Synopses & Reviews
"On the short drive to the preschool,
I dutifully unwrap a NutriGrain bar and
toss it into the back seat to my four-year-old.
Sometimes I'll even unwrap one for myself.
Studies have shown that it's very important
for familes to eat together. . . . "
Why couldn't the Sopranos survive living down South? Simple. You can't shoot a guy full of holes after eating chicken and pastry, spoon bread, okra, and tomatoes.
What does a Southern woman consider grounds for divorce? When Daddy takes the kids out in public dressed in pajama tops and Tweety Bird swim socks. Again.
What is the Southern woman's opinion of a new "fat virus" theory? Bring it on! We've got a lot of skinny friends we need to sneeze on.
Want to become honest-to-Jesus white trash? Spend two weeks' salary on hair extensions and pancake makeup for your three-year-old so she can win a five-dollar trophy in the Wee Tiny Miss pageant and the adoration of, well, nobody much.
What does the Southern woman think of Paul McCartney's marriage to a model thirty years younger? We're not surprised. Statistically speaking, it's almost impossible for billionaires to discover that their soulmates are fifty-five and restocking the shampoo end caps at Kmart.
In this wickedly funny follow-up to her bestselling Bless Your Heart, Tramp, Celia Rivenbark welcomes you, once again, to the south she loves, the land of "Mama and them's," "precious and dahlin," and mommies who mow. Ya'll come back now, you hear.
Review
"[A] sidesplitting collection of essays....Rivenbark is a hoot, and her book will be best enjoyed while listening to the Allman Brothers Band and eating 'a plate of, what else? collards and cornbread.'" Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Funny and irreverent, this is a must-read for women everywhere even Yankees!
Synopsis
The irresistible bestselling collection of essays about the real truths of Southern life.
Synopsis
Why couldn't the Sopranos survive living down South? Simple. You can't shoot a guy full of holes after eating chicken and pastry, spoon bread, okra, and tomatoes.
What does a Southern woman consider grounds for divorce? When daddy takes the kids out in public dressed in their pajama tops and Tweety Bird swim socks. Again.
What is the Southern woman's opinion of a new "fat virus" theory? Bring it on! We've got a lot of skinny friends we need to sneeze on.
In this wickedly funny follow-up to her bestselling novel Bless Your Heart, Tramp, Celia Rivenbark welcomes you, once again, to the South she loves, the land of "Mama and them," "precious and dahlin'," and mommies who mow. Y'all come back now, you hear?
Synopsis
"I thought I was Southern until I read Celia Rivenbark's book...what a funny, smart, and irreverent writer she is!"
- Lee Smith, author of The Last Girls
"Laugh-out-loud funny."
- Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Even die-hard Yankees will appreciate this wickedly funny collection...an amusing and refreshingly honest look at family life on this side of the Mason-Dixon line."
- Dallas Morning News
About the Author
Celia Rivenbark is the author of the award-winning bestsellers Stop
Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank; Bless Your Heart, Tramp; Belle Weather; and
You Cant Drink All Day If You Dont Start in the Morning.
Were Just Like You, Only Prettier won a Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Book Award for nonfiction and was a finalist for the James Thurber Prize for American Humor. Born and raised in Duplin County, North Carolina, Rivenbark grew up in a small house “with a red barn out back that was populated by a couple of dozen lanky and unvaccinated cats.” She started out writing for her hometown paper. She writes a weekly, nationally syndicated humor column for the
Myrtle Beach Sun News. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Reading Group Guide
1. Although written from a Southern womans perspective, do you believe that most of the books comic themes translate easily to non-Southerners? In other words, do Minnesota dads also have difficulty dressing their children properly?
2. The author admits that she adores Southern men, even the mullet headed ones. What characteristics do they possess that you find charming and endearing? Which traits do you find dated and exasperating?
3. The author paints a portrait of the Southern woman as a highly competitive creature. What cultural or historical influences may have led to this trait? Why do you think so many Southern women compete in beauty pageants, talent contests, and even recipe contests?
4. Do you find the slow and soft speech pattern of Southerners irritating or charming? Do you think that a slow drawl indicates that the speaker is a bit dim? Do you believe that a womans Southern drawl can be used effectively to manipulate others, particularly men?
5. There are many references to being “raised right.” Do you believe that Southerners are more apt to punish their children than non-Southern parents? Why or why not?
6. So many non-Southerners derive their knowledge of what Southern folk are like by the images on TV and in films. What are the most memorable Southern characters you recall? Do you think that Hollywood perpetuates a stereotype that Southerners are lazy and slow? Can you remember any major movies in which the brainy heroine is a Southern woman?
7. This book is called “laugh-out-loud funny.” Which part made you laugh out loud and why? Does the authors humor remind you of anyone else? How so?
8. Although this book resonates with women readers more than men, many women have read aloud portions to their husbands and boyfriends. Are there specific parts of the book that you think appeal to men?