Girl Walks Into A Bar by Rachel Dratch

Rachel Dratch is best known for her years on SNL (Debbie Downer) and recurring cameos on 30 Rock. Her new autobiography, Girl Walks Into a Bar, is her hysterically funny journey through show business and comedy.

She really is laugh-out-loud funny, and having seen her comedy for so long, I could hear her deliver the lines as I read them. She is very self-deprecating and tells of her struggle to break into theatre, comedy, SNL, and her rise to the middle.

She applied for theatre at Dartmouth and was turned down the first time. She joined the Second City comedy troupe and got in on the second try. After ten years touring with Second City, she landed her dream job on SNL (after the second try) and was there for seven years doing her memorable characters like the classic Debbie Downer. She has many great anecdotes about how the show runs, comedy writing, and working with the cast. After leaving SNL, she went to film the pilot for 30 Rock where she played Jenna.

"Have you guys seen 30 Rock? Yeah... I'm not Jenna."

After filming the pilot and a few shows, the network 'went in another direction' with Jane Krakowski. Rachel stayed on in recurring parts as a Russian hooker, blue man, and the cat wrangler, and had to see Jane refilm the part she had already filmed. Wah Waaah...

Now she is offered all the unattractive lesbian and/or secretary roles in rom-coms and indie films, and talks about the hilarious adventure of dating and all the creepy dates she went on.

Then one day, she walks into a bar and meets John. After just 6 months of long-distance dating, she finds out she's pregnant, and he moves to New York. Her take on the unplanned pregnancy and the world that goes with parenthood is really funny, including chapters like How To Care For Your F-in Baby. After years of going to all her girlfriends' baby showers, she has her own to deal with.

I thought this was a laugh-out-loud book. Along the same lines as Tina Fey's Bossypants, with lots of heart and great one-liners. A real treat.

2012 / Hardcover / 272 pages