Yes, My Accent Is Real: And Some Other Things I Haven't Told You

I'll admit that I am majorly behind in watching The Big Bang Theory. (I think I'm still on season six.) However, after listening to this book, I really want to start watching it again! Yes, My Accent Is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You is best as an audio book, since you can hear Kunal's accent. I love listening to him speak. He's very pleasant on the ears and his inflections somehow make things even funnier. His stories about growing up, dating, establishing his career, family and cultural traditions, and college life were fun and interesting to hear about. I found myself reacting a lot to what he was saying, whether it was laughing or nodding in sympathy. I'm glad I checked this book out. Last year, I got to meet Kunal at Book Expo America and he's as kind and gracious in person as he is throughout his book. I think he'd be a lot of fun to spend time with and I envy the cast of The Big Bang Theory for getting to hang out with him all the time. (I'm sure they are all great in person, but do they have books yet?!? :) ) P.S. His last name rhymes with "mayor." (I always thought it was Nigh-are.)

I have been pleasantly pleased with this book. No juicy Hollywood gossip here but that's fine with me. I was interested in the stories from his upbringing in India but was a little disappointment there weren't more of them. I really enjoy his style and pace and the bits of humor throughout. I read it in 2 days which is a testament to the fact that it is well written.

What a delightful read. Everyone recognizes the wonderful character, affectionly named Raj from the "Big Bang Theory". Yet, is it even possible that anyone of us could ever hope meet the amazing Kunal Nayyar in person? Not likely. BUT here, we have the very good fortune of meeting him through the pages of this wonderful book. Kunal's gifted style draws you right into his life and leaves you with the feeling that you are a valued friend. Life, of course, is a real treasure, and having shared a wonderful portion of Kunal's life in the pages of this book, you can truly appreciate how life can be more genuine and real, personable and delightfully memorable. Great Read, Great Experience.

As a big fan of The Big Bang Theory, I was really excited to read Kunal's book and learn a little bit about the man who brings Raj to life. This book was a fun, fast read, and I think I love TBBT a little bit more than I did before reading this book. The Kunal we meet in this book is funny, kind, and thoughtful, and he shares some very funny and touching stories about his life. I'm one of those people who is hesitant to pull back the curtain on my favorite actors, because I don't want my perspective of the character to be tarnished by noticeable differences between the actor and character (that's totally their right to be who they are, becoming someone else is their job, I just have trouble differentiating if the 2 are drastically different), and while Kunal has lead a life I can't quite picture for Raj (although I can for certain stories), he seems equally as funny, kind, and thoughtful a person as Raj, if not more.

Meh. I like this book as a good quick read but personally I like Rajesh Koothrappali a lot better. Although Raj is a character, I would honestly like this better if he were a real person telling his story. It wasn't as humerus as I thought it would be.

I'm a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory and Kunal Nayyar. I've seen him on a couple of talk shows in the past and enjoy his humor. I have wanted to read Yes, My Accent is Real since I heard it was coming out. I was super excited to find it under the Christmas tree this year. Yes, My Accent is Real is humorous and fun to read. It's filled with interesting and heartwarming stories of Kunal Nayyar's past. My favorite stories were about his college years in Portland, Oregon and how he got his big break. Kunal Nayyar comes across so personable in this (not a) memoir. It felt like I was his new friend and he was telling me about growing up. The only books I can compare it to are Mindy Kaling's and Tina Fey's. If you liked those, you'll love Yes, My Accent is Real.

There are a few things you should understand before buying this book. First off, it's not a biography. Second, there's very little in the book about "The Big Bang Theory"; in fact, just one small section about how Kunal tried out for the role and how all that went down. Third, you won't find too much that's profound here, although some of the things Kunal's father taught him would be good for all people to consider. "The Big Bang Theory" is one of my all-time favorite television shows, and that's saying a lot since I'm in my mid-60s. And, Raj is my favorite character. I've seen Kunal on quite a few of the late night talk shows and he always seemed like a very nice guy. But I wondered...is he, indeed, a very nice guy? And that's the question this book answers through a series of short "essays" (perhaps better to call them "reflections"). And the answer is yes, he seems like a genuinely nice person who's rather sensitive and perhaps a tad insecure. He comes across as "real", and I couldn't help but hope that he stays that way despite being a television star. Bottom lines -- a pleasant, sometimes humorous read (but not laugh out loud funny); a nice guy who would probably be a very good friend; a gentle book (but not earth shattering). The "niceness" that shows through on "The Big Bang Theory" and television interviews is very probably well justified.

I picked up this book after reading some of Aziz Ansari's "Modern Romance", which like this book, is a pretty reflective read written by someone who is a celebrity performer (TV and stage/stand up famous) rather than a standard celebrity bio book. I was perhaps prepared for it to be a poorer book, in which case I would have tossed it, but it was a lot better than I expected. Some other reviewers have criticised this book as Kunal is clear itself about it being pretty early in his life and career to be writing a memoir, it is therefore, instead a collection of stories, which do not contain a lot of tragedy, drama and strife. Well, I actually liked to hear stories from a life which had its own challenges, a lot of which were relateable, despite his having lived a pretty different life to me (and despite my being older than him it seems he grew up with a lot of similar TV programming). I can understand how some readers will think it is a little too light weight, some of it did leave me with additional questions and some of it did make me think Kunal had sugar coated things a little (all the sectarian violence in the surrounding area that he had grown up in, some of the threatening characters or situations he'd known growing up too, in particular when his dad was giving him and his brother keys to a gun cabinet). On the other hand I think Kunal writes in a style which is right for a wide readership too, different age groups, there's a lot of thought provoking messages here too, its also fun to read someone write appreciatively about their good times and minor triumphs along the way. There is material here for fans of The Big Bang Theory, stories from the show, about the show's success (by extension Kunal's own success, which he acknowledges too) but in the main its a book about Kunal and his own life experiences. It was good to read his thoughts on things such as selective mutism, something his character in the TV show experiences, as I've heard all sorts of criticism (sometimes it really feels way too harsh) of the show for its portrayal of disability (selective mutism but also the possibility that another of the main character's neuro-typical/autistic) and so called Geek or Nerd culture. There is a little bit of an attempt to inject some quirkiness into the book, such as the featuring of notes made on napkins or tissues on flights, the chapters can be a wildly differing lengths, there are one or two larger typeset inset notes in the middle of pages making observations about things such as frustrations with sentence correcting software but thankfully its limited. It is not a dense enough to be a memoir, as Kunal says, but it is not patchy or like reading someone's blog either. All in all I really enjoyed reading this, it is light reading and uplifting, something for the times you need a break from something more academic or challenging non-fiction but also really do not feel like reading novels or novellas. There is so much by way of tribute to his family, friends and thankfulness for good fortune. It is something that I could see Kunal rehashing for an acceptance speech at some future award ceremony (as I dont think a man of his talent or as early in his career as he is, has even received his greatest accolades yet, probably). Recommended.

Very easy breezy read. Kunal Nayyar brilliantly writes about his journey to the role of Raj Koothrapali and beyond while never losing his sense of humor. He makes you feel with him and takes you on a journey. Never does the book get too heavy, nor does it come off as superficial. Great read for all times of day, or a relaxing day at the beach.

Great book. If u like culture, u will love this book :) Its funny and meaningful. Great work bro, purchase!

Awesome!......................

I love witty humour and this book has it in spades. It really makes you laugh and that's what I value the most. If you've had a bad day - grab this book and read it. Failproof mood lifter!! It really makes your day. Would buy more books by Kunal.