To be honest, I really didn’t know who Mindy Kaling was before reading her newly released book “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?,” but now I’m hooked. I had seen Kaling play Natalie Portman’s hilarious friend in No Strings Attached, but I’ve never really seen more than three episodes of The Office so I didn’t know a ton about her work. Now, I plan on trying to watch everything that Kaling writes or acts in — she’s that addicting.

Kaling’s book starts off by explaining how she grew up in a traditional Indian household. From being chubby all her life to not having the easiest times in the romance department, Kaling is easily relatable.

Personally, I respect the fact that even though Kaling is slowly becoming a household name, especially for fans of The Office, she’s extremely down to Earth. She’s not afraid to admit that she was starstruck when Amy Poehler asked her to go out for drinks after a day of writing at SNL or that there was a point when she went to the same cupcake bakery for a week in a row.

She is nothing like the typical woman who’s making it in Hollywood these days, because she never expected to become as famous as she is.

As a kid, Kaling found her passion in comedy, but didn’t give up her parents’ hopes of her attending college by graduating from Dartmouth. It’s refreshing to see someone who’s successful and famous that didn’t feel the need to stop their education in order to get there.

Between Kaling’s stories about her geeky days in high school to her rough beginnings as a writer for The Office, it’s hard to tear away from the book. It’s a great read for those boring nights over winter break or even during finals week when you just need a little pick-me-up. It’s definitely more geared towards women, but I think guys would enjoy her humor too — I mean, she writes episodes of The Office for Pete’s sake!

I really did enjoy all of the laughs that I got out of this book, but what I liked most was that it gave me a bit of hope for the future. I know this may seem strange and most people wouldn’t get this reaction, but as a journalism major, it calmed some of my nerves. I think I speak for most students that are trying to make it as either a writer, photographer, news anchor, actor or anything else of that sense when I say it’s scary. The fact that I’m going to try to write for a living scares me to death most days. Pursuing any profession that takes creative ability means taking a risk on your future. Kaling is an example of someone who followed her dreams of comedy writing and didn’t have to take extreme measures to get where she wanted to be. It makes me think that maybe one day I’ll be a successful journalist without having to sleep in a box for a few years.

So if you’ve got a little extra time, read ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me?’; Mindy Kaling is sure to please and she may even make you a little more hopeful for your career future — with some guaranteed laughs along the way.

_Taylor is a sophomore in Media._