She Got Up Off The Couch: And Other Heroic Acts From Mooreland, Indiana (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a far darker book than Kimmel's first memoir, A Girl Named Zippy, and I loved it for that darkness, because while I'd sensed it simmering under the surface of that first book, it never quite broke through—Kimmel hewed closely to portraying her world as she felt it was when she was a young girl. And she was too young and too bright-eyed to quite put things together. So even though there were occasional questionable events, they never added up to an in-depth portrait. Kept Zippy frothy and fun and far from troubling.The kid gloves come off in this book, however. As the author gets older, the fissures in her family we'd noted earlier begin to develop into full-on fault lines. Dad's drinking, mom's oppression, her brother's anger, and on and on—the earlier portrait of her family takes on a bleak side. Despite which the book is funny as all hell. Kimmel's love for her family comes through even when she's portraying them at their worst, and she manages to soft pedal harsh truths by approaching them from unconventional directions. You feel for all of these people, but especially for her mother, who really does get up off the couch and makes a life for herself. It's a grand, moving fight to be somebody. And thanks to mom, the memoir ends on a high note which is all the sweeter than anything in Zippy because it feels like it is earned, something fought for at a very high cost.Not for everybody but one of my favorite books.
Haven Kimmel has done it again. I loved A Girl Named Zippy and this book, I think, is even better. Written in the same voice as the previous book, Zippy continues her adventures growing up in tiny Moreland, Indiana where everyone knows your name and, unfortunately, your business. Much of this book, however, is a tribute to her mother who, in the last book, was spending the majority of her time sitting on the end of the couch reading, watching television, and talking on the telephone to members of her prayer group in her local Friends church. Receiving, she believes, a sign from God (given through the timing of a commercial on television), she takes the CLEP test, enters college, graduates with a perfect 4.0 average, earns a Master's degree, and becomes a English teacher in Moreland's high school. And what odds Zippy's mother has to overcome. She weighs close to 300 pounds, is missing a significant number of teeth, doesn't have either a car or a driver's license, doesn't have the money to go to college, and her husband is resentful that she has "gotten up off the couch". And yet she does it. While celebrating the power of her mother's will to change her life, this book has a darker side than A Girl Named Zippy. As her mother finds her voice and becomes the primary breadwinner for the Jarvis family, there are ramifications that ripple throughout the entire family.
What do You think about She Got Up Off The Couch: And Other Heroic Acts From Mooreland, Indiana (2007)?
I didn't love this one quite as much as A Girl Named Zippy, but it was still a fabulous read. Kimmel's quirky (read dysfunctional) family reminded me of my own and I just loved reading more about them. Her mom was amazing and so full of determination--the driving scenes were unforgettable. It was interesting to get a better glimpse into Kimmel's dad and learn more about his background as well. Kimmel is just a gorgeous writer and I love the way she combines pathos and comedy. I hope she writes more about her growing up experiences. She has a divinity degree and it would be fascinating to learn about that period of her life.
—Coco
Haven Kimmel, I have YOU to thank for keeping ME on the couch this entire morning finishing "She Got Up Off the Couch: and Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana." But maybe it wasn't such a bad day to finish a book, and especially this one; a sub-zero Minnesota morning didn't exactly make many other activities (ok, work would have been good) that attractive.Having previously indulged in "A Girl Named Zippy" by the same author, I was tempted to read the follow-up. Kimmel's account of life (more than a little on the edge) in small-town Indiana is detailed, poignant and honest. Written in a series of vignettes about neighbors, friends, siblings and parents, Kimmel manages to provide social commentary, personal insights and more as she takes us through her pre-adolescent years and watches her mother move from defeated, beaten-down spouse to successful college graduate and respected high school teacher. I like Kimmel's style, and find the tales of her growing-up years (which are almost entirely coincidental with my own) and her mother's epiphanies to be quite inspirational. Now, it's time for me to GET OFF THE COMPUTER and go make something positive of my own life. If you'll excuse me....
—Jane
I read "A Girl Named Zippy" a few years ago and remember enjoying it, so when I saw this at the bookstore, I couldn't pass it up. I really liked this book, I think even more than the first one. The author knows how to turn a phrase in an amusing and clever way that makes me laugh out loud. I am enthralled with her childhood and equally curious how she manages to remember some of the minute details that I know I certainly couldn't, but I guess that's just good storytelling. She describes people and environments so vividly you start to really see it like you've been there yourself and have a semi-fuzzy memory about it. Like it's your own childhood memoir! It sorta reminds me a little bit of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books. Thoroughly enjoyable reading, I recommend it.
—Katie
