She Got Up Off the Couch

SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH: Haven Kimmel: Free Press: Adult Non-fiction: 304 pages

In this delightful sequel to A Girl Named Zippy, Kimmel continues her reminiscences of childhood in tiny Mooreland, Indiana. Kimmel introduced readers to a memorable cast of characters in her first book, including her mother, Delonda, who spent years reading away on the couch until she weighed 268 pounds. In this second memoir, Delonda gets up off the couch, graduates from college, and secures a teaching job. In chapters like “I Knew Glen Before He Was a Superstar,” “A Short List of Records My Father Threatened to Break Over My Head If I Played Them One More Time,” and “A Short List of Records That Vanished From My Collection,” Kimmel spins quirky tales of friends, neighbors, and her mother’s newly found independence.

MBC