"Michelle Buteau is one of the funniest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet in my entire life. Not since the ferocity I had at 12 years old elbowing fellow readers of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban out of the way for my copy have I been as excited for a new title as I am for Michelle’s book, Survival of The Thickest. But unlike J.K. Rowling, Michelle won’t let us down because nobody's comedy or inclusion shines brighter than Michelle’s!" —Jonathan Van Ness, hair dresser and star of the Netflix series Queer Eye
Description
*Now a comedy series on Netflix!*
From the stand-up comedian, actress, and host beloved for her cheeky swagger, unique voice, and unapologetic frankness comes a book of “zesty and hilarious” (Publishers Weekly) essays for fans of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling and We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union.
If you’ve watched television or movies in the past couple of years, you’ve seen Michelle Buteau. With scene-stealing roles in Always Be My Maybe, First Wives Club, Someone Great, Russian Doll, and Tales of the City; a reality TV show and breakthrough stand-up specials, including her headlining show Welcome to Buteaupia on Netflix; and two podcasts (Late Night Whenever and Adulting), Michelle’s star is on the rise. You’d be forgiven for thinking the road to success—or adulthood or financial stability or self-acceptance or marriage or motherhood—has been easy, but you’d be wrong.
Now, in Survival of the Thickest, Michelle reflects on growing up Caribbean, Catholic, and thick in New Jersey, going to college in Miami (where everyone smells like pineapple), her many friendship and dating disasters, working as a newsroom editor during 9/11, getting started in stand-up opening for male strippers, marrying into her husband’s Dutch family, IVF and surrogacy, motherhood, chosen family, and what it feels like to have a full heart, tight jeans, and stardom finally in her grasp.
Reviews
"If you think actress Buteau (“Russian Doll,” “Tales of the City”) is funny on-screen, wait until you see her on the page.” —The Washington Post
“Michelle Buteau is one of the funniest comedians out there right now… A brilliant, uproarious memoir. This is the kind of read that shows us a woman who owns all that she is—her heartbreak, her humor, her struggle, her sexuality—and who makes other women want to do the same… Get ready to laugh out loud and feel like you've made a new friend. Pro tip: get the audio book to listen to Buteau narrate her life with her perfect and awe-inspiring delivery.” —Shondaland
“Hilarious—like, snap-a-photo-of-a-page-and-send-it-to-friends funny. But this bracingly honest essay collection, in which Buteau insightfully reflects on everything from her body image to her interracial marriage to her difficult road to motherhood, is ultimately about the brave act of learning to love yourself.” —Real Simple