If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother

By:

Synopsis
"I took so long to assemble my lovely family. If only they would disappear." While Julia Sweeney is known as a talented comedienne and writer and performer of her one-woman shows, she is also a talented essayist. Happily for us, the past few years have provided her with some rich material. Julia adopted a Chinese girl named Mulan ("After the movie?") and then, a few years later, married and moved from Los Angeles to Chicago. She writes about deciding to adopt her child, strollers, nannies (including the Chinese Pat), knitting, being adopted by a dog, The Food Network, and meeting Mr. Right through an email from a complete stranger who wrote, "Desperately Seeking Sweeney-in-Law." She recounts how she explained the facts of life to nine-year-old Mulan, a story that became a wildly popular TED talk and YouTube video. Some of the essays reveal Julia's ability to find that essential thread of human connection, whether it's with her mother-in-law, who candidly reveals a story that most people would keep a secret, or with an anonymous customer service rep during a late-night phone call. But no matter what the topic, Julia always writes with elegant precision, pinning her jokes with razor-sharp observations while articulating feelings that we all share. Poignant, provocative, and wise, this is a funny, and at times powerful, memoir by a woman living her life with originality and intelligence.
Copyright:
2013

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9781451674064
Related ISBNs:
9781451674040
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Julia Sweeney
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Parenting and Family, Humor
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

Reviews

3 out of 5

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Remember androgynous Pat from SNL? That actress has written a memoir, not about being Pat, but about the month she spent last summer when her daughter and husband went away and left her alone. She recounts a lot of stories about her adopted Chinese daughter, her old boyfriends and her upbringing. Most of the book is witty and enjoyable but there are some dark and reflective parts that should have been left out. I don't recommend going out of your way to read this one, yet it was not wasted time.