Rebel Without a Minivan: observations on life in the 'burbs

by Tracy Beckerman

Tracy Beckerman is convinced she was abducted by aliens and dropped off in the suburbs of New Jersey. How else could she explain the fact that one minute she was a single city chick shopping sample sales, and the next, a married mother of two picking through garage sales? In this hilarious romp through the well-manicured lawns of suburbia, Beckerman takes on everyone from psycho mall moms to sinister cappuccino barristers, and proves you don't have to drive a minivan to make it it in the 'burbs. Straight from the pages of her hugely successful syndicated humor column, LOST IN SUBURBIA, Tracy Beckerman's Rebel without a Minivan is an irreverent and entertaining ride that will leave you snorting with laughter and cheering in the checkout aisles. Find out why ducks fear her, the DMV loathes her, and nearly a million readers of her column adore her. Read Tracy Beckerman's column, LOST IN SUBURBIA, at www.lostinsuburbia.net Tracy Beckerman is not just humorous. she is laugh-out-loud funny! Her columns are a great escape! -Suzette Martinez Standring, syndicated columnist and author of The Art of Column Insider Secrets from Art Buchwald, Dave Barry, Arianna Huffington, Pete Hamill and Other Great Columnists. In Rebel Without a Minivian, Tracy Beckerman has crafted a hilarious page-turner that captures the essence of what it's like to be a mom in the throes of an identity crisis. With a perfect blend of humor, wit, and sarcasm, Tracy's observations about her family, her foibles, and life in general give us all something to smile about. -Beth Feldman, founder of www.rolemommy.com and co-author of Peeing in Tales & Tips for Type A Moms

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2008

About the author

Tracy Beckerman is an award-winning author, speaker, and syndicated humor columnist who has appeared on numerous TV shows, including NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, and CBS Sunday Morning with Mo Rocca. Her honors for writing include the prestigious Writer’s Guild of America award, a CLIO, an International Film and Television award, and a New York Emmy®. She has been voted “America’s Top Blogger” by The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television, has won a National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for humor writing, and was the Global Humor Award Winner of the coveted Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.

Tracy is married to a very understanding guy who frequently appears in her column, whether he likes it or not. They have two children but have recently become Empty Nesters, so they focus all their attention on their dog, who also appears frequently in her columns, whether he likes it or not.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light-hearted collection of a mom's commentaries on life in suburbia written by a columnist for our local paper called "Lost in Suburbia". This author reminds me of Erma Bombeck and is very funny. The book is a little like a box of chocolates, it comes in small bites and you could easily read it alongside a book with a heavier subject to lighten up your psyche.

Although I have succumbed to the suburban mini-van driving soccer mom, I can totally relate to Tracy's essays on life in the suburbs.

[Birgit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book and fall off the couch laughing but I found myself getting tired of the format- collected short columns that were syndicated in newspapers put together in a book that mostly all end with a one line punchline. I chuckled a few times but not enough to wholeheartedly recommend. A quick read.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I laughed out loud!! If you are a Mom you must read it!

[Soni · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, Like reading a blog. Since I am living the title of this book, I found it too similar to everyday life to be interesting

[Bianca]

a collection of short stories about parenthood. Not a huge fan of short stories. This book lives in our bathroom...

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun book recommended by a friend. Funny stories hit close to home. Literally close to home - turns out the author lives two towns away in New Providence! Hope I bump into her sometime at Shoprite...