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Bottom of the pile
18
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
19/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Sara Faith Alterman
Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing
Date:
July 28, 2020
Sara was at the tender age of 12 when she found the skeleton in her prudish parents' closet: a series of novelty sex books crammed high up on a shelf in her childhood living room, all written by Sara's ordinary suburban dad, Ira. For decades the books were an unspoken secret in Sara's family until Ira developed early onset Alzheimer's disease, and announced he'd be reviving his novelty porn careerâwith Sara's help.
What The Reviewers Say
It’s already a challenge to come to terms with your parents’ shortcomings as you age. You have many, many questions. You block out memories that are too awkward or painful. But to face all this with a parent who’s losing their memory and agency adds a whole new layer of bad feelings that will probably never be dealt with. Alterman handles these topics with care and sometimes humor, yet never lacks vulnerable authenticity.
Alterman, who is one of the producers of the podcast and live show Mortified, excels at telling cringeworthy stories of her youth and young adulthood --- stories that don’t flinch even as they touch on deeply uncomfortable topics and themes. She also, courageously, acknowledges her own failings in dealing with her father during his rapid decline.
Alterman leavens some heavily emotional subject matter with a razor-sharp sense of humor that will help readers smile through the more painful passages. A distinctive knack for witty descriptions will also resonate.
In this entertaining memoir, Alterman...a writer and producer for the Mortified podcast, writes of her attempt to make sense of her father’s secret pornographic writing career.
