Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask [Paperback]

Jancee Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 23, 2009

Despite her forty years and a successful career as a rock journalist, Jancee Dunn still feels like a teenager, especially around her parents and sisters. Looking around, Dunn realizes that she’s not alone in this regression: Her friends, all with successful jobs, marriages, and families of their own, still feel like kids around their moms and dads, too. That gets Dunn to thinking: Do we ever really grow up?

Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? explores this phenomenon–through both Dunn’s coming to grips with getting older and her folks’ attempts to turn back the clock. In a series of hilarious and heartwarming essays, Dunn conspires with her sisters to finagle their way into the old family homestead, dissects the whys and wherefores of her parents’ obsession with newspaper clippings, confronts the seamy side of the JC Penney catalogs she paged through as a kid, and accompanies her sixtysomething mother to a New Jersey tattoo parlor, where Mom is giddy to get a raven inked onto her wrist. And Dunn does it all with humor and insight.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dunn's travails will be instantly recognizable to readers in their late 30s and 40s—a generation that's shifted the family bickering about what to serve at holiday dinners to conference calls and e-mails. Her parents are a bottomless well of comedy, sending her wacky newspaper clippings and grilling her loudly about her inability to go to the bathroom during their vacation. Her circle of friends is equally familiar, like the gay buddy who invites her over for TV-movie parties and can always be counted on to make catty remarks about strangers. Several chapters are filled with transcripts of phone conversations with her best friend, Julie, flitting from topic to topic, comparing the embarrassing songs saved on their iPods and wondering why their parents haven't figured out voice mail isn't like an answering machine (Hello? Anybody there? Hello, it's Dad). Dunn's tone is genial, only turning serious briefly near the end when she discusses not having kids—and then inadvertently discovers she's finally pregnant. The seriousness doesn't last long, though, and soon it's back to affectionately mocking her mom's decision to get tattooed—although, as her sisters point out, she's secretly pleased to have something new to write about. (June 23)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"I want Jancee Dunn to make me a pie. Actually, I want to sit around and listen to her entire family argue about what type of pie. Such is the extreme charm of her world. No matter the subject, Dunn's gimlet eye for all of life’s minor infractions and daily quirks is superbly addictive." —Sloane Crosley, author of I Was Told There'd be Cake

“[Jancee Dunn’s] wonder, bemusement, befuddlement, and frank delight at growing into adulthood are highly entertaining… Readers who enjoy humorous memoirs infused with a healthy dose of pop culture are sure to love this book, which has the potential to be an entertaining and provocative book club choice.” —Library Journal
 
“Genial [and] affectionately mocking…Dunn's travails will be instantly recognizable to readers in their late 30s and 40s…. Her parents are a bottomless well of comedy [and] her circle of friends is equally familiar.”—Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Villard; Original edition (June 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345501926
• ISBN-13: 978-0345501929
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jancee Dunn grew up in Chatham, New Jersey. She was a writer at Rolling Stone from 1989-2003. She has written for many publications, among them the New York Times, Vogue, GQ, and O: The Oprah Magazine. She has been an entertainment correspondent for Good Morning America and, for five years, a veejay for MTV2. Her memoir "But Enough About Me," about her life as chronically nervous celebrity interviewer, came out in 2006, and the novel "Don't You Forget About Me" followed in 2008. Her collection of essays entitled "Why Is My Mother Getting A Tattoo? And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had To Ask" was a finalist for the Thurber Prize For American Humor. Most recently she collaborated with Cyndi Lauper for "Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir," released September 2012. She and her husband live in Brooklyn.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner July 4, 2009

By L. Bush

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have loved all of Jancee Dunn's books and this one was terrific too. She blends insight, sensitivity and lots of humor in these essays about her family and friends. I laughed out loud all the way through it and was sad when I finished it. Can't wait for the next book by her!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I missed the Dunns July 1, 2009

By Mattie Matthews

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved Jancee dunn's last book and I truly couldn't wait for her to write again. I wasn't disappointed. I love her, I love her family and I love her friends.
I read it in one day because I simply couldn't put it down. Even so I couldn't help but appreciate Jancee's clever, self deprecating stories. Every once in awhile I find myself smiling at something that she, her mother or one of her sisters has said. And who among us wouldn't love to go back and look at our childhood home? Of course we might not think if using our little nephew as a prop.
Jancee is such a terrific writer and this is a terrific book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read! July 1, 2009

By Kmoney

Format:Paperback

News Flash - as Jancee's dad would say - Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo...is great! Readers get a real inside peek into Jancee's relationships with her inner circle of family and friends. (Her parents are a hoot!) Very entertaining, fun read!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, Yeah, Jancee's Great...But I LOVE Her Parents! :) August 1, 2009

By Mercedes L. Johnmeyer TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

After thoroughly enjoying 'But Enough About Me', I was excited to see Ms. Dunn had a new book out of short stories about her life. This book is a bit more on the personal side, focusing mainly on stories of her family (who just crack me up!) and her own life, whereas her previous book was more about her job at Rolling Stone, and the famous people she had to interview.

Some of her stories are just too funny (like her and her sister's obsession with their childhood home after their parents sold it, and Heather's poor son wondering why he has to trick or treat in a strange neighborhood an hour and a half away from home! Oh, and the Japanese toilet! I almost peed myself reading that one! ). Some of her stories are sweet (like her father's incessant need to send clippings about every possible disaster just to make sure his girls are ok). And some are very sad (like her father not having a recording of his own father's voice and the tapes Jancee gives him of his mother).

But the best story, by far, is the title story. Way to go Mrs. Dunn for getting that Raven!! I must agree with Jancee though...when it's not your own mother, you think it's a great idea...but I'm not sure how I'd feel about MY mom telling me she wanted a tattoo! Anyway, I definitely recommend this book for those of you interested. Ms. Dunn has a great sense of humor, and a fantastic family for her to get her writing inspiration from. I look forward to whatever she comes up with next!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT!! You can't beat Jancee Dunn for a smile! September 24, 2009

By A. Pohren VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Jancee Dunn has the most captivating, comedic and down-to-earth persona, through her writing voice, that reading her memoirs is like visiting with a wonderful long-time friend. It appears as though Ms. Dunn has no qualms and holds nothing back as she brings readers into her little corner of the world, and what an adventure her world is.

I had previously treated myself to Jancee Dunn's first published memoir, But Enough About Me: How a Small-Town Girl Went from Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet. I was instantly hooked on her tales of wacky interviews with those famous faces that constantly grace the magazine covers and t.v. screens that capture our average eyes. When I discovered this third title, I was nearly jumping with anticipation. Picking up the innocent pink cotton candy colored covered book, with the anything-but-innocent title pertaining to tattooed mothers, I was anxious to read this next installment of Ms. Dunn's life. After reading the first few pages, I knew this would be a highly entertaining and satisfying read - I was not disappointed.

I think that part of the enticement of Jancee Dunn's books is the simple fact that this is a real person, going through real life, and so many of us can relate. Be it crazy but loving family members to insane pressures of work and having the knowledge of a close friend always having your back. Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? is written in such a way that it truly does feel as though you are sitting down and chatting with a friend over a cup of yummy, frothy and calorie filled coffee. *(excuse me a moment while I go grab a pumpkin spice latte.... Okay, as I was saying...)

One of my favorite parts, among many, was when Jancee and her friend were comparing music on their iPods.... I had to laugh at some of the titles they secretly adored listening to, but would die if anyone else knew what they were listening to at the gym. Many of the titles and songs that they named, are ones that I know well. I even had to giggle when Jancee made a cringing mention of the group Nelson - my, what yummy looking, long blond-haired, fellows they once were!

The love and closeness between Jancee and her sisters and parents are very apparent and a wonderful treat to be able to glimpse into. Although, I have to say, that a two hour debate over pie flavors or stuffing types, for Thanksgiving, would be apt to drive me a bit batty. Also the fact that each family member has to basically agree unanimously on many issues would be a huge headache for me, for Jancee and her family this is just the way it is and very typical. There is a scene, within the book, that focuses around the fact that Jancee's parents decide to sell the house that they all grew up in. This is met with great despair and objections from the girls, not to mention some obsessive drive-bys from Jancee and her sister, Heather. Then one faithful day, Jancee and her family are invited to visit their old home, where much has changed, yet the experience settles many flutters of sadness that had been left behind.

I have to mention that each chapter is perfectly titled and will bring laughter, just from its one simple line. Just to give you an idea, here are a few of them: "They Don't Make Designer Colostomy Bags", "Secure You Wig with Extra Hairpins Before Lovemaking", "Salty, Sweet Gritty Blobs of Joy" and "His 'n' Hers Tiger-Print Underwear in Soft, Shape-Retaining Fabric". Also, the reminiscing about the JC Penny catalogs of days gone by, was tons of fun.

Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? is such a wonderful, heartwarming and fun-filled book. Jancee Dunn pens her love of her family, her ups and downs and life's craziness perfectly. The closeness shared by Ms. Dunn with her family and friends is a rock solid one and one that I cannot wait to hear more about in future books. (*okay, fingers crossed that there will be future books, not sure on any details) This is a work that will make readers laugh, sniffle a bit and reflect upon their own lives and family. A definite must read! Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Jancee! September 7, 2009

By N.L.

Format:Paperback

I happened upon Jancee Dunn's "But Enough About Me" this summer and enjoyed it so much that I immediately had to read this one as well. It was great spending time with Jancee, her family and friends. Didn't want it to end! To keep the fun going, read Jancee's blog and also "Please Excuse My Daughter" by her friend, Julie Klam. More, please!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love it! July 29, 2009

By E. Gagliano

Format:Paperback

She did it again. Drew me right into her world and her family's world. It's the kind of book that makes you feel like you were visited by a friend. I keep referring to things that happened in it as if I had a conversation with the author. Well done.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Indulge Yourself July 1, 2009

By Chemin1982

Format:Paperback

Jancee Dunn's third book, her first of personal essays, does not disappoint. As an avid fan of hers and repeat buyer of her prior two books, I loved how she combined her hilarious observations about family, friends, travel, and the mundane with deeply tender and heartfelt narratives. Jancee has a gift for storytelling and this reader is never bored. I hated for this book to end and I certainly look forward to many more. Congratulations, Jancee!