Cartwright is the voice of Bart Simpson, and in her enthusiastic, candid memoir, she delivers an inside view of the show that has become such a cultural phenomenon. An introductory chapter breezes over Cartwright's early fascination with voice work; her education and serendipitous mentor-student relationship with Daws Butler, the voice of Yogi Bear; and her early career as a cartoon voice actor, including stints on
My Little Pony and Friends. But she devotes the majority of the book to giving fans what they really want--the who, what, when, where, and how behind each episode of
The Simpsons. Included are the show's creation story and plenty of long anecdotes about the guest stars (the Elizabeth Taylor piece is excellent), along with Cartwright's own experiences with her strangely anonymous brand of celebrity and her advice for people interested in the business. Cartwright refers to her own "overly ebullient nature," and the book's voice is relentlessly cheerful, almost giggly, with constant asides such as, "I'm suuure! Ohmygod!" and exclamations about brushes with fame: Tom Jones "was such a total stud!" But in between the giddiness, she throws in enough hard facts and industry gossip to appease even the most jaded
Simpsons fan. A hilarious must-read for the show's cult following and for media students.
Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
