Just a day after he leaves my department with promises of more fulfilling work in our Law department, I finished David Abts' Mother's Day at the Orphanage: Stories Without A Home while hacking up an abundance of mucus in between the unfortunate settling of a cold and laughter. I had the book in my possession for a couple of weeks, but as anyone who burns the candle at both ends, I was too tired to hold open anything, let alone a book.
When I finally did, I chastated myself for not doing so earlier! Within the span of 24 hours, I finished the whole thing, feeling a little empty when I realized there wasn't more (FYI - as I mentioned earlier, battling a cold and I had errands to do after staying at work until 8:45 PM on a Friday night, don't judge how long it this short read).
About 60 something pages of pure insanity, I had to wonder how a couple guys like David and Michael Shattuck, authors of the book, get into such hilarious trouble that I would have gotten beaten for as a kid and quite possibly an adult (the wonders of being a boy vs. girl, I guess).
From career day flasher costumes to attending weddings in Italy, each story makes you wonder "Did this really happen? OMG!" followed by fits of laughter, making you realize that whether they are true or pure exaggerations of ordinary events, you don't care. You immediately find the narrators charming and trustworthy because who doesn't like a guy who makes you laugh?
A surprising aspect of the book that I didn't expect were a small collection of stories from others in the last section of the book. I found myself wanting more of their stories too.
Reading Mother's Day at the Orphanage is like hanging out with bunch of friends, sitting around laughing and telling stories while having "a splash of wine" as mentioned a few times in the book - only you get to do that while on your daily commute or on a Friday night while quarantined in your room, nursing a sudden cold.
With laughs, earnest gusto, and tenacity only seen in the brave (or really oblivious) and creative, you will find yourself wanting more stories from David, Michael, and the rest of the gang. Crossing off another book finished from the notorious Book Jumper (okay maybe not notorious, but I'm something), I give Mother's Day at the Orphanage a Write Recommendation and urge you to go buy the book today!
Go and read an excerpt from a review on the New York Daily News:
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