Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth


My 2 cents:

I love it when friends hand me books to read and review. It's still a thrill, especially if it's a crisp, new book with white, un-smeared pages.

So a friend recommended Ali in Wonderland recently by Ali Wentworth, who's a pretty, blonde comedienne, a mother of two, and wife to George Stephanopoulos. And very funny. Wentworth's book is a memoir, but not really a life-story. It's more a bunch of random stories about her life, from her childhood in Washington, DC through boarding school, post-college adventures, work experiences and some engagements (I lost count of how many, exactly), to her life now in New York City

 Hands-down, the funniest story in Wentworth's book is when she tells about the time her mother forced her to run away from home with her older sister, who was recuperating (miserably) from back surgery and wearing a full-body cast . . . in the summer. The older sister made a deal with Ali that if Ali could make her laugh, she would return home in time for the Brady Bunch on TV (it was Friday night). Ali kept the deal. A graveyard, trash bag and underwear were involved.

Besides being really entertaining, Wentworth's memoir is also a soulful tribute to the strong,”genetically-dominant” women in her life, especially her mother, whose name is, ironically, Muffie. Ali in Wonderland, even the acknowledgments, made me laugh.

Length: 243 pages

Worth Your Time? Yes, for the graveyard story with her run-away sister alone. This book is classified as Adult Biography, but high schoolers interested in comedy will enjoy it


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