Publishers Weekly
10/31/2016
In this snarky collection of personal essays, actress Kendrick recounts her early years as a theater-loving kid from Portland, Maine, who became a Hollywood “It Girl.” Since Kendrick is only 31, much of her reminiscing is concentrated on her not-so-distant childhood, beginning with her first role, at age six, in a community production of Annie. Unlike many child stars, Kendrick had a fairly normal childhood: she went to school, where she was the uncool kid (few people at home were impressed when she tried bragging about going to Sundance Film Festival). She details her desire to be in a period piece and how she got her wish with 2014’s In the Woods, telling an amusingly self-deprecating anecdote about costumes. Style is a theme, but not in the usual way of so many Hollywood memoirs. Most adult actors don’t detail how they could shop at the kids’ section of stores like L.L. Bean (let alone be caught dead at L.L. Bean) or admit that they don’t adore fashion, but in many ways Kendrick is a refreshing outlier. When she gives advice, such as how not to make eye contact with the press during film junkets, she displays real wit and comic timing on the page. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"This A-list firecracker does it all—blockbusters, indies, dramas, musicals, and, now, a memoir—with sleight-of-hand dexterity and fearsome wit. . . . Scrappy Little Nobody is a fizzy, funny collection of personal essays that very successfully approximates what it’s like to spend time with Kendrick (long a Twitter fave, now to more than 5 million) and, as such, seems likely to have extremely widespread appeal." —ELLE
"Scrappy Little Nobody lets readers feel like they have spent an afternoon chatting with their closest friend." —Booklist
"Of the pantheon of funny, smart, strong screen women to write a memoir, Anna Kendrick’s is a welcome, entertaining and endearingly honest installment." —The Guardian
"Kendrick writes essays about her life in the witty, self-deprecating voice that's made her a must-follow on Twitter." —Time
"Kendrick has won legions of fans for her movies and her quips on Twitter, and her wit continues in this collection of autobiographical essays recounting some of the most memorable, charming, and even relatable moments of her life—from growing up in New England suburbia to working her way up to become one of Hollywood’s darlings." —Buzzfeed
“[Kendrick] writes an honest, effortlessly funny and alternatively relatable and aspirational reflection on her personal and professional life to date. Her essays jump from grade school reminiscences to Louis Vuitton Oscar parties to the typical highs and lows of adult dating life, revealing the witty, talented and disarmingly real girl behind the Hollywood name.” —Harper’s Bazaar
“The Pitch Perfect star can sing, act, and write hilarious tweets. Fortunately she’s imbued the pieces in Scrappy Little Nobody with that same humor.” —Entertainment Weekly
“This collection of essays about the life of everyone's favorite actress Anna Kendrick will have you laughing for days. After all, this is the woman who could even make Twilight funny.” —Bustle
"[Kendrick] displays real wit and comic timing on the page." —Publishers Weekly
"I had a giant smile on my face the entire time I was reading Scrappy Little Nobody." —Brooklyn Paper
NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile
Actress Anna Kendrick narrates her wry and witty collection of autobiographical essays about growing up in Portland, Maine—or not growing, as a constant theme is that of being small; she’s 5’2”. Her quick pace, sometimes sarcastic tone, and unmistakably familiar voice enhance funny and shrewd reflections on her ordinary girl’s life. (Apparently even stars have to attend the hell of middle school.) Moving briskly, she depicts entertaining scenes filled with dialogue, creating an array of distinct voices for those who populated her past, often ruefully recounting years-old slights with impressive detail. Self-described as a “very, very small weirdo,” the author entertains listeners with her tales of early friendships, playground battles, and discovering her calling as an actress. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-09-17
The autobiography of a Mainer who hit the big time in Hollywood.Born and raised in Portland, Maine, Kendrick started acting professionally at a very young age when she landed a part in a community theater production of Annie. From there, she scored other parts in a variety of plays and eventually wound up in Hollywood, where she's had roles in the Twilight and Pitch Perfect series and Up in the Air, among other movies. "My entire personality was fully formed by the time I was three, writes the author. I was an obstinate, determined little ball of anxiety. Id thought of myself as fearful and shrinking in childhood but I was often single-minded and pugnacious. From age three onward I have been practical and skeptical and occasionally more courageous than I have any right to be." Kendrick blends her discussion of how she entered into the acting business with commentary on events in her childhood, most of which are typical. She covers her small stature, her friends and enemies in grade school, her crushes on a number of boys, how she learned about fashion and stylists in Hollywood, what it was like to work with famous actors like George Clooney, and a host of other, often mundane details of her life. Because she was a child actor, most of Kendricks stories are focused on her early, formative years when she had to balance work and trying to live a somewhat normal childhood. Unfortunately, her attempts at humor often fall flat, making her sound unnecessarily snarky instead of funny, and her overall tone borders on self-obsessed. Fans of Kendrick and those infatuated with knowing the personal details of a celebrity's life will enjoy finding out how the author rose to stardom; others may find the content less than entertaining. Thanks to her hard work, Kendrick is a scrappy little somebody now, but she should stick to acting. The intimate and semi-entertaining details of an actors childhood and her rise to stardom in Hollywood.
