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1-Page Summary of Yes Please
Overview
Amy Poehler’s memoir, Yes Please, is a humorous book that combines autobiographical essays and memories. She writes about her childhood and her career in improvisational comedy. She also shares advice from some of the people who have influenced her life. It begins with Poehler’s childhood and explores how she got involved in acting when she was younger. Then it covers more recent events such as her time on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and Parks & Recreation. As a child, Amy Poehler played Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz at school, which taught her that an actor can say anything onstage to get a reaction out of the audience. When Poehler said lines while holding Toto, everyone laughed because they thought he was there too; this made Poehler realize that she wanted to make them laugh again but intentionally this time instead of by accident.
After high school, she attended Boston College where she encountered improvisational comedy. It was there that her love of improv began. She loves to try new things and be brave in the face of uncertainty.
Poehler advises everyone to find their own strengths and use them. She did this by ignoring the negative voices in her head, which allowed her to follow her passion for sketch comedy, improvisation, and writing.
Amy Poehler and Will Arnett had two sons, Archie and Abel. The birth of their first child was a memorable experience for the SNL writers because it happened in the middle of her stint on the show. Amy’s mother Eileen recalls what happened when Amy was born.
Poehler worked on Saturday Night Live. She did a joke about a disabled person, but she later found out that the character was based on a real person. She regretted having made the joke and not checking facts at the time. So, she tracked down and apologized to that woman. The woman graciously forgave her for making such an insensitive remark without knowing it was offensive to people with disabilities. From this experience, Poehler learned how important compassion is as well as forgiveness and apologizing when you make mistakes in life.
After ten years of marriage, Poehler and Will Arnett got a divorce. In this memoir, she doesn’t offer any details about her divorce but creates a list of potential book titles that could be used to write about it. These potential book titles reveal what she thinks about the experience.
Poehler began her career in improv. She moved to Chicago in 1993 and worked at the Improv Olympic Theater, where she met Tina Fey. Poehler also toured with Second City improvisers but didn’t work with Seth Meyers until later on in her career. In 1997, UCB members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh all left Chicago for New York.
Poehler grew up in a happy, loving family. She had one friend named Keri who was more adventurous and exciting than Poehler’s own family. From her friendship with Keri, she learned that it was fun to have some excitement in life but not to the point of fear or pain. She also learned that being the center of attention is fun when you’re handcuffed together during class time by mistake and can’t get out until someone finds the key later on.
Poehler was hired to work on SNL in August of 2001. She met Will Arnett and they got married, worked with Tina Fey, and began working with Seth Meyers. She also met Mike Schur who created the show Parks and Recreation on which Poehler starred.
Poehler’s essay on mothers who work outside the home and those who stay at home with their children is about how both options are valid. She worked while her kids were young, but she hired nannies to help care for them in her absence. Poehler also offers advice on sex for men and women. Some of it is humorous, such as her advice that married women should have sex with their husbands from time to time. Some of it is straightforward, such as advising men to be kind to the women in their lives.
