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MWSA Review
The Meat and Potatoes of Life is a memoir. And yes, it is written chronologically to cover the major periods of the author’s life. But this isn’t your typical somber and self-important memoir. The book also veers firmly and unapologetically into the humor “lane.” Move over, Erma Bombeck. Lisa Molinari is here to invite readers into her world as a military spouse, starting with marriage, and progressing through deployments, the birth of children, their conversion into teenagers and college students, and ending with empty nesting and retirement. Using an easy, breezy style, the author sucks the reader into a vortex of hilarity with her ability to find the ridiculous in the sublime. And this book isn’t just for military spouses. Civilian wives and mothers will relate to most of the vignettes, as well as better understanding the sacrifices our military families make for us.
Arranged in seasons and episodes, Molinari’s life unfolds for us in the manner of a sitcom, in many ways. I found particular enjoyment from the chapter titles, most of which were a play on words: Revival of the Fittest; Pomp and Unusual Circumstances; The Old Man and the Degree; Life (Hot) Flashing Before My Eyes; The Elephant in the Bedroom, to list a few.
Despite the humor, a thread of seriousness runs through the book, as we contemplate the extra burden military spouses labor under during deployments, unasked for moves across country or overseas, and the ever-present danger of the death of a loved one.
Review by Betsy Beard (March 2021)
Author's Synopsis
Lisa leaves her law career behind to become a navy wife and Supermom, but somewhere between "I do" and "I'm deploying again" waves of chaos threaten to overtake her. She has a husband who knows his chardonnay but can't identify a Phillips head screwdriver, three quirky kids with their own agendas, a perpetually shedding dog, and a minivan full of cold French fries. Will she survive the endless minutiae of modern family life, or will she end up on the laundry room floor eating chocolate frosting out of a can?
Grab some popcorn, snuggle up, and get ready to binge-read Lisa's true literary comedy -- her search for meaning in the meat and potatoes of life.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-934617-54-0, 978-1-934617-55-7, 978-1-934617-56-4
Book Format(s): Hard cover, Kindle, ePub/iBook
Review Genre: Nonfiction—Memoir/Biography
Number of Pages: 256