Letters from Home: Adventures with Mad Mother, Lemonade Man and The Kid

“Letters from Home: Adventures with Mad Mother, Lemonade Man and the Kid” mixes humor and pathos, slapstick comedy, and life’s Kodak moments in a unique memoir. This collection of the personal columns of a Midwestern  newspaper publisher takes the reader on a journey full of episodes we can all identify with. It begins with the challenges the author confronts in becoming a parent at age 34 while continuing a demanding career. The book then progresses through eventual single parenting, remarriage, and the aches and pains of aging. This book is full of laugh-out-loud episodes in home maintenance, pet rearing, gardening, and attempts to become athletic by learning to rollerblade, snow ski, and go sailing. Finally, the collection of columns urges readers to tell their family stories before it is too late. The author recounts her struggles in coming to grips with the death of her mother. It also includes philosophical essays on moments of grace in witnessing what she calls “God’s brushstrokes” and on the crucial role of community journalists in fostering a healthy democracy. This memoir provides an example of how to grow up and grow old semi-gracefully by mixing humor and lots of love with gratitude for the journey’s priceless opportunities.