Review: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick


scrappy-little-nobodyScrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

Published by: Touchstone

Date of Publication: November 15th 2016

Genres: Autobiography-Memoir-Humor

Pages: 271

Format: Audiobook

Rating:★★★★ (4.5)



Goodreads:

A collection of humorous autobiographical essays by the Academy Award-nominated actress and star of Up in the Air and Pitch Perfect.

Even before she made a name for herself on the silver screen starring in films like Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air, Twilight, and Into the Woods, Anna Kendrick was unusually small, weird, and “10 percent defiant.”

At the ripe age of thirteen, she had already resolved to “keep the crazy inside my head where it belonged. Forever. But here’s the thing about crazy: It. Wants. Out.” In Scrappy Little Nobody, she invites readers inside her brain, sharing extraordinary and charmingly ordinary stories with candor and winningly wry observations.

With her razor-sharp wit, Anna recounts the absurdities she’s experienced on her way to and from the heart of pop culture as only she can—from her unusual path to the performing arts (Vanilla Ice and baggy neon pants may have played a role) to her double life as a middle-school student who also starred on Broadway to her initial “dating experiments” (including only liking boys who didn’t like her back) to reviewing a binder full of butt doubles to her struggle to live like an adult woman instead of a perpetual “man-child.”

Enter Anna’s world and follow her rise from “scrappy little nobody” to somebody who dazzles on the stage, the screen, and now the page—with an electric, singular voice, at once familiar and surprising, sharp and sweet, funny and serious (well, not that serious).

the-audiobook-experience

I went into listening to Scrappy Little Nobody with very little expectations since besides Pitch Perfect, I really didn’t know much about Anna Kendrick. I did know that she was someone who I wanted to know more about, her on-screen presence giving you only hints of her actual personality. She’s one of the few funny ladies that I love watching yet I didn’t know why. In Scrappy Little Nobody, Kendrick completely obliterates any notion that she is fame ready & the belief that she’s this A-list celebrity reaping all the benefits of Hollywood stardom. Kendricks very humble beginnings set the stage for what was to come but it wasn’t easy and it was her fierce determination & hunger to do what she loves that got her to where she stands now. She invites us into her youth days when she auditioned for many small time plays, commercials, and movies. Like the time she played one of many supporting actors/actresses on the Twilight set as a corpse covered in blood. She didn’t turn her nose at any of the roles thrown her way but instead took them as an opportunity to fatten up her resumé. She tells us about a time she had been offered an audition in NY & her parents allowed her to take the metro to the city. The audition turned into a call-back and her parents paid for a hotel, called ahead and informed the hotel that they were certain to follow when in reality they just needed to be there for the following morning. After all, in show biz there are no rooms for excuses & a second chance is hard to come by. She jokes that whenever an actor/actress thinks to raise a complication or complaint, they are offered a glass of water…the show must go on. Anna washed her clothes in the hotel sink and used the $40 in cash her parents had given her to buy shoes from Payless. You can tell she is proud of these humble beginnings and this made me love her all the more for it. Later in her career, Kendrick began to generate some buzz and with it came roles like Up In The Air alongside George Clooney, a film that went on to win many Academy awards. All throughout, she lets us know that she by no means had her life together while starring in these films. She was however, a struggling actress living paycheck to paycheck and it was reflected in the simple clothing she wore and in the small apartment she shared with 2 of her friends. The well put together Anna we saw on the red carpet was polished hours before we saw her. She was often left in awe at some of the clothes & jewelry that she was allowed to wear, mostly rentals because of the price tag but nonetheless it didn’t go unnoticed by her that these were indicators of her progress in making her dreams come true. All throughout she remains humble, giving us an inside look on what it takes to make it when you come from nothing. I had many laugh out loud moments listening to hilarious takes of her trying to get a scene right only to have it cut as a whole, leaving her physically bruised but never defeated. She speaks on body issues, being a smaller size was never easy and she’s honest about the teasing & challenges that shopping presented. I love her resilience & fighter personality. I found myself rooting for her whenever she found herself confronted with a bully or an awkward situation with one of the guys she was dating. Scrappy Little Nobody is a title that fits this book so perfectly that now that i’ve finished it, I can’t imagine it being named anything else…

thoughts-super-cropped

I don’t think i’ve ever understood friends or strangers when i’ve heard them say they wished a certain celebrity was their real life friend lol. After finishing Scrappy Little Nobody, Anna Kendrick is now this person for me. She is one of the few rare gems that shine and just aren’t aware of it. Anna narrated Scrappy Little Nobody herself & the sincerity is there. I felt her awkwardness in many situations and also her eagerness & motivation to do what she loves. Like many of us, she works on being comfortable in her own skin and including this made her only more relatable. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t easy to experience some of the things mentioned in her book, but they seem to have been a contributing factor in the wonderful human being she is today. I’ve never once looked at her on screen & thought her weak or small or less than. I get now, that what I loved about her while admittedly knowing very little about her, is her energy and fighter attitude. I’ve added Up In The Air on my queue, a movie that i’ve stayed away from because I find movies about cancer patients to hit too close to home. In her book, she lets us know that neither the cast or herself thought this movie would win anything & it came as a huge surprise when it did. I’d like to see her performance & will definitely be following her career in acting since I love what i’ve seen so far…btw i’d check out her Twitter, she is seriously funny on Twitter she isn’t kidding haha!

7041930Born in: Portland, Maine, The United States 
August 09, 1985
Anna Kendrick is an American actress and singer, born and raised in Portland, Maine. She is widely known for her roles in The Twilight Saga, Up in the Air, and Pitch Perfect. Throughout her acting career, Kendrick has received various awards and nominations.
Twitter
AnnaKendrick47

Author: LairOfBooks

"I didn't choose the Book Life, the Book Life chose me"

39 thoughts on “Review: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick”

  1. Wow she does sound humble and sweet! 🙂 I admit I never understood the whole concept of “I’d like *add superstar name* to be my BFF” thing because what we see on screen or on carpets is so far from real life, but Anna seems genuine and fun. Great review! It sounds like a great audiobook to check!

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    1. right?!?! I never understood that & view them like any other human being. Listening to Anna was a pleasant experience. She has loads of funny stories but through it all she’s just really cool & down to earth in a genuine way. I had a few moments on the train where I outright snorted & then red faced moved to the next cart lol. It’s a good one when you’re feeling meh, hope you enjoy it if you decide to pick it up 😉

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  2. I love love love Anna!! She’s one of my faves! I love how she started from nothing, I definitely didn’t know that. I feel like Anna would be the perfect friend cause she would get our sarcasm lol. Happy you got to know her more through this book which I am hoping to pick up in 2017 =D

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    1. LMAO! she would ABSOLUTELY get our sarcasm, OMG Gretchen the audiobook had me in fits & giggles at the most random of times. I was the only person at the gym last weekend, on the treadmill smiling like a fool. They must’ve thought I was enjoying the physical pain smh far from it LOL. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did 😉

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  5. I love Anna Kendrick. I didn’t know she had an autobiography/biography out but if I ever decide I want to start reading them hers will be at the top of my list! I’ve always loved her as an actress, and she does seem like such a down to Earth person as well. Definitely the kind of celebrity it would be great to meet in real life! 😀
    I’m glad you enjoyed this book Lilly! It must have been great finding out more about her roots and where she came from as well. It’s so amazing that she’s so proud of where she came from as well, and just makes it all the more amazing where she’s ended up in terms of her career! 😀

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    1. Thanks Beth 😃 It was a fun and quick audiobook (maybe 7 hours) but she delivered a while serving of personality. Down to earth & just humble about it all. She never comes off as braggy & fully admits that she’s still getting used to certain things. I LOVE how she talks about her parents, they seem super supportive. Her dad which I forgot to mention, was big on making sure his baby girl wasn’t taken advantage of or overworked when she was just a kid. Both her parents wanted her to enjoy her childhood but also support her dreams. A great place to start if you ever decide to pick up a autobiography 😉💕

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      1. I’ve never gotten an audiobook before. Not sure it’s really for me but I have said I’ll try it out one day. 🙂
        She sounds like a wonderful person, and this sounds like a wonderful book as well being able to hear all about her life and everything that’s happened to her so far. That’s great about her parents. You want parents to be supportive but at the same time still be there for you and it sounds like hers were.
        If I decide to start autobiographies then this will be the first on my list then! 🙂 ❤️

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  7. I’m excited for this book and I’m definitely picking it up on audio, so it’s great that you enjoyed it! I’ve been a fan of hers since Pitch Perfect but like you, also didn’t really know her beyond those movies (and Twilight, I guess). But I’m keen to – she sounds so fun and sweet and I’m glad that came across in her book. Great review, Lilly. ❤

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    1. Thanks Reg 😊💕I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, she doesn’t come off as any different honestly. Very funny & just down to earth, I’m about to watch Pitch Perfect 2 now 😊💕

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      1. Thanks, I hope so too! I already got the audiobook so all that needs to be done is to start listening. I’m excited. 🙂

        And yeees PLEASE. I actually love PP2 more than PP1 – I think the songs are more my jam. 😂

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    1. I would absolutely recommend the audiobook, I do t think I would’ve appreciated it as much if I had read the physical. I’m probably still going to try and get the physical on bargain for my shelves since I LOVED it so much. When it comes to comedienne memoirs I have tried and failed physical copies (Mindy Khaling & Lena Dunham). Once I switched over I realized that these were stories I needed to hear & not read 😉💕

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      1. That’s completely reasonable. I am more likely to laugh if I have something read to me than if I’m reading it– particularly with comedienne work! For some reason, the joke just doesn’t translate well in my head otherwise.
        Thanks for the tip- I’m putting the audiobook on hold at the library!

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    1. Thanks Liz, I’ve listened to a few memoirs by actors/actresses…Anna Kendrick & Jenny Lawson are my top fave though just because they seem most sincere & don’t hold back saying whatever comes to mind inappropriate or not lol.

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  10. Anna Kendrick is one of my favorite actresses! I didn’t even know she had a book out. Although, I rarely read biographies so that might be why 🙈. I’m going to have to get my hands on this and read it. She sounds like a fantastic person and so humble. Great review, Lilly! 😊

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    1. Thank you Melissa, I’m actually on my way to your blog now. My day at work was INSANE to say the least & I had your review open the entire afternoon on one of my zillion tabs 😩lol. Gave up & saved for now 😉

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  11. I’ve had my eye on this one, which is funny because I have only seen her in the Twilight series… which wasn’t my cup of tea. There is just something about her… that and the fact she is wearing frayed jean shorts with a blazer for the cover is highly amusing to me lol I LOVE that she is so humble and down to earth! That is so refreshing will all the stuck-up celebrities you see now a days. Great review as always Lilly!

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    1. Thank you Amanda 😊💕funny things is that I don’t recall ever seeing her in Twilight so this came as a surprise. I guess it’s one of the pros to having such terrible memory 😂😂😂 those shorts def called my attention when paired with the blazer lol smh. The outfit makes sense once you read the book & she lets you know how little attention she’s focused on fashion from a very young age. These outfits were the norm for her. Actually, she mentions that her mom had a method of not being overbearing when it came to clothing. So she’d let her wear whatever to get it out of her system in hopes that she’d make a decent dressed adult someday 😂😂😂

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      2. That’s awesome! I hope you find it most welcoming as I have, I must warn you though…it can get pretty addictive both the bookish peeps & the TBR’s 🤣🤣🤣 💕

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      3. Thanks! I’m excited for the journey. Last year was this great year of rediscovering my love for reading, joined a great group on facebook (Blind Date with a Book) and this year I plan to continue that journey and rediscover my love of writing. I’m trying to drag a friend of mine with me on this journey. We’ll see if I succeed 🙂

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      4. Love it! This is such a positive, welcoming, supportive space that I’m sure you’ll feel right at home soon enough 😉 it’s always better with a friend, so I wish you luck 💕

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