I Might Regret Reading This
Abbi Jacobson is most well-known for her web series with Illana Glazer, Broad City. She took on the challenge of writing a book which released in October of 2018, appropriately titled I Might Regret This. While Abbi may not have any regrets, I certainly didn’t enjoy reading this book all the way through. There were joyous moments, I will admit, but the best part about the book for me was the cover design. As someone who is intrigued by lines and hypnotic patterns, this was a win. The cover makes you want to dive right in. I am immediately attracted to her quick wit and charm with her subtitle. The cover is all over the place in the best way possible, but the inside of the book is all over the place in not such a positive way for me.
I was expecting this to be a book about a woman’s journey of self-discovery, as Abbi had come out as bisexual weeks before the book’s release. After the first chapter, I was left longing for more depth and some semblance of structure. I understand that this is a book of ‘essays’ and ‘other stuff’, but even essays need some sort of organization and context. The transition from her talking about her breakup with her first girlfriend, and then jumping right into the road trip felt rather jarring. One minute, she is at home, and the next minute she is in a B&B talking about Gilmore Girls (but it’s also not a B&B?).
The book is chalk-full of pop culture references. you must be well-versed in sit-com, rom-com, and com-com culture in order to pick up on some of her comments. Which luckily for me, I am. It still would have been so helpful to have more context regarding her surroundings — her CAR (She is in the car almost the entire book and I have no idea what it is like), smells, and details of the consistences throughout her journey so that the reader feels more immersed in her storytelling.
Famous people and famous creatives have the luxury of publishing something in a diary format. Nobody would be interested in the inner thoughts and ramblings of a 30-year old average white woman. The two things she should have focused on the most: her sexuality and Broad City.
With that being said, in terms of “celebrityhood”, Abbi seems to be rather down to earth and approachable. Many of the places described in the book, such as the places in New York that she has worked, I have visited myself. The diary format of the book reminds me that internet celebrities are just real, genuine people, with a very public job.
In terms of contribution to social change, the book simplified and normalized a bisexual relationship through print. Her heartbreak is something that everyone can relate to. I have read Essay books before, and while this is not a new phenomenon, her doodles added character to the text in a way that I’ve never seen done before.
She seemed to have no semblance of a plan with the road trip — but then she mentions that she “has to get to Austin by morning.” What made her visit certain places and not others? Was it all random? What was the prep for the road trip like?
I am a big fan of the section where she talks about all of the beds we have slept in over the years, and it really got me thinking about the definition of “home.”
“The metal ikea bed frame with the denim blanket and T-shirt sheets at my dad’s house…
The beds at camp — the tiny cots with wire springs that would squeak when you sat on them…
The bed in my dorm room, with drawers built in, shoved into a corner next to a wall of concrete blocks…
My beds in Baltimore in my studio apartments, bundled with blankets when the heat wasn’t working…
My bed in Boston looking out windows onto Commonwealth Avenue, the bustling of cars passing by outside…
Friend’s beds…
Beds in my Astoria apartments…
Lover’s beds…
My bed on MacDougal…
My bed on Hunt’s Lane…
Her bed — FUCK!”
This was a GENIUS transition, and I can’t stop thinking about all of the beds I have slept in throughout the course of my 21 years on planet Earth.
Another excerpt that struck me, was when she was talking about driving through the rain. I find it to ring true of most road trips, when you suddenly find yourself in the midst of a torrential downpour. It is YOU who is coming out of nowhere, not the rain. I was reminded of the time my mother and I got stuck in a rainstorm while traveling down a highway in Alabama. This is a tragic and yet beautiful observation, and I believe that she intends for it to hold a deeper meaning.
Overall, the book does hit some highly positive notes. The tie-in of her heartbreak with the road trip was successful, even though it was underdeveloped. Context is not necessary if this was kept as her personal diary — some editing down and context added is necessary when sharing your personal diary with an audience. I do believe that she is privileged to even be able to publish and profit from a book of essays, but honestly, power to her!
Here, you will find Jacobson discussing the release of her book: