Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life

Author: Ali Wong

Publish Date: October 15th, 2019

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Book Review

Dear Girls is a compilation of the letters written by an American actress, stand-up comedian, and writer Ali Wong to her young daughters Mari and Nikki. Her letters are about her life as a child and a teenager, her struggles as an aspiring stand-up comedian, advice for living best life, confessions, food, dating, education, family, how she met her husband and how much she is proud of her Vietnamese and Chinese heritage and hence requested her girls to read this book only when they turn 21 years old.

Before Ali's father passed away after battling cancer and depression he left a note in a sealed envelope for her which began with "Dear Alexandra". She is very grateful for the letter her dad left but wished he had written more about himself. Hence she came up with an idea to write these letters for her daughters so that they will understand and know her better.

All in all this book is hilarious, heartfelt, uncensored in most of the places and Ali Wong has fearlessly written everything about her life. You do not have to know her to read this book and you will become her admirer once you finish this one. I knew very little about her before I started reading this book and now I am her fan. This book is a must-have and is like her classic stand up comedy in written form which is the best laughter remedy for difficult days and will instantly elevate your mood.

I recommend that every guy must read the last letter (chapter) of this book written by Ali Wong’s husband. It is so inspiring to see a person supporting his partner so selflessly. Here I am not saying that everyone should stop pursuing there career goals and it is not possible for everyone but supporting a little in our own way and as much as we can is so important in a relationship.

Synopsis

Ali Wong’s heartfelt and hilarious letters to her daughters (the two she put to work while they were still in utero) cover everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad.

In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so strongly that she even became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, Asian culture, working women, and why you never see new mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads.

The sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she’s learned from a life in comedy and reveals stories from her life off stage, including the brutal single life in New York (i.e. the inevitable confrontation with erectile dysfunction), reconnecting with her roots (and drinking snake blood) in Vietnam, tales of being a wild child growing up in San Francisco, and parenting war stories. Though addressed to her daughters, Ali Wong’s letters are absurdly funny, surprisingly moving, and enlightening (and gross) for all.