We’re already fans of the clever, caustic writing of author and fellow parenting blogger Stephanie Wilder-Taylor, so I figured I could give her newest book, It’s Not Me, It’s You, a good skim and craft a review. As it turns out, as each short chapter came to an end, I found myself saying, “Okay…just one more.”
Not surprising considering the subtitle is Subjective Recollections from a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic and Occasionally Inebriated Woman
The memoir is a series of short essays about Wilder-Taylor’s life in LA before children, her quest for love, and her failed attempts to start a relationship with her absent, Borscht-belt comedian father. Along the way are plenty of dating mishaps, hilarious employment stumbles and an accidental freebasing episode. (Seriously.)
The chapters each seem to be a little disconnected at first, as if you’re reading a series of random flashbacks the author was having in therapy. But as the book progresses, it becomes clearer that these are the events that collectively shaped her adult life; and they will be particularly interesting for fans of Stefanie’s subsequent cocktail humor momoirs like Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay, and those familiar with her column on MommyTracked called “My Sobering Secret” which copped to a drinking problem. The book hits full steam by the middle, at which point you won’t want to put it down.
What I like about It’s Not Me is that this is not actually a “mom book.” However it does force you to remember that before we were moms, we were women, each with our own high points and low points and near misses and neuroses. The best we can do is learn from them and heal. Or better yet, use them to make a whole lot of people laugh. –Liz
Find Stefanie Wilder-Taylor’s memoir, It’s Not Me, It’s You, from our affiliate Amazon
