Customer Reviews

Parentally Insane: Insights from the Edge...of Midlife!

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Julie Donner Andersen captures the perils and rewards of midlife with a keen eye for excruciatingly funny detail, and bears witness to a variety of midlife issues that no other author has ever dared....from visiting the GYN/OB to being mistaken for your youngest child's grandmother. And when it comes to parenting, there is nothing sacred that Ms. Andersen does not touch upon: sons with soap allergies, teenage daughters who have perfected "the look", and toddlers who run naked through department stores - all delivered with the perfect timing of a stand-up commedienne and the down-home humor of Erma Bombeck.

The author truly shines when discussing midlife marriage and the various oddities of the masculine sex. From tool fetishes to peculiar "gas" concertos, the author exposes male secrets with a midlife wife's point of hilarious view.

If you are in midlife, or know someone who is, this book would make a wonderful gift to yourself or someone you love. Buy it for your friends and co-workers, too...There isn't a woman alive who couldn't relate to the subtle wisdom, nor appreciate the fearless honesty of a writer who tells it like it is with such comedic flair.

Having been a fan of Ms. Andersen's parenting humor columns for the past year, I couldn't wait until her book came out. I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. She has a way of making you think and making you laugh at the same time. I could relate to everything she talks about. This book isn't the same old poke at PMS and midlife crises. It's much, much more. My husband is a gynecologist, and her chapter about visiting "Dr. Igot Bighands" had both of us in tears of laughter. My favorite chapter was the one about crabby people (looks like one of them has posted a review here already!). I don't know about the author's Ebay business, and frankly, I don't care because that has nothing to do with her ability to make me smile, validate my crazy life, and earn my devotion as North America's #1 humor writer! I recommend this book highly. Julie Donner Andersen turns midlife angst into midlife joy with every turn of the page. A must-have for all women over age 35!

"In all my 40-something years I have never read anything that made me actually giggle out loud as often as I did while reading "Parentally Insane: Insights From The Edge...of Midlife!" It is a masterpiece of daring truths and family hilarity. Once I started reading, I just couldn't stop! I read the whole thing with ridiculous tears of laughter streaming down my cheeks-or maybe they were tears of relief that my family wasn't the ONLY weird one in the world! What an absolutely delightful book! This should be a mandatory gift on Mother's Day!"
~Kristi Sayles, author of Jacob's Monkey-the Trouble with Lying, The Day I Woke Up As An Ostrich - An Odd Collection for Christians (SynergEbooks, 2001) and creator of "Smart Author-Instant Writer Software http://smartauthor.com and http://cafepress.com/smartauthor

As a professional book reviewer for a daily newspaper in southern Ontario, Canada, I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing this book before it was available in print to the general public. From a man's perspective, the author is "spot-on" with her humorous and insightful observations about husbands, parenting kids from teenagers to toddlers, and the dynamics of midlife marriage. Her sense of humor borders on the wacky yet astute tongue-in-cheek stand-up comedy of George Carlin, with the gentle suburban spin of writers such as Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry. To get a woman's perspective, I asked my wife to read this book (which gave her something to do during baseball season). Having gone through a box of tissues, she gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up, and wanted me to ask the author when her next book is coming out. Soon, I'm sure, as this author has what it takes to keep us laughing for decades to come.

It's nice to hear that the author remains humbly down-to-earth by Ebay selling. Having spoken with her several times on the phone, I found the author to be earthy, honest, and quite charming. I'm sure if anyone had a problem buying something from her, they need only look in the mirror to see the source of their issues. And man, you gotta have issues to vent on Amazon about something that petty.