Book Review- Helen Ellis' American Housewife

I was browsing in Powell's City of Books, when Helen Ellis' short story collection, American Housewife, leaped off of the shelf, demanding to be read. Just take a minute to admire the awesome cover. It looks just like a photograph of my mom from the 50's. if my mom had cotton candy hair. Those glasses, that tangerine sweater-set, the enormous curlers = if a book can be judged by its cover ( and I like to judge), I know that Ellis' stories are going to take me on a fun ride.

PLOT - American Housewife is Helen Ellis' collection of short stories, all involving the title subject. What defines an American housewife? Ellis' housewives are smart, snarky, and occasionally highly disturbed. 

LIKE- Ellis is a fabulous writer with a gift for crafting unique sentences. For example, here is a sentence regarding the discovery of a new independent bookstore, that absolutely delighted me: from How to Be a Patron of the Arts =

It's like you've found a unicorn grazing next to the dry cleaner that a friend told you could get cat barf out of cashmere.

It made me laugh-out-loud- 

For five minutes-

In an airport. 

Ellis fills all of her stories with this type of humor. There wasn't a single clunker in the collection, but there were standouts. Here are the ones that I thought were stellar.

What I Do All Day - A less than three page laundry list of the activities that the narrator does in her typical day as a housewife. It's hilarious, but what I admired most is Ellis' pacing, and the way her story builds to the climax of forced dinner party conversation. As an American housewife myself, I found the idea of justifying my day to be extremely relatable.

Dumpster Diving with the Stars - The narrator, a not-quite-famous writer, goes on a reality show that involves dumpster diving and challenges akin to Antiques Roadshow. I loved all of the pop-culture references, including John Lithgow as a contestant. The title rocks, and makes me wonder if a show like this has ever been pitched. Yes, is the likely answer.

The Fitter - The narrator's husband is a famous bra fitter, with women angling to make him their next husband, while his wife is near death, after first having a mastectomy. Although there is humor in this story, it was very dark, and the emotional pain of the narrator was palpable. The ending was very much a surprise.

My Novel is Brought to you by the Good People at Tampax - A cautionary tale of an author who signs a contract with Tampax to endorse their products in her novel, and then faces a combination of writer's block and procrastination. She learns that Tampax will not accept excuses, and that not just her writing, but basically her life, is theirs, until she fulfills her contractural obligation. This made me feel paranoid about my own writing schedule. Miley Cyrus and Paula Deen make appearances as poster-children for reinvention.

DISLIKE- Nothing. American Housewife is a highly-entertaining collection by a gifted writer.

RECOMMEND- YES!!! Helen Ellis is a treasure, and I will be on alert for more of her stories. I can't recommend this author or American Housewife, enough. A fabulous story collection!

Book Review- Anna LeBaron's The Polygamist's Daughter

Thank You to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of Anna LeBaron's memoir, The Polygamist's Daughter, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In her memoir, The Polygamist's Daughter, Anna LeBaron recounts her dysfunctional and disruptive past, as a child born to Fundamentalist Mormon cult leader, Ervil LeBaron.

LIKE- I requested LeBaron's memoir on NetGalley, because I find memoirs of cults, specifically Fundamentalist Mormon groups, to be fascinating. As an only child raised by a single mother, the idea of having multiple parents and dozens of siblings is mind boggling; a completely foreign concept to me. 

LeBaron faced many hardships as a child. When she was still in elementary school, she was taken to Mexico to live with other cult members, away from both of her parents. She faced extreme poverty and hunger. LeBaron and the other children were moved frequently, disrupting  their education, which was a mix of home schooling and public education. As soon as they were able, the children were put to work, including manual labor and selling food on the streets. She was forced to fend for herself at a young age and her childhood is heartbreaking.

The Polygamist's Daughter takes an even darker turn when LeBaron becomes a teenager,  living with her sister and brother-in-law. This period is the first time in her life where she feels love and stability. Beyond his death, Ervil, orders the deaths of several former cult members, including LeBaron's brother-in-law. During the hit on her brother-in-law, LeBaron's sister was also killed, leaving all of their children without parents. At the time, LeBaron was college-aged and just beginning to branch out on her own, but she felt a responsibility to help the kids in the aftermath of their parent's deaths. Although her nieces and nephews were ultimately adopted by a family friend, this situation deeply impacted LeBaron's life. LeBaron was left with hatred towards her deceased father, and very mixed emotions towards her mother, who would not leave the cult.

DISLIKE- LeBaron's life is intense and fascinating, but her writing lacks finesse. Many places were repetitive, or similar to a child telling a story, where they don't know how to edit out the less relevant or interesting details. This made the memoir uneven with regard to pacing and my level of engagement. The Polygamist's Daughter would be stronger with sharper editing, or perhaps if it had been co-written.

RECOMMEND- Maybe. There are many memoirs on growing up in polygamist cults and I don't think LeBaron's is dissimilar to other books on the market. However, if the subject is of interest to you, The Polygamist's Daughter, is a quick read. It's impossible to not feel sympathy for LeBaron and the other children of this cult. 

Book Review- Ariel Levy's The Rules Do Not Apply

Thank You to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of Ariel Levy's memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In her memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply, journalist Ariel Levy explores love and loss, in her relationships, career, and path to motherhood. She learns the hard truth that life is a series of trade-offs and that the conventional concept of "having it all," is a myth.

LIKE- I vividly remember the final lecture of a Western Civilization class that I took at Pasadena City College, when I was in my early-twenties: The male professor, an self-proclaimed feminist, who would later be caught in several scandals and removed from his position, gave a piece of advice, that in way I've forgotten, was tenuously related to the lecture; he said that time is limited and that fertility did not last forever. He was speaking primarily to the females in the class, urging us, as we focused on our education and careers, to consider that the time frame for fertility is limited. I'm not quite sure what prompted this advice, but I remember the urgency in his tone. He was middle-aged, and in hind-sight, I'm guessing a recent personal predicament influenced his words. I've never wanted children, but that advice has stayed with me, especially as I near forty, still not wanting children, but realizing that the window of opportunity may already be shut. This idea is at the forefront of Levy's memoir.

Levy's road to motherhood is not clear. She is in an unstable marriage with Lucy, an older woman, who is an alcoholic. As Levy tries to strengthen her marriage, she is tempted through reconnecting with former lovers. Her writing career has always been important, and one that sends her on assignments around the world. Lucy's alcoholism isn't the only instability, as Lucy has sunk their savings into starting a solar panel company. Levy is in her late-thirties when she finally decides that she wants to be a mother, and they have a close friend who is happy to not only donate sperm, but to help out financially, and be another adult figure in their child's life. Levy easily becomes pregnant, and her life seems to be heading towards stability and happiness, until tragedy strikes. Levy delivers her child prematurely, alone in a hotel room, while on assignment in Mongolia. The baby is born alive, but dies about fifteen minutes later, as Levy is rushed to the hospital. It's crushing, even more so that she had minutes where she held her living child.

The title, The Rules Do Not Apply, are about all of the conventional things that as a child (or even into adulthood), you expect will happen. You expect to graduate from college and land a great job. You expect to fall in love and have a family. You expect that your parents will live long enough to see those grandchildren. You expect that hard work and being a good person should grant these rewards. However, as Levy points out, this has not been the case for her, and it has not been the case for many of her friends. Life simply does not work like that for most people. Conventionality is a myth.

Levy's thoughts are poignant and her personal story is compelling. She has a knack for phrasing and writes beautifully. She weaves her story with the stories of people that she profiles in her reporting, making her memoir global and expansive. I can't imagine any reader would be left unaffected by this emotional and thought provoking memoir.

DISLIKE- Nothing. The Rules Do Not Apply is powerful and riveting.

RECOMMEND- Yes! The Rules Do Not Apply is a must-read memoir. I'm certain that Levy's story will be a bestseller and generate a lot of buzz. Read it and be part of the conversation!