Writer, actress, and gorgeous stand up comedian: Introducing the Mormon Tina Fey
It's lonely being a Mormon in New York City. So onc... read full description
It's lonely being a Mormon in New York City. So onc... read full description
reviews
Feb 10, 2010
Annalisa
rated it: 
Baker likes to sit in the in-between, neither committing herself to one side or the other. I find myself feeling the same way about her book, with things I both like and dislike about the book and her. And so she gets a non-committal three stars from me.
I'm a very trusting person and I always expect that other people are telling me the truth. But I think Elna Baker lied to me. A lot. You would think that the confession that she was a pathological liar would be the thing to clue me in More...
I'm a very trusting person and I always expect that other people are telling me the truth. But I think Elna Baker lied to me. A lot. You would think that the confession that she was a pathological liar would be the thing to clue me in More...
19 comments
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(32 people liked it)
Jan 19, 2012
Kent
rated it:
Elna Baker is extra salty!
Equal parts spiritual exploration, hilarious hijinks and descriptions of Elna's sex life (or lack there of). Elna baker's memoir uses the extended metaphor of her love life and the religious implications of her sexuality to capture the moment of conflict that we all face growing up. The moment when we have to abandon the limitless possibilities of youth and commit to one direction and doing so sacrifice the "could have been's" for the what will be's. More...
Equal parts spiritual exploration, hilarious hijinks and descriptions of Elna's sex life (or lack there of). Elna baker's memoir uses the extended metaphor of her love life and the religious implications of her sexuality to capture the moment of conflict that we all face growing up. The moment when we have to abandon the limitless possibilities of youth and commit to one direction and doing so sacrifice the "could have been's" for the what will be's. More...
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(3 people liked it)
Oct 16, 2010
Debbie
rated it: 
I think it's great that a book by a Mormon about being Mormon has been released by a mainstream publisher. Elna Baker is a 20-something single woman living in New York City and trying to figure out who she is and what she believes. Baker is a stand-up comedienne, and her stories are hilarious even while they're thought-provoking or uncomfortably familiar.
Not that I have many experiences in common with her, because even though I'm a 30-something single woman in DC, I am boring and unadv More...
Not that I have many experiences in common with her, because even though I'm a 30-something single woman in DC, I am boring and unadv More...
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(5 people liked it)
Oct 27, 2011
Ian
rated it: 
"Garcin, come and lend a hand. Quickly. We'll push her out and slam the door on her. That'll teach her a lesson... Don't listen to her. Press your lips to my mouth. Oh, I'm yours, yours, yours."
--Estelle Rigault, No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre
_________________
I knew Ms. Baker for several years back in NY. She was in my circle of acquaintances and I went to a few of her stand-up shows. As a result, my reading of this book is informed by personal encount More...
--Estelle Rigault, No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre
_________________
I knew Ms. Baker for several years back in NY. She was in my circle of acquaintances and I went to a few of her stand-up shows. As a result, my reading of this book is informed by personal encount More...
2 comments
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(5 people liked it)
May 05, 2011
Sally
rated it: 
It's hard to review this book without biasing a future reader. The book is about a mormon college student in NYC, and her adventures, struggles and experiences after college as a single mormon woman in the big city.
Her voice is inconsistent and the book needs more editing for flow (and typos!) in order to be well-written. But it was interesting, and at times really funny and also relatable. During the time I was reading the book, I enjoyed it. If you are going to read the book, sto More...
Her voice is inconsistent and the book needs more editing for flow (and typos!) in order to be well-written. But it was interesting, and at times really funny and also relatable. During the time I was reading the book, I enjoyed it. If you are going to read the book, sto More...
Sep 13, 2009
Alea
rated it: 
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance is a fantastic example of why I love memoirs! It has everything you would want in an entertaining memoir, things such as hilarious work stories (my favorite part of the book Babies Buying Babies), to relationship problems, to questioning one's faith, to major weight lose. Elna Baker covers a lot of ground for someone so young.
Elna is a Mormon and it was really interesting to learn more about Mormons and also how it played a p More...
4 comments
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(8 people liked it)
May 29, 2011
Jeanette
rated it:
This story is a years-long crisis of faith disguised as a ditzy dating chronicle. I can't rate it any higher because the author spends far too much time obsessing about looks and kissing(huge eye-roll here). I can't rate it any lower because it is quite well written and edited, easy to read, at times hilarious, and has moments of great honesty and clarity.
Elna Baker is a New York City stand-up comic, and also a practicing (sort of) Mormon. She is an exuberant, open, adventuresome yo More...
Elna Baker is a New York City stand-up comic, and also a practicing (sort of) Mormon. She is an exuberant, open, adventuresome yo More...
5 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 18, 2011
Tamra
rated it:
Okay, I liked this book and then I didn't like the book, and then I liked it and then I didn't. There were parts that I really related to and parts that were too inconsistent. Like she went to the Temple to pray and receive revelation yet she's never been through the Temple. Then she made a big deal about the "linger later" that was always held the first Sunday of the month right after church. For all us Mormons we know that we don't eat right after church on the first Sunday of th
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6 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 26, 2010
Drew
rated it:
I read "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance" for two reasons: 1) when going through the Penguin Fall 2009 catalog, it intrigued me when I found out the local Mormon bookstores weren't ordering copies, and 2) I was given an advanced reading copy.[return][return]I'm normally opposed to reading "memoirs" by people who haven't passed the age of 30 (have you really done enough to make me want to read about your life?), but because of the description in the catalo
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 03, 2012
Deb
rated it:
The following are the things I would like to remember from this book: Don't read these if you don't want spoilers:
"I even have one of those Remember Who You Are key chains. I've never used mine though; I was always worried someone would see it and think I had Alzheimer's.
At the age of six, I wondered when I would graduate from church. To my dismay, I was told that the word to describe being done with church was death.
This is a memoir so I am curious how much of it i More...
"I even have one of those Remember Who You Are key chains. I've never used mine though; I was always worried someone would see it and think I had Alzheimer's.
At the age of six, I wondered when I would graduate from church. To my dismay, I was told that the word to describe being done with church was death.
This is a memoir so I am curious how much of it i More...
Nov 30, 2011
Lance
rated it:
I'm not sure whether I want to refer to the author as Elna or Sister Baker. On the one hand, referring to her as Elna creates a feeling of familiarity and informality, which in some respects I don't want because we should not be too informal in our treatment of the ideas embodied in this book. On the other hand, if I refer to the author as Sister Baker I could unintentionally create the feeling that the author's actions in the book are representative of young people in the Church, and my own e
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0 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Nov 15, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
A few weeks ago I read this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/fashio...) which greatly interested me. As someone who grew up with mostly Mormon friends through my school years, I know more about the religion that the average person (which makes me appreciate the musical "Book of Mormon" way more). I've always been fascinated with religion in general, but Mormonism, as it has been prevalent in my life, has held as special fascination for me. The article mentions Baker's book
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Nov 10, 2011
Jennie
rated it:
Okay... so this one was a mixed bag for me, but I still gave it four stars.
I thought there were parts that were hilarious and other parts made me wonder if she was stretching the truth a bit. I also didn't feel the author was being honest about her quest for a testimony of the gospel. I know living in NYC could probably make you jaded, but I wondered at times about her committment level to the church even though she clamied at one point she had a break through moment. In practical More...
I thought there were parts that were hilarious and other parts made me wonder if she was stretching the truth a bit. I also didn't feel the author was being honest about her quest for a testimony of the gospel. I know living in NYC could probably make you jaded, but I wondered at times about her committment level to the church even though she clamied at one point she had a break through moment. In practical More...
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 11, 2011
Sariah
rated it:
I found this to be funny, provocative, and thought-provoking all at once. This is a memoir of an LDS single adult living in New York City, trying to be Mormon in a place not very accepting of Mormons. I loved her brutal honesty... the times where she felt lack of faith and serious doubts were so indicative of myself. I loved the questions she posed herself as she tried to decide between love and faith. They were all questions I have asked myself, too. Elna Baker isn't your typical Mormon girl...
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Aug 15, 2011
Alena
rated it:
This book is not for those without unconventional thinking. It is borderline offensive to me as a member of the LDS faith, but I appreciate the author's candid story-telling. And I was able to empathize with some of her viewpoints. I think she could have used more tact, but that is obviously not her style. The thing that bothered me the most about the author is that she never took a stand one way or another. She claimed in one sentence to want to follow her religion, but in the next she openly m
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Jun 28, 2011
Yvann
rated it:
"I wanted to invent a word that described that place, the state between unlimited possibility and reality. But I couldn't think of one, and the Germans probably already invented one anyway, Weltinnerschnitzelrealititz."
This breezy memoir is Elna Baker's tale of life in Manhattan, aged 18-27, and the daily difficulties of reconciling The City that Never Sleeps with her Mormon faith.
This is not my usual fare - while I've read a few of these breezy memoirs by young More...
This breezy memoir is Elna Baker's tale of life in Manhattan, aged 18-27, and the daily difficulties of reconciling The City that Never Sleeps with her Mormon faith.
This is not my usual fare - while I've read a few of these breezy memoirs by young More...
May 03, 2011
di
rated it:
I'm still giggling. Okay, I'm usually not an LDS fiction reader, and this is NOT LDS fiction. I repeat, it is NOT LDS fiction. It is so much better! For one, Elna is real. It is a memoir, for the record, but I also mean REAL..as in...Elna has real struggles. She is not perfect, nor does she always make the best choices. Her life is not a fairy-tale, and it isn't all "happy ever after." The book is not preachy...although it did strengthen my faith. Mostly. ;)
A quick More...
A quick More...
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 24, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
This is a charming and hilarious memoir of Elna Baker--a single adult woman living in New York City, trying to fulfill her dreams of happiness, success, and love.
The best thing about this book is that, while it is a "Mormon book" and deals and addresses issues faced by Mormons (particularly single Mormons living in a not-Mormon society), it is not your overly didactic, cheesy, or vapid Mormon book. This isn't Anita Stansfield, guys. Elna is a likeable woman and she is funny More...
The best thing about this book is that, while it is a "Mormon book" and deals and addresses issues faced by Mormons (particularly single Mormons living in a not-Mormon society), it is not your overly didactic, cheesy, or vapid Mormon book. This isn't Anita Stansfield, guys. Elna is a likeable woman and she is funny More...
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 19, 2011
Luanne
rated it:
Okay, how could you not wonder what was hiding in the pages of a book with a title like The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance?
More like who? Elna Baker that's who. Baker is a young twenty something practicing Mormon and self professed 'big girl' who moves to the big city - New York - to pursue her education and career.
When she decides to lose a large amount of weight, she is suddenly attractive to men. Elna's memoir is a engaging narrative detailing her a More...
More like who? Elna Baker that's who. Baker is a young twenty something practicing Mormon and self professed 'big girl' who moves to the big city - New York - to pursue her education and career.
When she decides to lose a large amount of weight, she is suddenly attractive to men. Elna's memoir is a engaging narrative detailing her a More...
Apr 15, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
This hilarious memoir from Elna Baker is definitely worth the read. The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance -- a title that actually seems like an oxymoron -- tells of Baker's experiences as a single Mormon woman "coming of age" in New York City.
Baker's memoir is genuine, highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny throughout its entirety. Considering Baker is under thirty years old at the time of this writing, I'm truly hoping she releases future memoirs and co More...
Baker's memoir is genuine, highly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny throughout its entirety. Considering Baker is under thirty years old at the time of this writing, I'm truly hoping she releases future memoirs and co More...
Mar 24, 2011
Ami
rated it:
As a practicing Mormon I find this book very humorous and also irritating. Baker's descriptions of desperate LDS women, pressured by their married friends and leaders and competing to find their "eternal companions," is funny...and also a little sad because it is a true portrait for so many. I also recognized many of the scenarios Baker finds herself in, while being LDS outside of Utah. It can be a whole new world once you step across that state-line.
However, I found her More...
However, I found her More...
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 12, 2011
Art
rated it:
I found this book lying on a table in the library. The title and the slightly naughty drawing on the cover intrigued me. I'm glad I picked it up. This is a fairly recent autobiography of a young woman raised LDS, but outside Utah. The author is the second child in a family of four girls and one boy. She discusses her struggles with weight, family, religion, and the larger world around her. Her mother wants her to attend BYU. She believes attending a non-LDS university will send her daught
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Feb 28, 2011
Karen
rated it:
I'm still not sure what I think about this book. On one hand, I like that it was the honest thoughts and feelings of an LDS single adult young woman living in New York. What is it REALLY like to be LDS outside of Utah? I think her struggles with her faith and sexuality are very real. I was actually touched by the dilema she found herself in: trying to be true to her religious believes while in love with an atheist. She wasn't ready or willing to chuck all that she believed, and neither was
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Feb 04, 2011
Janeal
rated it:
Okay, my first warning is, do not read this book if you are looking for a cutesy single Mormon gal looking for love kind of novel. There is a lot of profanity and tons of talk about sex. Only a single Mormon gal could be this obsessed with sex and know absolutely nothing about it. Hence, the obsession. I enjoyed the book quite a bit and laughed out loud many times. Sure, sometimes I felt like she was embellishing and trying too hard to be funny but that's what comedians do. Does anyone bel
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 15, 2011
Carys
rated it:
Elna is in a difficult position as the author of this memoir: much of what she says will only ring true to mormons and much of what she says will deeply offend mormons.
I've read many of the reviews of this book and there are a lot of complaints about Elna's bad language. Reviewers are also questioning both her worthiness to attend the temple and her honesty as the narrator of her life story: ultimately, these issues don't concern me - I don't find her occasional swearing offensive, it More...
I've read many of the reviews of this book and there are a lot of complaints about Elna's bad language. Reviewers are also questioning both her worthiness to attend the temple and her honesty as the narrator of her life story: ultimately, these issues don't concern me - I don't find her occasional swearing offensive, it More...
Jan 04, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Not all Mormons are ridiculous fence sitters.
I find myself torn about this book. Because instead of judging the plot or the writing, I ended up judging her. I thought she was selfish, overly obsessed with image (and unsure of where she stood about herself anyway), and that she should stop lying and swearing and being crass. Her obsession with sex annoyed me because I wondered if it would make non-Mormon readers believe that as a result of chastity, all Mormons are obsessed, and that's More...
I find myself torn about this book. Because instead of judging the plot or the writing, I ended up judging her. I thought she was selfish, overly obsessed with image (and unsure of where she stood about herself anyway), and that she should stop lying and swearing and being crass. Her obsession with sex annoyed me because I wondered if it would make non-Mormon readers believe that as a result of chastity, all Mormons are obsessed, and that's More...
4 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 18, 2010
Traci
rated it:
Again, this is one of those little gems that appeared in our outside book drop one morning. See why I love working at the library? Anyway, the title caught my eye, as well as the cover art. I read the inside blurb, and even though I'm not really interested in the Mormon religion, or anyone struggling with it (think all those books that have come out lately by women escaping the more fanatic sects of said religion), I decided there might be something to this book. It looked like it would be funny
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Dec 15, 2010
Erika
rated it:
Elna Baker has a funny and fresh (although wildly inconsistent) narrative voice, and her topic of choice is rife with opportunities for both humor and reflection: single life in the city (as a Mormon?). Sadly, Baker squanders that opportunity again and again in this memoir. Baker's background is as a stand-up comedienne, and you cannot help but feel that she is playing and indeed plying the reader for the laugh. As a result, Baker comes across as alarmingly disingenuous. One minute she's th
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Dec 06, 2010
Heidi
rated it:
The voice throughout her book is phenomenal, but the way she represents the LDS Faith is frustrating to me. She's extremely sheltered for having lived around the world (didn't know porn was on the internet? ummmmm...)She is insecure and hard for me to relate to as all she wants is to be skinny and have a boyfriend. I wouldn't suggest reading it because it will probably just make you frustrated that she both doesn't like herself and that she can't just choose what she believes (the end leaves you
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(3 people liked it)
Nov 29, 2010
Felicity
rated it:
This is a memoir by a twenty-something New Yorker trying to find love. The catch is she's a Mormon, which presents some practical challenges. To love a Mormon or not to love a Mormon?? As a book purchased to keep me entertained whiling away long hours in an airport, this book fulfilled its purpose. I'm not sure that's a strong recommendation. The two things that just didn't make sense: God might have put lots of restrictions on what Mormons can and can't do, but spending large amounts of mo
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