Synopses & Reviews
New Jersey native Kristen Buckley travels through a series of catastrophic detours she calls childhoodone that was anything but normal. Set adrift after her parents divorce, Buckley embarks upon an emotional odyssey through the eerie underworld of northern New Jersey, where perverted gym teachers are as big a threat as the local mobsters, and timbale-playing orangutans wield the power to shape the future. Among the colorful cast of chracaters vividly portrayed are her brilliantlly wry mother; two deaf, adopted siblings from Korea; two Jewish stepsisters; and one pot-smoking runaway. After a childhood spent searching for a place to call home, she ultimately finds it and emerges as a truly unforgettable heroine.
Review
"Jersey natives and mordant Charles Bukowski fans will relish Buckley's sardonic writing style." The Washington Post
Review
"Full of outrageous tales that will keep you laughing." Ok! magazine
Review
"The ultimate New Jersey escape memoir. Hilarious, poignant, and appropriately trashy!" Simon Doonan, New York Observer
Review
"Rollicking . . . an all-night reading experience for even the most disciplined reader." Library Journal
Review
"A hilarious and heartwarming memoir . . . don't skip the forewordthe fun starts there." C Magazine
About the Author
Kristen Buckley is author of The Parker Grey Show and coauthor of the screenplay How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She lives in Los Angeles.