Review of What In the World?! A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings by Leanne Morgan

Comedian Leanne Morgan's memoir traces her path from an attention-seeking, beloved young girl to a young adult facing missteps and disappointment, through her unlikely journey to stand-up, to the embracing of her Southern mama persona and her wild success.

Leanne Morgan hit it big as a middle-aged comic from rural Tennessee talking about her kids' T-ball, her adoration of her grandchildren, and her big, comfortable panties.

Her voice is a striking, uniquely nasal Southern drawl, and her Netflix special "I'm Every Woman" features Morgan's signature plaintive looks at the audience, accompanying stories that sometimes end in such mock-despair that she says she just "wanted to take to the bed." (She also steals the show in a supporting role in the recent movie starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon, You're Cordially Invited.)

What in the World?! offers current-day takes on her life that will feel familiar to fans--I'd already seen online video clips of stand-up versions of a few of the anecdotes shared here. But her memoir also traces her youth (when she imagined that she would find fame in some way), her first, brief marriage, her emotional growth, her grit, and, ultimately, her second, steady relationship and marriage to her current husband, the birth and joy of her kids, her rocky start in entertainment--and the world-rocking entrance of her grandbabies.

I was particularly intrigued by the fits and starts of Morgan's younger years, her struggles to find her way, and her unlikely path to fame. I love to hear people's stories, and I found all of this endearing.

I wasn't sure the "guide" element referenced in the subtitle felt particularly on target, as Morgan's brief forays into offering life advice felt less potent than her accounts of her personal missteps, frustrations, disappointments, perseverance, and gratitude.

This is a relatively short memoir, and if you're already a fan of Leanne Morgan's, you'll likely enjoy hearing her back story.

I listened to What in the World?! as an audiobook read by the author. It felt important to be able to picture her likely and funny facial expressions as I heard her read this aloud. I suspect that being familiar with Morgan's persona adds significantly to the fun here.

Are you a fan of memoirs? What about celebrity memoirs?

You can find Bossy reviews of other memoirs--and Greedy Reading Lists of my favorites by theme--here.