. At the counselors' pool party, [my crush] Jamie Karlin asked me to rub sunblock onto his back. He had the most unbelievable, fair, freckly skin. Had I this moment to live again, I would have offered to apply the sunblock later, in private, with my tongue. * * * Writing about her father's love of gadgets: He was one of the first people to have a phone in his car. This was the late 1960s, decades before cellular technology, and it was essentially like having a shortwave radio in your car . . . At stoplights, my brother and I used to open the window, hold out the receiver to the driver of the car next to us, say, "It's for you," and collapse in hysterics. * * * Kaplan covers so many different topics I can't begin to cover them all here, but every baby boomer woman I know who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s will love this book. I even had a bathing suit like the one in which Kaplan appears on the cover--kindred spirits in more ways than one!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoying Life
Review: Enjoy a great story teller who keeps you smiling and entertained as she takes you on a personal journey of family, friends and coming of age. "Why I'm like this" by Cynthia Kaplan is a delightful book that touches on her life and showcases that we are all human, and we all can learn from one another. The book is filled with reflections on Cynthia's various stages of growing up which are told in a very witty first person and sprinkled with humor. I was tickled at her innocent encounter at camp one summer when she stumbled on the reason why one camper, who was disliked by fellow campers, returned every year
to camp. What really caught my attention while reading "Why I'm like this" was being able to relate to what any young woman experiences while growing up and trying to find her place in life. She tells you of her first intimate encounter, her
aspirations and experiences to become an actress, marriage, and finally becoming parents. I enjoyed how the story flowed and her deep affections for her family members especially her grandmother. This is a well thought story that is told with grace and love. If you're looking for a light-hearted read that keeps a smile on your face this is the book to read. I applaud Ms. Kaplan for sharing this enjoyable story. Reviewed by Kalaani
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: Funny - touching - intelligent...
How proud her father must be. How do I find out which is the best thermos?
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest
Review: I had never heard of Kaplan before I picked up this book and decided to buy it based on the title alone. Right away, Kaplan's writing and tone was something I could identify with. She has a real wit and talent for turning the mundane into the laugh-out-loud funny. In fact, I just came searching this site to see if there was anything else of her's I could read. I highly recommend this book. My friend is borrowing it from me at the moment and I can't wait for her to return it as I'm anxious for my second read.
| 
