My Parents Were Awesome
Before Fanny Packs and Minivans, They Were People Too
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
NEWSFLASH: Your mom and dad weren’t always parents. They used to be people—and they were awesome
They bathed you. They fed you. They raised you to become the person you are today. Your parents are an integral part of your story. But guess what? They have a story too—one that started long before you entered the picture. Before embarrassing fanny packs and Lite FM, there was a time when Mom and Dad were young and carefree—just like you. They were also fun and flirty, full of hope and desire and effortlessly cool.
Based on the wildly popular website, My Parents Were Awesome shares heartwarming and hilarious essays by sons and daughters—including Jamie Deen, Christian Lander, Dave Itzkoff, Katherine Center, Laurie Notaro, and Holly Peterson—who’ tell tales of their folks before babies, mortgages, and receding hairlines: the mom and dad who traveled by VW bus to see Led Zeppelin for $1, the grandmother whose halter top and shorts belied her perfect demeanor, the father whose wanderlust passed down to his equally nomadic daughter. Accompanied by treasured vintage photographs, these stories will make you laugh, melt your heart, and spark your own reflections of Mom and Dad.
“Jimmy and Paula” by Jamie Deen
“Eleanor and Johnny” by Jennifer Mascia
“Steve and Teena” by Mike Adamick
“Tony and Leeka” by Aaron Khefeits
“Bruno and Elena” by Elia Bazan Garcia
“Richard and Jennifer” by Christian Lander
“Bob and Kitty” by Mindy Raf
“Elaine and Jerry” by Mike Sacks
“Josephine and Jim” by Salena Landon Reese
“Lil and Jon” by Sara Benincasa
“Seymour” by David Kamp
“Christy and Teddy” by Kambri Crews
“Joe and Patricia” by Tom McAllister
“Ron and Sherry” by Rebecca Serle
“Chuck and Debra” by Alex Blagg
“Bob and Leslie” by Bex Schwartz
“Gerry and Maddy” by Dave Itzkoff
“David” by Jackie Mancini
“Seymour” by Philip Glist
“Patricia and Jerry” by Mandy Stadtmiller
“Deborah” by Katherine Center
“Carol and Jimmy” by Laurie Notaro
“Heather and Ian” by Gabrielle Nancarrow
“Phil and Karen” by Mollie Glick
“Marty and Aveva” by Rachel Shukert
“Azra and Ilarion” by Veronica Lara
“David and Maria” by Anita Serwacki
“Wayne and Margaret” by Hanna Brown Gordon
“Martha and Jim” by Kate Spencer
“Roger and Terry” by Kyle Beachy
“Diane and Michael” by Leigh Newman
“Kevin and Moira” by Ben Craw
“Pete” by Holly Peterson
“Martin” by Bradley H. Gendell
“Addie and James” by Meg Federico
“Dolores” by Durga Chew-Bose
“Terry and Kathy” by Brandy Barber
“Jim and Kathy” by Jennifer E. Smith
“Hazel” by Rachel Fershleiser
“Andrei” by Alexandra Stieber
“Jud and Claudia” by Ryan Doherty
“Kathryn and Phillipe” by Kathryn Borel
“Astrid” by Ophira Eisenberg
“Don and Corinne” by Rachel Sklar
“Panfilo and Leonina” by Giulia Rozzi
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by the website of the same name, Glazer's book includes more than 40 "back in their heydays" essays on parents or grandparents, confirming what we have often suspected, that the people who raised us had extraordinary lives before we arrived on the scene. "My mom was young once, and although this feels awkward to admit, this photo proves she was also good looking." About his mother, Food Network personality Paula Deen, marrying his father Jimmy, Jamie Deen writes, "She took one look at Jimmy and was off. Riding shotgun in that fast car with her feet up on the dash, stealing a sip of cold beer while puffing on her own cigarette menthol, of course." David Kamp (The United States of Arugula) describes his father Seymour's decades-long tenure at DeAngelis Buick in New Brunswick, N.J., and the honesty and pride with which he worked the sales floor. As is common for themed anthologies, this suffers from unevenness; and not every piece here is interesting, despite trafficking in love, sacrifice, and family. Reading this is at times akin to sitting through a slideshow of someone else's vacation. Photos.
