In his record setting 14 year stint on
Saturday Night Live, Hammond did 107 impressions, most famously Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Chris Mathews, and Sean Connery. I watched many of those episodes live and in reruns and was always impressed with how accurate he was with so many diverse and very real people. In this autobiography, Hammond explains what he looks for and how he prepares each new impression as well as all of the hard work so many people contribute to put a new episode of
SNL on air each week. As a long time
SNL fan, I really enjoyed his explanations of how the writers, performers, make-up, hair, wardrobe, interns, hosts, and Lorne Michaels work together to make it all look so fun and effortless. He doesn't throw any of his former colleagues under the bus and even has good things to say about the hosts with whom he appeared.
However, the most compelling part of Hammond's autobiography is his continuing fight with mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, and cutting due to his physical and psychological torture by his parents all through his childhood growing up in Melbourne, FL. His mother was a cruel and damaged person who took out her demons on her son, even when he was a toddler, by cutting his tongue with a knife, slamming his hands in doors, and more. She said awful things to him and purposely scared him. Hammond's father was a vet from WWII and Korea who suffered from flashbacks and untreated PTSD and constantly threatened to kill people who made him mad, even his own son. His rages were terrifying, and Hammond coped by drinking beer at a young age and escaping into baseball, which his father loved. His impressions also started at a young age, as that was how he was able to connect with his mother, who also liked to do impressions of their neighbors. The only love he felt as a boy was from the family's African-American maid, Myrtise, to whom this book in dedicated.
Hammond's road to
SNL was a long one; he was 39 when he was hired. How he got there and stayed so long while battling mental illness and substance abuse throughout his tenure is fascinating, sad, horrifying, and incredibly impressive. I highly recommend this book, especially to
SNL fans. Hammond is a true survivor. 273 pages.
![The Princess Diarist by [Fisher, Carrie]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jrCy4jbkL.jpg)
I love Carrie Fisher. I love her sense of humor. She's so sassy.
I loved listening to the parts when Seth Meyers and Michael Schur sat in while Amy read chapters about them. I loved listening to her talk about Parks and Rec.
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle
This book is the true story of a person changing genders. The author, Jennifer Finney Boylan, began her male to female transition in 2000. This memoir tells Boylan’s story of the secret she lived with for so many years and how she finally admitted she could no longer escape its powerful hold on her. It is also so much more. It is a story about the power of love and acceptance. It is humorous, touching, thought provoking, and sometimes sad. Originally published in 2003, this second edition published in 2013 includes sections written by Boylan’s best friend, novelist Richard Russo, and by Boylan’s wife Deirdre, as well as an update from Boylan herself. The message of this book is best summed up in a passage from a letter Boylan wrote and sent to family, friends, and colleagues explaining her transsexualism and journey from Jim to Jenny: “. . . [W]e all have dragons to slay in life. This one is mine. I hope that doing so will provide a model to others on how to find the bravery to be true to oneself, even if it means doing something that seems impossible.” 322 pages.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Better Than New: How Saving Old Homes Saved Me by Nicole Curtis
Saving Alex: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That's When My Nightmare Began by Alex Cooper
