We often see authors dedicate their books to their daughters, but it’s rare to see an entire book written for and addressed to the daughters themselves, as is the case with Dear Girls by Ali Wong.

The actress and stand-up comedian divulges all in Dear Girls, with a disclaimer that her daughters Mari and Nikki not read the book until they are over 21. Fourteen chapters read like letters to the girls, with Wong sharing the details of her life as honestly and open as she does on stage.

As I was reading the book, I had some questions: Do moms still write to their children (my mom never did)? How do we even start talking about how to address certain topics that make everyone uncomfortable? Is there a right time to actually do it?

Wong isn’t concerned with any of that, as this book serves the dual function of putting Wong’s history on paper and also committing to memory the very fine details of everything that you could ever want to ask your mom with way more information than anyone would ever be comfortable with.

I’ve never seen an Ali Wong show before, but this book is proving to be an impetus to witness her sagacity, her ferocity, her authenticity. Check out what other #bookstagrammers thought of Dear Girls here:

@dc_booknerd

“I loved this book!! I seriously couldn’t put it down and ended up reading it in a day – sorry responsibilities and work. Dear Girls is a series of letter that Ali Wong writes to her two daughters about study abroad (gaining way too much weight in the process/expecting to find love), eating, love or the lack of it, getting out of your comfort zone, hating being asked about what it’s like to be a woman or Asian American in “fill in the blank” industry and so much more. It is a refreshing narrative of giving comedy (or whatever you set your mind to) your all that is much more about the progress and motivation than about the success. I particularly love how Ali Wong expresses the need to fail and fail again. Side note, I got seriously hungry while reading this and fully indulged in my Chinese and Vietnamese cravings.”

@gladly.overbooked

“It was worth visiting THREE BOOKSTORES in one afternoon to finally get a copy of this book! @aliwong inspires me, scares me and cracks me up in everything she does, especially in this book full of crass, loving letters to her daughters.”

@bohobooksnbrews

“Packaged as a collection of letters to Wong’s two baby girls, Dear Girls hits all the usual ‘famous comedian memoirs’ marks (i.e., Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey) meaning it’s equal parts celebrity antidotes, life advice and background info on the person, wrapped up in a hilarious bow. But what makes Wong’s book stand out is how unabashedly filthy she is. There were moments where I felt embarrassed to even be reading the words she wrote, and I admire how raw and honest the piece as a whole was. I never watched her standup before reading Dear Girls, but turned on Netflix right after finishing. I feel as if I had watched her work previously, however, I would have enjoyed the book even more. Either way, I love to see kickass females doing their thing 3.5/5.”

@booksandbonemarrow

“Still tired from Thanksgiving break so I’ll keep this short – Hilarious. Raunchy. Unfiltered. Fucking delightful! If you love her stand-up specials on Netflix, you’ll definitely love her book! The book is formatted as letters to her two daughters filled with advice about dating, sex, careers, family, marriage, birth, life. Not everyone will agree with it all but it’s delivered with her side-splitting humor that I love! Do take her advice on Filipino restaurants – if it’s not an Auntie or Lola’s (grandma) house, don’t bother ?”

@samjamosmos

“If you have seen one or both of Ali Wong’s comedy specials, then you’ll enjoy her book! I read her book in one sitting; it’s so incredibly funny and honest all at once! Her guide to Asian restaurants is SPOT ON. 10/10 would recommend ??”

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