Synopsis:

In the vein of Mindy Kaling, Ali Wong, and Amy Poehler, a collection of hilarious personal essays, poems and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more from the charming and wickedly funny creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. 

Rachel Bloom has felt abnormal and out of place her whole life. In this exploration of what she thinks makes her “different,” she’s come to realize that a lot of people also feel this way; even people who she otherwise thought were “normal.”

In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star; Rachel writes about everything from her love of Disney, OCD and depression, weirdness, and female friendships to the story of how she didn’t poop in the toilet until she was four years old; Rachel’s pieces are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing).

I have to admit that it was only the title and cover that led me to request I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are. It was a few days after the most traumatic presidential election I’d ever experienced, and I thought: Yes, I, too, want to be where normal people are. Where is that? Does this Rachel Bloom have the answer? I must read it immediately and find out. I needed to laugh, and Rachel Bloom supplied that in plenty.

“If only I could say that my personality in hindsight was awesome and no one ‘got me,’ but this is disproved by the seventy-two DVDs’ worth of home movies that my mother gifted me on my thirtieth birthday. Thanks to these DVDs, I have concrete proof my personality was pretty insufferable.”

Rachel Bloom, I Wanna Be Where the Normal People Are

I wasn’t sure who Rachel Bloom even was when I requested this book, but I was pretty sure I’d seen the pilot episode of My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, the musical dramedy she co-created and starred in. I remembered thinking it was funny, and now I’m not sure why I didn’t watch more episodes. I’ll be remedying that soon!

The first half of the book is my favorite. It’s organized in a somewhat chronological order, so it starts with Rachel’s childhood and goes forward. I could identify with her stories of being bullied, feeling awkward, and coming to accept who she really is—and what that even means. It’s rewarding (and funny) to read how she learns to be happy with herself, and how she ultimately decides “normal” is overrated.

If you’re a ‘theater/theatre’ person, you’ll appreciate her essays on that, as well. She writes about being a woman in the theater, as well as being the only woman in a television writing room.