Hello, Molly!: A Memoir

Actor and comedian Shannon (Tilly the Trickster) revisits a life colored by grief in this surprisingly raw and personal account. Following the death of her mother, sister, and cousin in a 1969 car crash that Shannon and her father survived, the former SNL star recounts how her life was crushed before she started kindergarten. “It ripped me out of my fantasy... [and] made me realize how vulnerable I really was.” However, turning to a mischief that bordered on delinquency allowed her to channel her sorrow into something positive, even funny. She recalls leaving her home in Ohio in the ’80s to break into New York City’s acting scene (which, among its many hurdles, included a slew of sleazy men), while charting along the way her complicated, often emotionally abusive relationship with her alcoholic father. While she packs in plenty of details regarding her SNL stint, what’s most resonant is Shannon’s unflagging story of perseverance, perhaps best embodied by her beloved sketch character Mary Katherine Gallagher. As Shannon writes, “[She’s] a survivor. She struggles to rise above the wreckage... Fucks up. But gets back up.” Supremely inspiring, this will leave fans astonished. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (Apr.)