Mindy Kaling Books In Order

Publication Order of Nothing Like I Imagined Books

Publication Order of Plays

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Mindy Kaling is an American comedian, actress, and New York Times bestselling author from Cambridge Massachusetts that is best known for her eccentric humor. Before she became the first woman of color to win an Emmy for writing, she had been a fan favorite character named Kelly Kapoor on “The Office.” She was a pop culture obsessed customer service representative and also served as director, producer, and writer on the show. Before writing, directing, producing, and starring in “The Mindy Project” and “Champions” her newest sitcom, she lent her voice to Pixar’s Oscar award-winning picture “Inside Out,” where she was the character Disgust. She also made the TIME’s 100 Most Influential People List of 2013 and a year later was a winner of the GlamourWomen of the Year Award. Mindy Kaling had previously authored a popular comic strip titled “Badly Drawn Girl” that satirized campus life and was published in The Dartmouth magazine. She made her name as an author with the publishing of “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me,” a New York Times bestselling title that came out in 2011.

Kaling was born to Indian immigrants and her parents had met while working in Nigeria where her mother was a gynecologist-obstetrician and her father was an architect. They immigrated to the US in 1979 where they would then make a new life. Growing up in the United States, Kaling was exposed to TV sketch comedies such as “Saturday Night Live” and “In Living Color.” As a teenager, she got her degree in theatre from Dartmouth College where she graduated in 2001. She was also a member of “Rockapella,” an all-female acapella group and also a member of “Dog Day Players,” a campus improv troupe. During this time, she was also in charge of drawing for “Badly Drawn,” girl the popular university comic paper. After graduating from college, she moved to Brooklyn where she lived with Brenda Withers her friend from college. “Matt & Ben” was one of the projects that portrayed Ben Affleck and Matt Damon into a running infotainment satirical work. The work won the best overall production award at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2002. Soon after, they were on Broadway, where the play had a very successful two years Off-Broadway. Mindy was also a winner of the Gracie Award for The Mindy Project and got a nomination for two Television Critics Association awards and a Writers Guild award. At the 2018 commencement ceremony at Dartmouth where she was the guest of honor, she was awarded an honorary degree.

Mindy Kaling is also an award-winning essayist who is the author of the tongue in cheek “Nothing Like I Imagined” series. These are a series of essays bound in a collection that provide insider scoops into Kaling’s work and life including her role as a single mother. She also tells of how advantageous it is to be her own husband how she deals with social anxiety when she goes to parties thrown by the elite among many other things. As usual, she writes with her signature wit which has won her accolades and fans for her rom-com infused, fashionable and humorous way of living life and telling her stories. Kaling has written two novels about her journey in Hollywood as a child and her life in “Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me.” She also talks about dealing with the challenge of running her own TV show and the pain of losing her mother in the novel “Why Not Me?”

Mindy’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” asserts that has lived multiple lives. She started out as the child of Indian professional immigrants, became a timid child afraid of riding her bike, impersonated Ben Affleck to make her a playwright and performer at Off-Broadway, and finally became an actress and comedy author. Mindy believes that the definition of a best friend is someone that will be there to take care of you and fill your prescription even if it is deep into the night. As for a great guy, one would have to be aware of the needs of other people in their vicinity and cater to them accordingly. She asks about the perfect amount of fame and juxtaposes it with the OJ Simpson case that was so famous that he couldn’t get convicted despite the obvious guilt. In the novel, Mindy Kaling invites her readers to go with her on her journey while she makes unscientific observations about Hollywood, friendship, and romance.

In Mindy Kaling’s “Why Not Me?” Mindy writes a laugh out loud essay compilation but with more heart. But this time she ties it all together with the changes she had in her life ever since she started hosting a TV show. Right off the bat, she asserts that she is no longer motivated by a desire for people to like her. All she wants is for people to know her for what she truly is. She writes some humorous essays though the most interesting are the ones in which she struggles to define who she is. For instance, she talks of her deep dislike of weddings but this pales in comparison to the essay where she says that making a new friend is the best feeling ever. She also asserts that being betrayed or abandoned by a friend is one of the most painful things one may have to go through. She candidly talks about her sense of self, her body image, and her public image. Her frank detailing of her relationship with BJ Novak makes for poignant and hilarious writing. Kaling in several of the essays acknowledges that she tends to have issues with her self-confidence and be a bad sport.

Mindy Kaling’s “Kind of Hindu” is the debut novel of the “Nothing Like I Imagined” series of essay collections. Mindy believes that knowing just a bit of your family’s heritage makes you very lame. For the author, she starts the journey towards knowing her heritage right off the bat. This begins with a Hindu priest and an edible arrangement of strawberries covered in chocolate. Similar to “The Office” character Kelly Kapoor, Mindy asserts that just like many Asian people, she has been disconnected from her Indian heritage and has only been engaged when it has been convenient and fun. As such, she is not all that Hindu except for an appreciation of Ravi Shankar and a high tolerance for spicy foods. BJ Novak who is the Jewish godfather to her daughter challenges her to think about her religious beliefs and cultural heritage.