The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter, and the Town That Raised Them By Amy Dickenson Book Review

THE REVIEW:

The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter, and the Town That Raised Them is the memoir of Amy Dickenson and the story of her life growing up and being a grown up in small town America. Her hometown of Freeville, New York is “located on the northern fringes of Appalachia, in the rural and worn-out landscape of upstate New York. It’s a town with one stop sign, anchored by a church, post office, elementary school, and a gas station.”

You might know Amy Dickenson since she is the author of the syndicated column Ask Amy. This book is full of the same wit and common sense that she puts towards her column. There were parts that were just laugh out loud funny. And there were other parts where I would cry. The book is not about her career, but rather her life and the people who helped her to become who she is today.

If you are looking for an all around great read, I strongly suggest picking up a copy of this book today.

About Amy Dickinson:

Amy Dickinson is a syndicated advice columnist, penning the "Ask Amy" column, which appears in over 200 newspapers, including the LA Times, The Chicago Tribune, Newsday, and the Washington Post.

She grew up on a small dairy farm in the Finger Lakes district of New York state. Her father wanted his three daughters to be farmers but gave up on them when they refused to compete in the local Diary Princess pageant. Her large family has lived in and around her hometown (pop. 450) continuously since the Revolutionary War. She has described them as "hilarious, short-waisted Methodists."

"My extended family is a collection of married and divorced parents, single mothers, step-relatives, adoptees-and devoted siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles and grandparents. I grew up hearing stories about my ancestor's exploits-my great grandfather was warden of Sing Sing Prison and my great uncle ran off to Europe and joined the circus when he was 40.  Life in my hometown was like growing up in Lake Wobegon, only with worse weather and high unemployement," she says.

In addition to her advice column, Amy is a regular panelist on NPR's comedy quiz show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." She also can be heard regularly on NPR's national talk show, "Talk of the Nation." Amy appears frequently on CNN, Fox News, and the "Today Show."


This post was written for Parent Reviewers.





Never miss a review or giveaway- sign up here: