Samantha Bee could be the love child of David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler, if such a thing were possible (which it’s totally not). And in her memoir, Bee, who is currently the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, does not disappoint.
She takes us through the entrails of her childhood upbringing in Toronto, Ontario, her college years, her married years (to fellow TDS correspondent Jason Jones), and myriad experiences with animals throughout her life. Upon reading the first story, which is about Bee attending day camp when she was eight, one might think to herself, “Oh, I don’t know about this,” but just keep on truckin’. I assure you, the book delves deeper, becoming funnier–and way, way dirtier–than your wildest dreams. I Know I Am takes us there, brings us back, and then takes us there a few more times. One story begins, “There’s really nothing creepier than going somewhere with one of your parents and having people think you are together, as a couple. Of lovers. Who do it. With each other.” Her compositions mainly deal with everyday situations, if you consider being a witness to accidental penis-flashing, dressing like Sailor Moon for a living, and knowing at age nine what a sex act called the Cincinnati Bowtie is all about to be the norm. There’s no turning back for the thrill-seeking reader after something like that, and honestly, who would want to?
