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S'Mother: The Story Of A Man, His Mom, And The Thousands Of Altogether Insane Letters She's Mailed Him (2011)

by Adam Chester(Favorite Author)

3.21 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0810996456 (ISBN13: 9780810996458)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Harry N. Abrams

review 1: This was meant to be a light and funny book made up of "crazy" letters received over the years by a man's mother. I listened to the audio version which actually helped the book as he had his mother read her letters and Adam read the portions that were describing his life and his reactions to the letters. His mother read it very straight. She didn't attempt any schtick and the format worked. At most, I only hoped for 3 stars from this kind of book. My thinking was, if it held my interest and gave me some laughs, that would suffice for keeping me company while I cleaned my house. While it did kind of hold my interest and I did actually laugh at times, there weren't quite as many laughs as I hoped. Also, the main reason for deducting a star was this. He continuously j... moreoked about his mom being "insane" but in truth I strongly suspect that his mom actually does some kind of mental illness, probably paranoid personality disorder and very likely OCD as well. I am not a psychologist but I am pretty familiar with OCD and her letters writing appears to be a complusion based on a variety of fears that she obsesses about. Anyway, knowing this, it made me feel sad that he was making a mockery of his mother. His mom is actually very sweet and well intentioned. I am confident that she could really find relief with cognitive behavioral therapy. I understand that it is difficult to have someone close to you that has a mental illness and humor can be a great stress reliever so I don't blame the author. It just was frustrating listening to him make light of it all and knowing that his mom is not getting the right kind of help.
review 2: Adam Chester’s mother is not just a helicopter mom, she takes it all to a new level. And she manages to do it not just when he’s a small child, nor only when he lives near her. No, her nosy intrusion into his life is achieved largely through the US Postal Service and continues across state lines well into his adult life. She has opinions about his wife, his roommates, the clothes he wears, his jobs and every other imaginable topic. As well, she is preoccupied with her own insurance and estate planning and regularly reminds Adam about these things. Her behavior is beyond neurotic, and Adam’s exasperation is palpable. The overall effect would be bleak if it weren’t so darn funny. Not only does Adam’s writing make the material approachable, it was particularly delightful to listen to the audio version read by Adam and his mom. You can hear his annoyance, while she is strictly deadpan. On the whole this was a good bit of self-indulgent Schadenfreude. There is nothing like someone else’s misery to make me feel more satisfied with my own life, and at just 3 1/2 hours it was over before I could start to worry about them. less

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