Review: Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

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).

Shona's review 5 of 5 stars

I first picked up this book back in December, a friend had bought a copy and I sneaked a peak at the first chapter. I immediately loved the tone of the book, it feels like listening to Kendrick talking in an interview, and I knew that I would need to grab myself a copy. When I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of my own I promised I'd read only a chapter or two at a time, but I found myself enjoying it so much I couldn't put it down.

In this collection of essays Anna talks about her life growing up, her various acting jobs (both on stage and on film), and about her experiences dating and all that comes with it.

I don't often add quotes from the book in my reviews, but this piece has stuck in my head since reading it, never before have I related so much to a piece of writing.

It's not that deep down I want someone to 'take care of me', it's that I'm exhausted and occasionally overwhelmed by self-doubt. I'm steering the ship, but I don't know what I'm doing. None of us do. But it would be so nice to believe that someone out there did, and that maybe they could take the wheel for a little while. It's a seductive feeling. It would be great if it were real. But I guess I've got to count on myself. Which is not great news.

As a fan of The Twilight Saga and Pitch Perfect I was a little disappointed that these didn't feature a little more in the book, but all in it was a great read.