For those who are unfamiliar with Abbi Jacobson, firstly may I ask you to watch ‘Broad City, and secondly welcome back to embark on a journey with a remarkable book and equally remarkable title “I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff”
During lockdown, I did what most people did and binge-watched tv, I’d had Broad City on my watch list for so long, now was the time to get stuck in. Thank god I did for it is now one of my favorite shows. The comedy, the realism, the friendships, and all-round good feeling I get from this show are a number of reasons to go ahead and get stuck in. I won’t bore you anymore with my love for Illana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson the fantastic woman who created this fabulous TV show.
So how did I get stuck into the book and read it within days? Well, my reading pile is never-ending and I decided to skip the list and jump straight into Abbi. I’m so glad I did, have you ever read something and see yourself in parts of someone’s tale that you just hadn’t considered?
After a breakup with her longtime girlfriend, Abbi decides to heal her heartache by embarking on a three-week solo car trip driving from New York to LA…alone. The fun of this book is someone so successful has the same tiny thought processes concerns I do, she has lists in each form. I too feel the need to have to-do lists on Google Doc, Notes, and a good old-fashioned diary. It makes me feel accomplished, organized, and that I’m still achieving the things I set out to do. So how did family and friends react to her solo trip… a woman out alone?
There are so many anecdotes that need to be featured on here, made into shirts, and inspirational quotes on those posters you see on people’s Instagrams. For fans of Broad City, it’s a great way to get an insight into the developments of the show, and the success that it’s achieved across five seasons. For those who are creative, it feels like we have a dream that can be snatched away, diluted with people’s pessimism, and the fear of it never happening. Seeing the honest words from Abbi, someone who has worked hard to achieve success really boosted my own thinking of how I see myself. Abbi highlights how a single woman will climb a step in her career, or reach an achievement not conformed to the standard life.
Abbi has a list of things she set out to do and not feel ashamed about, the main one: Congratulating herself on her own achievements. We are made to feel like talking about our achievements, particularly women come as bragging or gloating. Abbi’s celebrates one of her personal big achievements; celebrating buying a house all on her own, she took to a bar with her best friend, who told the barman we’re celebrating tonight in. He replied ‘Which one of you ladies got engaged’ leading to a reminder of what she didn’t have in a moment of pure joy and a big achievement was dashed by an assuming remark. As she states it wasn’t his fault to assume, however, had it been a guy they assumed he’d reached big in his job with a promotion.
The book contains essays, honest thoughts, and illustrations by Abbi during her time on the road. The thing I took away as those who we look up to, have the same thoughts and feelings regardless of how successful they are. Abbi takes you on this journey with her, you are with her dining alone in a couples B&B, you are there when she reflects on her relationships, you are on her ups and downs. It’s open and honest with her fans, but more importantly shows that no matter age, or what part of your journey live life for you.
And with sensational quotes such as my personal favorite “Mediocrity isn’t a part of the successful women’s handbook, but I’m sorry, boys, for you it is. Women have to push harder, jump farther, stay later, think better, shit faster, all while trying their best to maintain whatever society says today their body should look like, how they should parent, what they should wear when they should find love, what’s inappropriate for them to do, say, be, feel, or fuck. The outward pressures are constant, but the inward congestion of doubts and insecurities are sometimes louder—women really can have it all!”
To those who feel different from their friends in what they want in life, to those who are striving for success in unconventional jobs, looking for advice, or those looking for a good laugh and much-needed escape from the current global mess we are in, reach for this book. Not only do you get that much-needed delve into her world, but a well deserved read as well.
So I shall finish on this “Maybe we never fully figure it out. Maybe it keeps changing. Sometimes we’re the swimmer, sometimes the one being swam into.”All this is to say, I’m somewhere in between. Everyone is. It’s all acceptable and it’s all bullshit and it’s all powerfully important.“
Follow Abbi Jacobson on her social media:
Instagram: abbijacobson
Shop ‘I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff’: Waterstones
Broad city is available to binge over on Amazon Prime
*If like Nathan and myself you’re doing the Goodreads challenge let us know your progress, goals you’ve set, or what books we need to be reading!*
