Selina800's Book Reviews

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

Author: Amy Schumer

Country: United Estates

Language: English

Genre: Autobiographical

Media Type: Hardcover, Paperbook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

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Hello everyone! It is finally here! After almost a month of buildup, the full book review of The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo is complete!

I would first like to apologise for the wait. I've recently moved into a new house, and when I finished the book, my family had recently bought it so there was a lot of moving going on. I had barely any time to do any leisure activities. Most of the time, when I did have some free time, I would just collapse. However, now we're here, and let's get on with the review!

As I stated in my previous review of this book, the subject matter that it tackles is quite varied but is very much entwined with who Amy Schumer is as a performer and a person. It is an autobiographical book, so the topics discussed are based on Schumer's life, but it is very relatable. Just because she made it to the top doesn't make her less human. She has her pros and cons, her achievements, her mistakes, etc.

One of the main subjects in the book is her highlighting the key moments of her career as a comedian: when she decided to become one, the moment when she realised that failure is part of growing as a performer, her first experience on tour... You get an inside look into these moments of her life and how she reflects on them now―the book was released in 2016―with her sense of humour.

I'm an aspiring actress so to me, reading this, helps me understand that the entertainment industry is very harsh, but that you shouldn't stop achieving your goals. Your strength is your persistence. Keep on trying because one day you may make it big. But even if you don't, that's okay. It doesn't mean you aren't good or you aren't worth it. You are the best no matter what! Love yourself! Some people will help you along the way. You don't have to do it all on your own. There are good people out there!

Another key theme is her family and her relationship with them. There are two things I would like to highlight on this: her troubled relationship with her mother, and her father, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.

She shows how her relationship with the two changed over time, for varying reasons. To be honest, I don't want to touch upon it because I feel it is very personal to the author―although she wrote about it in this book―. All I'll say is that her relationship with her mother became very much troubled after a succession of events involving her parent's marriage as well as choices her mother made, and her father, due to his illness, very much changed over time, making her relationship with him rather complicated, but no less filled with love and care. Amy Schumer goes into way more detail in the book and describes it way better than I ever could.

I already touched upon the matter of gun violence and Schumer's involvement in it in my previous review of the book, so I won't go into detail here, as well as the abusive relationship she was once in, which I spoke about in my Instagram Story.

But one last thing I would like to talk about is how well Amy Schumer balances her sense of humour and her comedy with the seriousness needed for certain topics. She could one moment be making a joke about her vagina, and the next she could be describing how terrified she felt about an ex-boyfriend. It's very dynamic, difficult to put down, and it is easy to pick up again even if you do. It offers a deep dive into Amy Schumer's life, full of advice, honesty and straightforwardness. It will make you laugh and cry.

If any of you get a chance to read this book, I can assure you it won't be a wasted read.

Thank you to all who took the time to read this review! See you in the next one!