I'm Fine...And Other Lies

Starred review from October 23, 2017
Cummings, comedian and cocreator of the television shows Whitney and 2 Broke Girls, shows in this witty and sincere memoir how she learned to use humor early on, both to get attention as the youngest and to deflect familial cruelty. She recounts getting an embarrassing bowl haircut when she was eight that put her on the receiving end of a “Cummings family roast” for months; this taught her to stay strong and laugh it off, but that practice slowly destroyed her self-esteem. Cummings is a gifted storyteller, skillfully mixing funny anecdotes—about her dogs, the men she’s dated, and the strippers she’s tried to help with money and career advice—with several truly harrowing moments. She writes honestly of the self-inflicted suffering she endured during a 15-year bout with an eating disorder, the near-rape by an ex-boyfriend, and an assault by a stranger after which she didn’t think to seek therapy. When she eventually began working with a therapist later in life, she found one who encouraged her discuss the incident for the first time. She also learned to identify damaging behavior patterns using, among other tools, the Grinberg Method, which encourages people to cry out repressed grief. Her experiences will resonate deeply with those who battle low self worth and codependency.