The Wendy Williams Experience, by Wendy Williams

The Wendy Williams Experience
Wendy Williams

How you doin?

Let me begin by admitting I'm biased. I love Wendy. She is, as she often says of others (not of me, alas), "a friend in my head." Whenever I can, I listen to her syndicated afternoon radio show (visit her site here to find a station in your area), and boy was I surprised to hear she had another book coming out! I didn't even know there was a first one! So I had to go right out and show my support, and, of course, get some good gossip. And when it comes to gossip, Wendy doesn't disappoint.

In The Wendy Williams Experience, Wendy dishes on tons of celebs: Whitney, Mariah, Puffy, Flavor Flav are just the tip of the iceberg. She doesn't hold back with a single one. Except when something is really juicy--DAMMIT WENDY!! Tell us which rapper has AIDS! Lawsuits be damned! (However it must be said that the alert reader should be able to construct an educated guess based on the clues she provides--LOVE IT.)

The Wendy Williams Experience is different from Wendy's other books; her first book (Wendy's Got the Heat) is more of an autobiography, I think, and her more recent work is a foray into fiction. But, as a Wendy fan, I want to hear her telling it like it is. And this she does, in trademark style. I wasn't able to put it down, so captivated as I was with her anecdotes and interviews. Part of the book's greatness is the voice: it's all Wendy. Anyone familiar with her show will recognize the same Wendy on the pages; I could hear her voice as I read.

Furthermore, it was refreshing not to hear a stream of ass-kissing: Wendy is upfront about a celebrity's strengths and weaknesses, even if she doesn't get along with him or her (see Sean "Puffy" Combs). Even more importantly, she's upfront about her own weaknesses as well.

If I had to find some aspects to criticize, my first complaint would be that I want more pictures!! To be fair, Wendy does provide us with about 8 pages of pictures in the middle of the book, but I want more, Wendy, more! And names!! I know that R&B singer (and that rapper...and that other rapper) is gay, Wendy, JUST TELL US THE NAMES SO I CAN BE SURE!!! And tell us what you said to Judge Mathis!!! But I know that it was impossible for Wendy to write these things for legal reasons, so you can't really blame her.

In a nutshell: If you are a fan of Wendy, The Wendy Williams Experience is a must-read. If you aren't familiar with her, listen to her show pronto. Just be aware that she does focus on the hip-hop community, so if you aren't familiar with those personalities, then this book might not be for you. But if you want some great gossip, dive right in!

Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars