Rating: 
Summary: I don't get it.
Review: I have never written one of these reviews, but I was so dumbfounded by the attention for this book that I felt compelled.
I have NO IDEA why Amazon mentions Cynthia Kaplan along with David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs. As I read it, I kept thinking she's probably the sort of person who writes funny e-mails, so all her friends tell her, "You should write a book."
I was mildly entertained and nothing more -- well, no, actually there *was* something more. There was white-hot rage that this profoundly mediocre book not only made it into print but had been RECOMMENDED as something I might like, which had me traipsing over to my favorite used-book retailer to pay $2 for it. Which was $2 too much for something so absolutely ordinary.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I have seen Cynthia onstage and she is always spectacular. I was thrilled to read her book and find that she didn't loose an inch of what makes her great. Highly reccomended for great unexpected laughs at every turn!
Rating: 
Summary: use your precious reading time on a more worthy book!!!
Review: I have to admit that I was excited to read this book when it was chosen by a member of the book club that I belong to. I was thinking, "Oh goodie, somebody's life is more than or just as disfunctional as mine is!" Well I sure missed the mark on that, when asked by another member of the club what the book was about, I told her it is like reading a script for an episode of Seinfeld, except no laughs. My only consulation in the fact that I have wasted what precious quiet time I have on this waste of paper is that at least I got it from the library and did not have to pay anything for it. If I had actually parted with my hard earned dough, I might have had to burn it and cook a meal over the flames to get something for my money. How some people actually get published is beyond me, the author must have had something on the publisher to get this one in print. I would have ranked it zero stars, but that wasn't an option. I should also note that I have never been compelled to write a review before but I felt the need to warn the would be sucker from a fate worse than wasted spare time. I certainly don't have any!!
Rating:
Summary: A mostly uneven collection with a few outstanding essays
Review: I just didn't find her to be interesting. Plus I could have done without the two absolutely stomach-turning essays about pregnancy and infertility treatments. (I'm not a squeamish person, but she went way over the top with those two.) I found her accounts of her own life to be whiny and her essays on her husband and child to be sappy. On the other hand, she had the right emotional distance to do some terrific pieces on her parents and grandparents and on being Jewish. For those pieces alone (which unfortunately are only about one-fourth of the book), I'd recommend you seek out this book at the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved this book!
Review: I just finished this book and highly recommend it! I bought it several months ago and did not have the inclination to read it until last Sunday - the only thing I could muster the energy for was sitting on the couch so I grabbed this off the bookshelf where it had, admittedly, been collecting some dust. Memoirs can be a little iffy, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But Kaplan is very talented at weaving in the melancholy with the sardonic, the optimistically humorous with the reaslistic drudgery that sometimes characterizes our day-to-day lives. I'm kind of surprised that she hasn't turned to fiction writing, given her skill at setting the scene and her smooth, clear rendering of the small details that make her stories come to life. This is a great beach book, not because it's such a quick read - which it is - but because it has more weight and substance than what you might otherwise pick up, without feeling heavy or preachy. Happy reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, not hysterical
Review: I liked this book - didn't love it. Some pieces I skipped entirely if they seemed too self-indulgent. The trappings of her life are not things I can personally relate to, and at times it's hard to see past the material things to the humanity beneath them. "What Happened After the Chicken Crossed the Road", a piece dealing with her grandmother's slow decline into dementia, was poignant and moving. "Jack Has A Thermos," an essay about her father, I found hilarious. But I didn't care a whit for her infertility troubles as described in "At The End Of The Day". It seemed a baby was just another accessory that she wanted to have, and could afford to purchase, yet the distributor was all out. One of the best moments in the book - and I'm not sure where it came from, because it's much darker than almost everything that precedes it - is the last essay, where Ms. Kaplan compares us (Americans? capitalists? humans?) to truffle pigs. It was a strange way to end a book that's basically uplifting and funny - sort of like having your last kiss of prom night in the middle of a cemetery. But it's probably the most incisive tale in the collection. There were several laugh-out-loud moments while reading this - some key phrases scattered throughout the book that cracked me up. For the most part, I found it an interesting and mildly amusing view into a life I can't really relate to.
Rating:
Summary: Has its perks
Review: I liked this book more than I thought I would. She writes about family, love, teenage popularity, summer camp, motherhood, being a waitress/actress and grandparents. She's funny, witty, insightful and, at times, wise. Yes, there are times when she is shallow, self-absorbed and makes jokes that misses the mark, but she's never malicious and she pokes as much fun at herself as everyone else. A delightful little book that's not to be taken too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful and Distinct New Female Voice
Review: I'm always looking for a book with a last page that makes me sad -- not because the subject matter is sad but because I'm upset the book is, alas, over. My favorite books always end too soon and so did "Why I'm Like This." In Cynthia Kaplan's funny, touching, sophisticated, beautifully written stories and essays, I discovered bits and pieces of myself, my family, my past and my future; I met a heroine and I made a friend -- and I didn't want to let her go.
Rating:
Summary: funny, i guess.
Review: I'm sort of unable to figure out why Cynthia Kaplan was asked to write this book. I mean, it's cute and amusing, but I always got the feeling she wanted for us all to be bowled over by her talent, which isn't at all overwhelming. In particular, the chapter where she discusses wanting to get pregnant, I could never stop thinking about her going through the experience and thinking about how she could best come up with a clever way to put it, for her book.
Rating:
Summary: Will reach a wide and appreciative audience
Review: Kaplan's personal stories blend autobiography and storytelling drama: Why I'm Like This is very highly recommended reading because the stories read like well crafted fiction and paint vivid portraits of family characters, yet the first person insights threaded through them are entirely autobiographical, exposing Kaplan's life and youth. A fine achievement, Why I'm Like This will reach a wide and appreciative audience.
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