We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True

Gabrielle Union’s We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True is the perfect book to end the year. If she was not already a talented actor best known for her work in Bring It On, she could definitely quit her day job and write full time. Her book of essays is humorous, unflinchingly honest and germane. Union has a way of recalling and capturing daily life as a teen and a woman that is neither nostalgic nor dated, but feel as if events are unfolding in real time before us with the benefit of a wise perspective to weigh the significance of these quotidian moments in larger society.
We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True addresses issues such as sex, race, gender, finances, blended families and the entertainment industry without sounding pedantic or dry. She transforms matters of great import into bon mots without losing the gravity of the situation. Unlike many famous figures who are dubbed a voice of their generation, but have such unique and quirky circumstances that you wonder how they are actually able to function in daily life, Union is the reverse. Her book is so down to earth and approachable that it is easy to forget that she lives in a world that most of us only see on screens of varying sizes. After reading the book, you would definitely let her watch your kids.
There are enough essays devoted to fame and life as a person in the public eye to satisfy a reader looking for lighter fare. We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True is required reading for Prince fans because Union takes us behind the scenes of his exclusive parties. Readers will also get the scoop on prenups, Heath Ledger and dealing with the paparazzi.
I could have easily read We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True in one sitting if it was not so difficult to string more than a few uninterrupted minutes together. Even with interruptions, I was finished in less than a week. I hope that Union keeps writing.