Tip It!: The World According to Maggie

by Maggie Griffin

Dear Readers,

There are at least five good reasons to Tip It! right now.

1. My daughter Kathy put out her memoir last year, which was real nice except for the controversial parts. And it got to be a #1 New York Times bestseller. Congratulations, Kathleen! But now it's my turn. I've written my own book. I have things to say, too, without having to be all controversial like you were. Tip it!

2. People recognize me on the street a lot now and come over, nicely, and say "Maggie, you remind me of my own mother." And they say "Maggie, I love your show"--referring to Kathy My Life on the D-List as my show. Sometimes I correct them, I say, "Oh, it's not my show." But sometimes . . . I don't correct them. It's kind of fun being a star, isn't it Tip it!

3. If you want to know a few things about my daughter Kathleen that only a mother could know (How the heck did she get this way? Did she always swear so much, for Chrissake?), you have come to the right book. Tip it!

4. You know how a box of wine is never empty just because the spigot seems to have run dry (There's always a little more if you just tip it!) This book is like that. There's so much in it--never-before-published Griffin family photos!, a love story (me and my dear departed husband Johnny), a whole guide to good living (including how to survive on what's in your purse), and a lot of funny business in this book from Kathleen (she made comments in this book; readers, I was not able to stop her!). So take this book and Tip It!

5. And be sure to get the last drop out of living. Isn't it nice that "Tip It" acts as a toast I'm 90 years old, and I think "Tip It!" even works pretty well as a motto for living to the fullest. So, Tip It! today.

Yours,
Maggie Griffin

A funny thing happened on the way to Kathy Griffin's sky-rocketing stardom. The more she told stories about her mother, Maggie, in her stand-up act and on her Emmy-winning television show, Kathy My Life on the D-List , the more popular her mother became. (At the mere mention of Maggie, a stadium full of fans will cheer, "Tip It! Tip It!")

Shocked by Kathy, exasperated by Kathy, grudgingly amused by Kathy, and at the end of the day, always a loving mother to Kathy, Maggie Griffin has become the darling Gracie to Kathy's George Burns, the wry Cher to Kathy's Sonny Bono, the spry, sweet Roadrunner to Kathy's Wile E. Coyote.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Comedy, Womens

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Margaret "Maggie" Mary Griffin (née Corbally) is a retired hospital administrator and the mother of comedian Kathy Griffin.

Reviews

[Schmacko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maggie is Kathy Griffin's mom... What I was hoping for was a coherent and funny narrative about being raised by Irish immigrants, one of a billion kids, marrying a man she respected, and then having a daughter whose job is making fun of her family and celebrities. There's so little of that; none of it is told with arc or force; the book skips around from one dull subject to another. There's the time Maggie accidentally went to a gay bar (it's a boring tale). There's Maggie's love of muumuus, there's a story about her local supermarket, there's a dry monologue about her search for an Irish pub in LA... Zzzz. Worse, knowing it wasn't very funny, Kathy makes copious, insulting, interruptive quips in between (also unfunny...in fact, they're rude and annoying). I enjoy Maggie and Kathy enough on their show, and I've been known to laugh. Not here. They lost the chance to tell what seems on the surface like a compelling story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked Kathy Griffin's book, she got her mom to take part in the book world as well. It's a quick read, makes you laugh (with the help of Kathy interjecting throughout), and is nice to hear a nonagenarian's perspective of our society today. I liked reading about her childhood and it's laced with photos. So just Tip it, Maggie, you should be proud of yourself for this one.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming book--I adore Kathy Griffin and I adore her mom and dad as well--I always loved their appearances on her show--just such loving and tolerant parents. Reading this book only makes you love them more--I read this one in a little over 24 hours---it was so funny and sweet--and of course with constant butt-ins from Kathy herself it often dips into hilarity. But Ms. Maggie herself is no slouch--her sense of humor is of course less over the top but really great. And the story of her life and how she met her husband and their lives together is really beautiful. It breaks your heart to imagine them apart but she seems to keep her memories close and still seems so happy. It really teaches you about a life well lived and what the term "down to earth" is really all about. I've always loved Ms. Kathy, she's hands down my fave female comedian and now I have to say I love Maggie and Johnny as well. I think everyone could do well using her life motto of "Tip It!"...:)

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone that knows me knows I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kathy Griffin, and I really appreciate her relationship with her mother, however, this book could have been better. It was very predictable and since I have read Kathy's book and I watch "My Life on the D-List" regularly I really didnt learn anything knew.

I suppose it is what is it was meant to be. A book for Kathy Griffin fans who will buy anything she has anything to do with.

Suck it! Tip it! Its all good.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should probably be embarrassed for having read this, but in Kathy Griffin's memoir she touched on some sensitive family information and I wanted to see how her mother handled it. She didn't mention it once. Regardless, this is a short book and easy read. I have to say it's not bad, but really worth the time, unless you're a big Maggie fan.

[Courtney Ferriter · Rating 3 out of 5]

** 3.5 stars **

I found this book by the late Kathy Griffin's mother to be equal parts funny and heart-warming. There were several times I laughed out loud while reading it. Maggie talks about her family and her views on life and the world around her with a surprisingly feminist and pro-gay rights take for someone born in the 1920s. I'm still not sure how that tracks with her love of Bill O'Reilly, but I guess everyone has their contradictions.

I enjoyed this book and found it a light and humorous read, but I think you will only like it if you are familiar with Kathy Griffin's comedy and all the bits she does about her mother. For example, if you know what Maggie's signature motto "Tip it!" means without having it explained to you, then you are the right reader for this book. Maggie, I hope you are on the other side tipping it right now.

[Diane O · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved Kathy Griffin's TV series, My Life on the D-List, then you'll enjoy this book. Cute, funny, amusing stories by Kathy's mom, Maggie Griffin with Kathy's commentary sprinkled throughout. Some chapters were more successful than others. For instance, you'll learn way more than you ever wanted to know about muumuus and dusters. However, the chapter on meeting and marrying husband, Johnny, is fun and interesting and I wanted to know more! Lighthearted reading (nothing juicy or shocking) but a nice easy read at bedtime to send you to sleep with a few chuckles.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute!

Great book! I love Maggie Griffin! I also love the punch ups from Kathy throughout. The pictures are super blurry, but it's a good read for a kathy and / or maggie fan. I recommend!

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at a book at a book store. It is a good book about Kathy Griffin's mother, Maggie. I enjoyed reading it.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Brooke]

I loved this book! Maggie Griffin is an amazing writer-she tells it like it is! It was interesting to read Maggie's perspectives on everything, there's just some things I can't ask my granny (who is around Maggie's age), but Maggie lays it all out there for everyone to see. Nothing is off limits (her daughter Kathy knows a lot about that!), gays, Prop 8, heterosexual marriage, wine, kids, anything! I especially liked how Maggie made a "T-Chart" for her description of "her gays" from when she was growing up, and now. My favorite was about the neckerchiefs. "I miss neckerchiefs." Best line in the book. Period. Maggie-keep the books coming-we love reading them, and you are awesome!

Kathy-I also LOVED how you put your own two cents in. You could tell the difference between Kathy's writing and Maggies very easily, the voices were blended very well, which is very difficult to do in a book like this, so well done you.

Last but not least, Kathy, I'm sorry you had to wear your mother's top in this. It's really not that unfortunate looking, you look pretty good! Not "bikini bod" good, but good!

[Wendy Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I need to admit that I've never watched Kathy Griffin's show where, apparently, she and her mom Maggie banter back and forth in a comical way. I have watched Kathy Griffin in other series over the years and have found her to be very funny so I thought that this would be a great book....I was mistaken. I might have enjoyed it more if it were just written by Maggie and didn't include a lame wise-crack made by Kathy in parenthesis at least a half dozen times per page. I found it quite annoying and honestly, Kathy was just not funny at all in this book. Her mother seems mildly amusing but not enough to warrant an entire book so they inserted chapters where they would banter back and forth like this: K- So, mom, tell everyone how you get out of a speeding ticket....or K- Mom, tell how you used to cook such and such....I have an idea! Why not just let Maggie tell her own story without having to be prompted by someone else. Maybe they are perfectly charming while doing this on tv but it just doesn't translate that well in writing. I found myself somewhere between bored and irritated throughout this book and I was glad when it was over.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read Kathy Griffin's book and enjoyed it and she and her mom were coming to town to sign books and you couldn't be in line without a book and Cus was going with me so I bought Maggie's book so we could both be in line and see them up close. The book is actually interesting and good, probably because it reminds me of my mother's stories of growing up in those times and having some similar likes and dislikes. She's pretty wise and cute and it's a sweet book. Easy, quick read. Kathy's asides in the book can be distracting sometimes as they jar you from Maggie's softer style. I love Kathy Griffin and her show and this book is for fans of Kathy's show that know Maggie so I think Kathy could have left her words out of it and let Maggie speak in her voice alone as it is strong enough to stand on its own.

[Morgan Salvador · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading Kathy Griffin's memoir I was excited to read her mother's book as well. Unfortunately I found it quite disappointing. I love Maggie on the show, but I'm not sure she really garners the attention of an entire book. I found Tip It! to be rather stereotypical of the elderly ("Kids these days!" "Technology is confusing!") and repetitious at times. Kathy's side notes were humorous, but made it difficult to track Maggie's thoughts at times. I enjoyed the chapters about the realities of growing up during The Depression and her adult home life. Many passages however were clearly trying too hard to get a laugh. This book's desire to be funnier than it is/should be made it seem insincere and a bit desperate to me - like a bad comedian sweating on stage, praying for one audience member to laugh just a little bit.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute read. It reminded me of conversations that I've had with my grandma and younger sister. The younger sister interrupts the storyline with witty thoughts while grandma just tries to get the story out. The book was just like that.

Kathy inserts her thoughts into Maggie's narratives throughout and some of them are pretty funny. If you're going to read this, I'd suggest reading Kathy's book first so that you get a more complete and uninterrupted version of the Griffen's lives and then you'd be able to appreciate this version more.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've seen Kathy Griffin's mom when she appears on 'My Life on the D-List', and always thought she was a sweet, funny person. In this book, the reader gets a really great overview of her life -- growing up in the depression, raising her kids (including KATHY), and getting older. I especially loved the sweet stories about her late husband, and all of the great pictures. She has a great sense of humor and philosophy towards life. A fun, quick read -- tip it, Maggie!! :)

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy "parts" of this book, I couldn't score it very high for the parts that just were not that enjoyable to read. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Maggie Griffin and I have mucho respect for Kathy Griffin for always including her mom! What I would have loved to read more of is Maggie's life, those were the parts I thoroughly enjoyed, I think Maggie has a great story and felt she could have included more here.

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Read it on the plane to vacation in Palm Springs...and on the way back as well. Backwards yes, but I couldn't help it. Maggie's home-spun wisdom and her daughter's caustic comments (comedian and Bravo TV star Kathy Griffin if you didn't already know) make this a most enjoyable read. The chapter on her late husband, Johnny, is particularly touching.

[Teddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Kathy Griffin, I am a bigger fan of her Mom, Maggie. This book is a light read with lots of laughs, input from Kathy, and some good old common sense thrown in. The only problem I had with the book is I wanted more. And wait to you see the pictures of Maggie in her younger days what a beautiful woman she was and still is. Loved It!!!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love most things about Kathy Griffin, but one thing I can't stand is the way she behaves when her mother is speaking and the way she constantly interrupts her to either make her look dumb or bring all the attention back to herself. So of course Kathy manages to do just that in her mom's book. Her interjections were the most irritating parts. But otherwise, this is sweet, I love Maggie.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Anyone who is a fan of Kathy Griffin's television shows will also love it, because Maggie is awesome. Even people who don't like what Kathy has to say can at least agree that Kathy loves her family and adores her mom. She is sharing her with everyone and that is special. I loved reading Maggie's take on life!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that I love Kathy Griffin. And I love her mother just about equally. This book was adorable and really fun to read. If there were more Maggie Griffins in the world, I think it might be a little better of a place.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Kathy Griffin you'll like this book. It's written in typical Maggie fashion and has some interesting stories. Fast reading. Perfect if you're looking for something quick and light.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in that Kathy interjects CONSTANTLY throughout the book. It is hard to keep track w/ Maggie's thought process. The stories and anecdotes that Maggie shares in the book are good reading, if you can get over Kathy sticking her two cents in during seemïngly every paragraph.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Maggie Griffin on "The D List", which is on Bravo, you will enjoy this book. Maggie Griffin is a mother of the 50's, and it's full of her philosophies of life. And then Kathy Griffin has to interject her theories, so it's really written by both of them. Very entertaining book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed to read something mindless, and Maggie Griffin seems like the sweetest lady - such a good sport. A cute trifle with enough asides from Kathy to give some of the back and forth we saw on the series. I miss "Life on the D List".

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

For serious Kathy Griffin fans only. Her mother has sort of sweet sort of backward ideas about current mores. I got tired of reading about them. The best parts are Kathy's parenthetical remarks and the conversations with her mother.

[Mike Shier II · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I admit I am biased when it comes to Kathy Griffin. I love her mother from her abundant appearances on "...D-List" and had to grab this easy read. While Maggie's style is playful and light, what makes this book a laugh-out-loud read is Kathy's touch throughout.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. There were some boring parts but overall it was cute. Kathy's little snippets and comments throughout really made it hilarious.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, sweet book from Kathy Griffin's 90 year old mother. Kathy puts her 2 cents in every now and then and there are old family snapshots included as well. I enjoyed it!