Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Mindy Kaling grew up near Boston as the daughter of immigrant parents who expected a lot and supported her completely. She describes herself as a nerdy, chubby child who loved comedy, watched Saturday Night Live obsessively and spent more time with her parents than with kids her age. In college at Dartmouth she found her people in an improv group and a comedy magazine.

After college she moved to New York with almost no money, working odd jobs, including a stint as a production assistant on a psychic's television show. With her friend Brenda Withers she wrote and performed Matt and Ben, a comic play in which the two women played Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and it became a surprise hit. That success led to Los Angeles and a job writing for The Office at twenty-four, where she also played Kelly Kapoor. Between the stories come lists and short essays on things like the rights and responsibilities of best friends, why you should not peak in high school and the strange rules of romantic comedies.

Fast and cheerful, ideal for dipping into. About 240 pages in paperback.