REVIEW: Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth @AliEWentworth @harpercollins

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2012

Growing up in a family of political journalists—and daughter of President Reagan’s White House social secretary—Ali Wentworth rebelled against her blue-blood upbringing, embracing Hollywood, motorcycles, even a few wildly inappropriate marriage proposals. Today she is an acclaimed comedic actress and writer, former Oprah regular, wife of political and media star George Stephanopoulos, and a mother who lets her two girls eat cotton candy before bed. Though she’s settled down, her rebellious nature thrives in her comedy and her view of her crazy world.
In this addictively funny and warm memoir, she takes us through the looking glass and into the wonderland of her life, from a childhood among Washington’s elite to a stint in the psych ward they called a New England prep school; days doing L.A. sketch comedy (with then-aspiring artists Will Ferrell and Lisa Kudrow) to a series of spectacularly failed loves (that eventually led her to Mr. Right). Constant throughout is her mother, Muffie—a flawlessly elegant yet firm, no-nonsense force of nature and pure WASP convictions.
As charming and off-the-wall as Ali herself, Ali in Wonderland is an entertaining look at life that is both intimate and hilarious.

AAbout the Author

Ali Wentworth made a name for herself on the comedy series In Living Color, and has appeared on such television shows as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; Seinfeld (playing Schmoopie in “The Soup Nazi” episode); Head Case (which she created, wrote, and executive-produced); and The Oprah Winfrey Show, for which she was a correspondent. Her film credits include Jerry Maguire,The Real Blonde, Office Space, The Love Bug, and It’s Complicated with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin.
A native of Washington, D.C., Wentworth lives in New York City with her husband, George Stephanopoulos, and their two girls. Follow Ali on Twitter: @AliEWentworth.

Details Hardcover: 272 pages Publisher: Harper (February 7, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0061998575 ISBN-13: 978-0061998577 SOURCE: Amazon Vine MY THOUGHTS ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT It has been a long time since I laughed this hard with an author, ok, I laughed at her, but the way she has told her story makes it hard not to laugh.  Seriously, there are some really funny things in this book.  When her older sister runs away from home, Ali follows her and they both agree that if she can make her laugh, Sissy will return home.  What transpires next will have you rolling on the floor when she explains how she put on a show on the side of the road, not realizing others were watching.  I don't recommend reading this book while you are near anyone since you will NOT be able to control yourself and may make a spectacle of yourself, but Ali would probably be right there to cheer you on.  I have a feeling that even though she grew up somewhat in the limelight, she was a natural performer and used humor to diffuse a lot of strange political situations. I really enjoyed her on In Living Color and even though she played the ditzy parts, she is far from that in real life.  Wentworth grew up in Washington DC and her mother was Reagan's social secretary, so you can image some of the stories that weren't included.  She did include a sweet story about Donald Rumsfeld and his dachshund, Reggie. Oh, yes, she talks about her DACHSHUNDS!  She currently has two and may or may not have had something to do with Jerry Seinfeld acquiring one of his own.  It doesn't matter what your politics are, there is something about a dachshund that cuts across all sorts of lines.   The book itself is a collection of essays, memories and thoughts on life.  I am so glad she wrote the book first and then asked her mother.  Although from some of the stories told in the book, I don't think even her mother could contain her.  Be sure to read the "interview" with her mother, Muffy Cabot, about her book release.  I really hope that there is more to come from this author since I am sure she has even more to share about her home life with George Stephanopoulos.  If you enjoy David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs, you will be quite pleased with the humor in this one.