I’ve been saying that summer is the time for light reading, yet most of the books I have read the last few weeks have not been, what I would say, beach reading. But I have to write that The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson fits into my fast and easy book category — and it’s a fun read.
Amy Dickinson’s book is not a novel, nor is it really a traditional memoir. It’s a group of essays disguised as book chapters. The book explores the life of a single mother (Dickinson, herself) after a divorce, and then uses various flashbacks of the author’s life to explore the relationship she has with other family members — most women, many single mothers who struggled to raise their families after the fathers were out of the family.
What I really enjoyed about this book was there was no bitterness or preaching. In fact, many of the chapters were downright funny! The landscape of small town New York was also familiar to me — and I liked how the author made the choice to buy a house in her hometown, yet explore both life and career options in major cities. In many ways, this book proves that one can got home again!
The Scrapper Poet 