Releases tomorrow, 9/9
Synopsis:
A debut collection of witty, biting essays laced with a surprising warmth, from Jen Mann, the writer behind the popular blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat
People I want to punch in the throat:
• anyone who feels the need to bling her washer and dryer
• humblebraggers
• people who treat their pets like children
Jen Mann doesn’t have a filter, which sometimes gets her in trouble with her neighbors, her fellow PTA moms, and that one woman who tried to sell her sex toys at a home shopping party. Known for her hilariously acerbic observations on her blog, People I Want to Punch in the Throat, Mann now brings her sharp wit to bear on suburban life, marriage, and motherhood in this laugh-out-loud collection of essays. From the politics of joining a play group, to the thrill of mothers’ night out at the gun range, to the rewards of your most meaningful relationship (the one you have with your cleaning lady), nothing is sacred or off-limits. So the next time you find yourself wearing fuzzy bunny pajamas in the school carpool line or accidentally stuck at a co-worker’s swingers party, just think, What would Jen Mann do? Or better yet, buy her book.
My review:
Ok, so I love Jen Mann. If you don’t know of her, or her laugh-so-hard-you-snort blog, People I Want To Punch In The Throat, then I am here to introduce you to some of the funniest and most real parent and life posts you will ever read. No really. And if you do know of her, high-five!
Her newest book, People I Want To Punch In The Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges, touches on all of the joyous *heavy on the sarcasm* wonders of being a suburban mom in the prim and proper Pinterest age….and it is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.
Question: Have you ever left your house in pj’s to drop a kid off thinking no one will ever see those pj’s, only to find out you HAVE to get out of the car and parade your pj clad self into the school?
-OR- Had to suffer through a playdate chatting it up with a mom who, under any other circumstances, you would never want to associate with for even one tenth of a nanosecond, but because your kids are friends and you HAVE to stay through the playdate you’e stuck with said parent?
-OR- How about dealing with those obsessive parents, living vicariously through their kids to make up for all that lacked in their own childhood? They are gems….
I see you nodding after reading those questions and that’s exactly why you need this book. Not only does Jen write her completely relatable experiences, but she writes with such snarky comedy genius that you can’t NOT laugh. I mean I annoyed the hell out of my poor husband while reading this because I would be reading, start laughing, shove the book under his nose and say: “read this! It’s just like *censored to save face with my friends and neighbors*!”. And guess what? He thought it was hilarious, too!
But aside from the hilarity of this book, is that fact that Jen puts it all in perspective. Life, kids, parenting, suburban society, the pressures of raising kids in an age where Pinterest makes you feel like a slacker every time you log on…. all of it. She makes us realize we aren’t alone in this craziness and that it’s ok to take life with a grain of salt. It’s ok to not want to suffer through a play date or not want to spend 6 months crafting dat and night for a kid’s birthday party. It’s ok to head out without makeup on and in your bunny pj’s. It’s ok to want to punch people in the throat!
So while this book is a break from my normal genres, I will always pick up a book written by Jen because she reminds us that life isn’t perfect and you may as well have a good laugh along the way! Thanks Jen, you freaking rock and I love ya lots!
Five Loves
Buy the book:
About the author:
Jen is the blogger throwing hilarious punches peppered with a liberal dose of f-bombs on her blog People I Want to Punch in the Throat. Jen is also the publisher and editor of the best-selling anthology I Just Want to Pee Alone. She is the author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Daycare Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges (Sept 2014) and Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat (Dec 2015). She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Babble, and Headline News.
She is wife to The Hubs and mother to Gomer and Adolpha (not their real names – their real names are actually so much worse).
People I Want to Punch in the Throat blog can be found here