What do You think about Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like A Skank: And Other Words Of Delicate Southern Wisdom (2006)?
Rivenbark's tone was meant to be sardonic and honest-to-a-fault, but often comes across as bitter and overly defensive. She is funny, there is no doubt that her voice has a strong, Southern twang that leaps out of the words, but she focuses so much on what she is not (A Supermom, hip, into documentaries, young) that the negativity becomes very tiring. There is a definite niche for these kinds of writings, and a need for it but Rivenbark's writing has become dated in just five years since publication. There are two references to Michael Jackson that had probably been funny while his trials were ongoing, but now that he has passed, just seem mean-spirited. There are also mentions of Hilary Duff, Days of Our Lives, and Paris Hilton, all three of which have not been part of the cultural zeitgeist for some time. And the most troubling part, much of Rivenbark's writing sounds lifted from mom blogs, which either speaks highly of Rivenbark's relatability or poorly of her originality. You pick.
—Tiffany
I love Celia Rivenbark! She always gets me rolling. This book of short essays focus on different aspects of Southern life - kids, husbands, celebrities, and other rites of Southern culture. The essay on obituaries was spot-on! Not to mention the visitation to the hospital. Lawd, I do know a few of these folks. And then there's her views on the food icons of the South, most specifically KK's - "Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the finest things on God's green earth." To which the proper response is a solemn "Amen, Sister!" I need to see if I can find Ms Rivenbark the next time I'm over in North Carolina so we can sit down and have a few (oh hell - just keep 'em coming) hot glazed KKs with a cold glass of milk. Heaven.
—Cindy
Rivenbark calls herself a "Slacker Mom" for not taking her child to Disney World until after all the other moms had taken their kids. Woah, lady, you are soooo bad!This book is overly precious, even for chick lit. The author spends a lot of time patting herself on the back for "telling it like it is." All in all, it was just cute; I didn't expect it to be a great work of literature, but I had hoped it might be wittier.It gets an extra star because the titular chapter is funny. But loses it again for not being able to come up with better portions of pop culture to lampoon than Britney, TomKat, and reality TV. And for over-using southern idioms, lest you forget that she is southern for a few sentences.
—Nicole
