If you were raised in the religion that is musical theater, enjoy a healthy obsession with sex and never for one moment have forgotten what middle school feels like, have I got a treat for you ... This frank, freewheeling book is worth it, even if you’re a reviewer a full quarter-century older than Bloom who had to Google the lyrics of Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid to find the line that inspired the book’s title. I didn’t mind. The truths here about love, sex and anxiety, about the silence around the female body (who knew how hard it was to get the word clitoris on network TV!) have no particular time stamp ... reminds us just how much the world needs thoughtful, playful art, especially during a pandemic.
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are is a uniquely fun read in part because of the way that Bloom frequently switches formats. One chapter is a screenplay about why she loves theater, while another is a poem apologizing to all her former roommates for being terrible to live with, and she sprinkles excerpts from her real childhood diaries throughout. In addition to the laugh-out-loud portions, Bloom is brutally honest about her shortcomings, self-aware about her quirky approach to life and candid about the years of therapy that have helped her live with OCD.The conclusion Bloom reaches, of course, is that there’s really no such thing as normal. Perhaps even more to the point—who wants to be normal when you could live life as loudly and fully as Rachel Bloom?
In this sometimes snarky yet always deeply thoughtful memoir, Bloom revisits the highs and lows of her life, from bullying and heartache to comedy, theater, and loss. She describes cruel classmates and even harsher teachers, imbuing stories of misery with hilarity. Self-deprecating and utterly candid, she holds little back ... reading the tales feels like bingeing a riotously funny television show ... A relatable and touching memoir that will resonate both with Bloom’s fans and those unfamiliar with her work.
With whip-smart candor and disarming energy, Bloom writes pieces that range in form from confessional essays to a time-travel play to a pop quiz about a lion attack to a contribution from her dog, Wiley, and each captures the infectious, frantic, and very funny voice of a grown-up theater-kid weirdo. Fans of her show and former and current nerds of all stripes will see themselves in Bloom’s story ... The end of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has not dulled its fans’ enthusiasm, and, really, anyone who made it out of adolescence alive will appreciate Bloom’s insights.
... Bloom combines irreverent humor with childhood journal entries in this entertaining essay collection ... while a few of her bits fall short, many of her reflections are spot-on. Fans of My Crazy Ex Girlfriend will want to give this a look.
... [an] offbeat compendium of personal moments ... Bloom includes childhood diary entries, poetry, and drawings as well as a snarky sample resume for aspiring actors, and she maintains a certain diffident note as she rambles along. The book was written before the pandemic, when the idea of 'normal' was still possible. Thankfully, the author shares a relevant afterword that helps balance the silliness and eccentricities of the scattered narrative. Fans of the TV show will enjoy learning the backstory about the creator and star, but general readers won’t find much to appeal here ... Bloom’s comedic talent doesn’t translate to the page—at least not yet. Check back as her career continues to mature.
