Every college student and graduate, shoot, almost every person, can attest to their personal financial woes, particularly those during the college years. Well, Angela Nissel recorded hers and shares them in her blog-turned-book, The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke. Nissel recounts the all too familiar stories that many of us have our very own versions of, including the first check cashing encounter and a Greyhound horror story. Nissel should have received extra credit for her creative solutions as she dances with the fine line between creative and criminal solutions to financial woes: “The Top Ramen is 35 cents./I was sooooooo embarrassed. I only had 33 cents. I (please don’t laugh) put the money on the counter and quickly attempted to dash out the door with my chicken-flavored salt noodles” (19).”
It is difficult not to sympathize with Nissel during her tribulations. Her humor sheds light on the situation, reminding us all that everyone goes through those times at some point in life. Nissel writes with the sick humor that many college students acquire to survive the collegiate years, and the way she creatively conveys the range of side effects that come with financial hardship make this such an enjoyable read. My faves include:
Sadness that can lead to temporary depression:
This is my own personal Great Depression” (82).
Anger:
“Today was…one of those days you get mad at homeless people for assuming you have money to give them” (18).
Apathy:
“I found some really good books on job-hunting at the bookstore today./Too bad I can’t afford any of them until I get a job”(151).
Glimpses of hope:
“I’m becoming so used to my car breaking down that it’s routine. I don’t get sad when she breaks down, I just get happy when she starts” (122).
Desperation:
“Please-let-there-be-enough-for-one-serving-of-grits-please-let-there-be-enough-for-one-serving-of-grits. I chant this in my head like a sacred mantra./I open the tube top and peer in./A grit stares back at me…I have never seen a solitary grit in my life” (21).
Rationalization:
“The universe knows the difference between good stealing and bad stealing” (163).
Pride:
“All of this is just making me a better hustler” (32).
Delusion:
“I am so broke today I am going to knock out my own tooth and hope the Tooth Fairy is down for adults”(103).
Joy that comes from the smallest but highly significant victories:
“I saw a sign today. The sign said ‘All Pants $2.’/The sign was hanging off of a rack of clothes outside of the local dry-cleaning place./Well, guess what—I finally got my pants out of the dry cleaner today! They were on the $2 rack! They would have cost me $9 to get out the regular way! Woohoo! I missed my pants” (23).
The good news is that Angela Nissel’sbroke days are now fictional. Not only a best-selling author of the Broke Diaries and Mixed: My Life in Black and White, Nissel also combines her degree in medical anthropology from University of Pennsylvania and writing humor as a co-executive producer of the medical sitcom Scrubs. You may also recognize her as the undercover dater from The Tyra Show.
I highly recommend this book to any college student who needs a break from the textbooks. The Broke Diaries is an easy and entertaining read, sure to make you laugh out loud and lighten the stress of your financial load, even if just for a moment.
~ Lady D.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I can definitely think of a few broke tales myself from undergrad. Anyone else willing to share a few?