As to be expected from a stand-up comedian, this book was incredibly funny. Less expected, but pleasantly surprising was how poignant it also was at times.

IrishCentral.com selected MAEVE IN AMERICA as September's pick for its monthly book club. Maeve Higgins moved to the U.S. a few years ago and writes about being an Irish immigrant, a comedian and a woman.

Like many good authors of memoirs, Maeve Higgins does, in my opinion, many important things. First, she writes well; accessible, memorable, funny, challenging. Second, she has a voice that I can hear in my head. Strange but true, her voice is so authentic that I can understand, sympathize, empathize, and feel as if she is speaking to me. At the same time she shares her personal journey as a comedian, immigrant, activist, aunt, sister, friend in such a way that the reader can find herself unconsciously nodding, smiling, frowning, silently saying " I know, right?" You don't need to be a woman, or Irish, or funny, (or hate your hair-- we all do, be honest!) to enjoy Maeve in America, you just will.

Funny insight into Maeve Higgins's move to America. I had not read or listened to her before, but I really enjoyed her humor.

I will confess that I had never heard of Maeve Higgins prior to writing this book. I am glad that I gave it a chance, though, because Higgins is hilarious and I'm looking forward to seeking out more of her work in whatever form it might take. She's self-deprecating in a charming way, very Irish, and extremely thoughtful - the essay about her attempts to make her podcast about immigrants into something comedic is frustrating (because you want to throttle her producers) and beautiful all at once. She's not quite David Sedaris, but she's pretty great.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maeve Higgins has a hilarious and wise podcast, and her Instagram is always creative and clever. However, I found this book to be a weak outline of who she is and what her ideals are. They are there, but they aren't great, and her little stories seem silly. This is definitely a personality I would recommend should be listened to live (or at least podcast live) as her lively humor doesn't come across well on the page.

I did enjoy reading more about growing up in Cobh Ireland, where so many Irish immigrants set sail for other lives in the United States.