Samantha Bee: I Know I Am, But What Are You?

From Publisher

I Know I Am But What Are You is a collection of candid, outspoken, laugh-out-loud funny essays from the much-loved Samantha Bee, the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Critics have called her sweet, adorable, and vicious. But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she's Canadian. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past.

My Take

Samantha Bee is irreverent, disgusting, and offensive.  And yet...

I kept reading.  I kept laughing. My 5 year old son spotted the lady in the bee costume and asked me to read to him, especially because I'd just let out a chuckle. He was fascinated by the back cover which featured Ken, two Barbies and Rainbow Brite and I can't even go there.  My 10 year old son walked in  on me reading and asked me what was so funny.  I'd been laughing again.  I didn't know it.

Written in chronological order, the essays detail her disturbing yet normal formative years.  Disturbing in that she had a crush on Jesus and fancied him to be like Kris Kristofferson.  Disturbing in that there were monologues discussing sexual verbs I did not understand. Offensive enough to close the book and repent for reading such offensive material then sell it on eBay.  And yet...

When faced with the choice of father-wrath for missing an important wedding and boyfriend-wrath in favor or teenage drama that, this time he really is serious, he will break up with you if you don't spend all day with him, never mind that you've listened to him breathe all night long, she makes the obvious choice.  I mean, really, what hormonal teenage girl hasn't considered punishing everybody she loves by killing herself?

I laughed until I had tears rolling down my cheeks.  I understand the meaning of "Canadian" much more clearly.  I am alarmed at the irony that a U.S. political pundit uses Samantha Bee as a senior-senior correspondent.  I am even more alarmed that being a "senior" means that she feels she has to defend Rock Hudson's sexual preference and she owned more than one satin shell jacket.

Mine was blue.

Highly offensive material in this book including comparisons between Jon Bon Jovi and David B. Roth and choosing David B. Roth over Bon Jovi while in her formative years.  I'm certain she'd be stunned to know that there actually are rainbow sweater survivors who knew that Bon Jovi had an ageless sex appeal and staying power.

Samantha Bee articulates many of the thought processes the generation x -ers were too awkward to formulate.  She also articulates experiences some generation x-ers were too innocent to comprehend.  I would not recommend this book to anybody, in good conscience.

In bad conscience, I do insist that those who read in public or who have children remove the dustcover.  Also, if reading in public, prepare a cover story for those annoying people who just can't seem to leave the book lover alone.  You know the ones.  They see a person reading and run right over to ask what you're reading, what is it about, is it good, and then begin to highlight the chronicles of Twilight's Edward.

Rated R - NC-17

4 and half stars.