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Blacklisted from the PTA
Blacklisted by the PTA is an irreverent look at motherhood and the modern family. From the high chair to a vinyl restaurant booth on date night, Lela Davidson has captured life on the cul-de-sac with a husband, two kids, and the occasional pet. Whether failing at cloth diaper origami or smug in knowledge that her children have never consumed a PopTart, Lela assures parents they are not alone, and that it's okay to laugh-at yourself, and at your kids. These are the stories of Everyparent-even if we don't always tell them out loud. Each of these 62 essays can be read in under five minutes for a quick laugh-either with or at the author. As a CPA on the mommy track, all Lela wanted to do was sit on the driveway and drink wine out of a box with the neighbors. Luckily, she started writing down her stories instead. Whether tackling PTA meetings, neighborhood politics, or inflation-by-Tooth Fairy, Lela exposes the humor in every awkward moment and maternal meltdown. From a trendy Seattle condo, to a tidy Arkansas subdivision, Lela shares the comic side of family life. She takes you to Mexican bars, the hockey rinks of St. Louis, ski slopes near Santa Fe, shopping in Dallas, and even introduces you to a few strippers-the novices on the playgrounds of New York City, and the pros in Vegas. Lela says what the rest of us are thinking. Her hilarious observations and subtle satire are always spot on. She's not afraid to reveal her screw-ups, along with fleeting delusional moments of wherein she honestly believes she is the best mom ever. ABOUT THE AUTHORLela Davidson is the Managing Editor of ParentingSquad.com and the Associate Editor of Peekaboo magazine. Her writing is featured regularly in family and parenting magazines throughout the country, and in Chicken Soup for the New Moms. Lela is also a popular teacher of online writing and promotion strategies.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2011
54 people are currently reading
855 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
March 30, 2011
I wrote this book, and I think it's pretty good ;)
July 10, 2012
It was pretty funny overall, not bad for a freebie. However I failed to find humor in her crack about peanut allergies, "Peanuts in public schools are like anthrax in Washington dc. Distribute peanut M&M's to the kids in your charge at the petting zoo and you'll never be asked to organize another field trip." Totally NOT funny to a mother of a son with a peanut allergy. I hate when people don't take food allergies serious. I had to take my son out of public school for this very reason. The rest of the book was good though.
July 18, 2013
Some of her anecdotes/stories were entertaining, some were merely okay, and some were down-right annoying. Her writing seemed to annoy me more often than it entertaining. Yes, I enjoyed some of the stories and it made me realize everyone feels or experiences the same things at one time or the other, but there were too many incidents when I wondered if I should just stop reading and forget the whole thing. For this and the fact the book was badly formatted and full of typos, I was not able to give it more than two stars. It probably deserves more like 1.5 stars, since much of it was so irritating, but ZI did find myself laughing at somethings. I know she has written other books, but after the experience I had with this one, I will not be reading any of her others. My final thought is at least I got this for free!
December 8, 2011
This was laugh out loud funny. Light and fun, Lela Davidson is irreverent and sarcastic and says out loud what most of us think (at least once if we're honest). I'd read more by her; and may search to see if I can find her blog.
August 10, 2016
As a recuperating PTA lady and suburb dweller, I can say with authority that this insightful and funny book will make you laugh until you need to re-touch your eyeliner. I wish Lela lived next door to me--and you will, too.
July 10, 2012
A fun must read for all those not nearly perfect moms out there, just like me, who don't even aspire for perfection...just survival!!
June 29, 2018
Not as funny as I thought it would be, yes it was amusing, but not hilarious. I didn't have me enthralled till I couldn't put it down, but I also liked it enough to continue reading.
Read
January 7, 2020.
January 7, 2024
A funny look at her life as a wife and mother. A quick read.
Three stars
Three stars
December 13, 2016
Loved it!
September 2, 2012
(Despite the fact that Goodreads claims there is no Kindle version, I did download it as one of those cheap, Kindle books). Great summer read. Even though I am a grandmother, I failed when I was a young mother those hurdles such as PTA bake sales (hated 'em), laminating national geographic articles for preschoolers (and having to avoid laminating naked boobs), making elaborate, homemade presents for the teachers, etc. I just couldn't reach those professional standards of the self-appointed professional mothers.
Chapters such as arriving late at the wrong rink for your son's ice hockey tournament, going to Vegas with girlfriends to take a class in pole dancing, and other gems are well-written and the humor is sustained.
I so related to this book and it is belly-laughing-out-loud funny. I recommend it to any mother, mother-to-be, or grandmother. My daughter also downloaded it from Kindle at my recommendation.
Chapters such as arriving late at the wrong rink for your son's ice hockey tournament, going to Vegas with girlfriends to take a class in pole dancing, and other gems are well-written and the humor is sustained.
I so related to this book and it is belly-laughing-out-loud funny. I recommend it to any mother, mother-to-be, or grandmother. My daughter also downloaded it from Kindle at my recommendation.
February 7, 2013
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Have you ever heard of mommy humor? Well I believe it could be a whole genre of its own and even though I may not entire the realm of motherhood, I still absolutely love this genre - it makes me giggle out loud all of the time.
Lela Davidson takes the reader into her home as a mom and the different things she encounters due to motherhood. I think she did it perfectly without oversharing about her children; they can't be too embarrassed by the things she shared. Moms and mom to bes and just fans of this humor should pick up her two books, you will laugh from beginning to end. I also think she wrote these books with moms in mind because the stories are short simple and sweet - with only a few pages to each story. I know because of my sister that she doesn't have limitless time to read each day, so short stories allow her to enjoy a book, but also to put it down and be easily picked back up again at another time.
Have you ever heard of mommy humor? Well I believe it could be a whole genre of its own and even though I may not entire the realm of motherhood, I still absolutely love this genre - it makes me giggle out loud all of the time.
Lela Davidson takes the reader into her home as a mom and the different things she encounters due to motherhood. I think she did it perfectly without oversharing about her children; they can't be too embarrassed by the things she shared. Moms and mom to bes and just fans of this humor should pick up her two books, you will laugh from beginning to end. I also think she wrote these books with moms in mind because the stories are short simple and sweet - with only a few pages to each story. I know because of my sister that she doesn't have limitless time to read each day, so short stories allow her to enjoy a book, but also to put it down and be easily picked back up again at another time.
May 6, 2012
"I just hope that in retrospect, like in the movies, they make them laugh. Because it could be worse. Our troubles could have nothing to do with botched directions and frustrated parental venting. I hope my children someday know that, and realize just how good they had it." pg. 191
"While nothing about motherhood is constant, there are split seconds where everything is in balance. If we are lucky, we grasp those moments and seal them in our hearts before the waves of life wash them away. [break] And then we start all over, carving out a new word in the sand." pg 238
Loved these two quotes. This is was breezy, easy read. Nothing earth-shattering or life-altering, but fun all the same. There were a couple laugh out loud moments, but I was kind of expecting more from the title.
"While nothing about motherhood is constant, there are split seconds where everything is in balance. If we are lucky, we grasp those moments and seal them in our hearts before the waves of life wash them away. [break] And then we start all over, carving out a new word in the sand." pg 238
Loved these two quotes. This is was breezy, easy read. Nothing earth-shattering or life-altering, but fun all the same. There were a couple laugh out loud moments, but I was kind of expecting more from the title.
July 7, 2012
Being that I do not have children, I sometimes hesitate to read books in the "Mommy" genre. I often find that I can not relate to the stories being told but this was not the case with Blacklisted from the PTA.
Lela told her stories in such a way that they didn't alienate the childless. She doesn't assume every one agrees with her feelings or has even experienced the things she discusses.
Her humor and wit is outstanding! The book is fast paced and fairly short. I read it rather quickly.
The only real shortcoming of the book was the order of the stories being told. She seems to jump around rather than telling stories in a chronological order. I found this to be slightly confusing.
Lela told her stories in such a way that they didn't alienate the childless. She doesn't assume every one agrees with her feelings or has even experienced the things she discusses.
Her humor and wit is outstanding! The book is fast paced and fairly short. I read it rather quickly.
The only real shortcoming of the book was the order of the stories being told. She seems to jump around rather than telling stories in a chronological order. I found this to be slightly confusing.
March 9, 2013
I'm SO behind in reading both of Lela's books, but finally read them both a few weeks ago. I think knowing her in person and picturing er in many of the situations made it extra funny. Nobody nails a witty retort like Lela, and her tag line "what you were thinking, only funnier" describes her and her books to a T. I recommend them both for light, fun reading and a hilarious take on everyday life... but not the tiresome version so many other writers attempt. Lela is MY kind of mom of the year - the one who doesn't give up her own life to create a happy one for her family.
Good stuff!!
Good stuff!!
August 8, 2012
I downloaded this one b/c it was free on the Kindle a few weeks ago and I just recently started (and finished) it. What a great pick-me-up broken up into several short stories of the glamourous life of a mom and wife. It was great just to read one or a few at a time and put it down when the mommy-life calls. Hilarious stories, but I really don't know if they all happened or if she's just a bit hyperbolic with her narration. But it's funny and a few I just couldn't finish without laughing out loud. Could have used much better editing though.
July 5, 2012
This was a collection of essays about parenthood. It started out kind of lukewarm for me; then, it got better before returning to its tepid state. I was happy to discover the author has lived in both my current state and beloved home state of Arkansas. Must admit, I've never heard of "Boo'ing" someone. And, I do wish she seemed to like animals more than what came across in the books. Oh, and mine was the Kindle version (it wasn't an option to choose from on GR).
October 13, 2013
Very easy to read, small anecdotes from a modern mom's life. I appreciated this author's candor, ability to self-analyze and concise way of presenting her stories. I had a hard time with the layout of the book, it didn't seem to build on itself at all, it was just a random series of events that I found a bit off-putting sometimes. Other than that, I appreciated being about the read about some things that have happened in my life as well, an easy book to relate to.
August 14, 2011
This book was laugh out loud funny. A quick read for any woman whether a new mom or veteran mom. Lela Davidson is someone I want to sit down and trade notes with and enjoy a few martini's with. Lela helps all women understand the our best laid plans may not always turn out the way we hoped and that we aren't the only mom's who loose control every now and then.
July 6, 2012
If you have survived the childhood of someone (or more than one) you gave birth to...or if you are in the process of doing so...you will probably find yourself nodding, grinning, laughing, and sighing through Lela Davidson's Blacklisted from the PTA. This was a fun read.
A free Amazon download for Kindle.
A free Amazon download for Kindle.
November 13, 2012
When I opened this book for my book club, I was hoping for a funny novel about a quirky mom, or a bunch of funny stories about quirky moms. The author is funny, but this is a series of essays. My personal tastes are that I like to read stories with a plot. The author is good at what she does, it just isn't my type of story.
July 24, 2012
I wish I read this book 8-10 years ago, when my babies were babies. These essays were laugh out loud funny and irreverent. I loved the author's perspective; she wants to be a little crunchier than she is, she is never holier than thou, and she made me laugh during each chapter. Short, but fun, book.
January 13, 2016
I've been in a book rut and this was just what I needed. Fast, fun, easy and fitting (in my life). I felt like the author was expressing what I feel in certain situations. If you aren't a parent with school she children you might not enjoy it as much, but it will certainly give you a taste of what life is like thus day and she with kids.
August 27, 2012
A collection of stand-alone essays (I'm assuming at least some were posts from her blog) about parenting. Good for when the kids have your brain so fried you can't pay attention to any topic for longer than 2 pages. The description calls it "irreverant," but I'd say it's gentle humor. I prefer comedy books to push the envelope more, but I did laugh out loud a few times.
September 3, 2012
I bought this book for free on Amazon. Even though I'm not a mom, I was still very entertained by this book and could relate to it in a way since I have been working as a babysitter for a long time. I did notice several grammatical errors, which bothered me, but all in all, it was a very quick and entertaining read.
December 5, 2012
SUPER FUNNY!!! Lela is witty, entertaining and hooks you from the beginning. One of the better books I've read this year! I can relate to her and her stories so closely, and she gives such a fun take on woman hood and raising your kids - not only exposing the behind the scenes truths to parenthood but giving first hand accounts. I would read this again!
August 24, 2016
Humourous, but not laugh-out-loud so. Written by a blogger, reads like a blog. Which is great for blog posts, but not what I'm looking for in a book. I don't mind short anecdotes, but this was just disjointed. Worth a read if you've got the kindle version and are somewhere without a book & wanting something quick & light.
August 1, 2012
Books like this normally amuse me for a few pages and then get old but not this one. From start to finish, I was frequently laughing and either nodding my head with sympathetic understanding or shaking my head in bemused disbelief. Very enjoyable read.
August 21, 2012
so funny!! I love it! it makes me see I'm not alone in all the aspects of motherhood. I laughed out loud while my hubby was sleeping next to me and while waiting for appointments because her descriptions are so funny. I will be reading this again. just so I can laugh out loud!
January 21, 2013
Funny, makes you laugh at yourself & felt like I could have written it myself except for the fact that I have yet to get blacklisted from the PTA! Quick read, finished it the same evening I started it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews