Book Review: I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, by Rachel Bloom (2020)

 

The awesome cover of I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, by Rachel Bloom, 2020.

Rachel Bloom on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Rachel Bloom is an actress, singer, and comedian best known for her work as the creator and star of the musical TV show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. In November 2020, Bloom published I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, a book that details her life from musical theater fan to TV star. Throughout the book, Bloom is candid and open about her struggles with mental health and anxiety.

From the earliest chapters of I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, which detail her childhood, it’s clear that Bloom was a highly creative person who marched to the beat of her own drum. Bloom kept a childhood diary, some of which we get to see in the book. We also get to experience some of her teenage poetry. She doesn’t mention if she tried her hand at writing songs during her teenage years, though.

I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are is ultimately a book about self-acceptance, as Bloom leans into what makes her different from the “normal people.” There’s no way Crazy Ex-Girlfriend would have become the cult hit that it is, or even become a show at all, without Rachel Bloom’s unique comedic and musical sensibilities.

It’s fascinating to read about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s journey to TV screens. As Bloom writes, “I cannot emphasize enough how unprepared I was for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to be ordered to series. On May 3, 2015, it was a dead Showtime pilot and on May 10, 2015, I was boarding a plane to New York City to announce the TV series to press.” (p.205) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend did seem a little scattershot that first season, and no doubt this shortened timeframe was probably part of the reason why.

One of my favorite chapters in the book was the one narrated by Bloom’s dog, titled “The Night that I Won a Golden Globe as Described by My Dog Who Couldn’t Give Less of a Shit.” It’s just as funny as it sounds, trust me. Oh, and you’ll have to go to Bloom’s website (or listen to the audiobook) to hear the chapter that’s entirely sung.

If you’re a fan of Rachel Bloom’s, you’ll definitely enjoy learning much more about her in I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are.