by Wade Rouse
(20)Buy new: $13.95 $11.18 78 used & new from $0.01(Visit the Best Sellers in Parenting & Families list for authoritative information on this product's current rank.)
In this memoir showcasing the ugly side of the affluent mothers of the pseudonymous Tate Academy , among the country's most prestigious prep schools, Rouse, the school's director of public relations, explains that his job is that of the Mommy Handler—keeping the families and benefactors of the institution happy. In particular, he works closely with a woman he calls Kitsy, the head of the parent and alumni committees and the ringleader of a group he dubs the M2s or the Mean Mommies, a troublesome squad of beautiful women whose self-appointed job it is to maintain Tate's legacy of exclusionary ways. The tales of superficial demands and backhanded nastiness, as well as the quest for a standardized idea of perfection portray a scene worse than a suburban PTA meeting of Stepford wives. But Rouse, whose first memoir, America's Boy, chronicled his life growing up gay in conservative middle America, justifies silently stomaching it all with a candid explanation of his overwhelming need to be accepted by the in-crowd. Rouse's personal journey toward self-realization is highlighted by moments of compassion for students who are similarly ostracized for not being attractive, athletic or wealthy enough. Sadly, he never actually speaks up for fear of the M2s. Rouse's writing is fresh and funny, and the stories of Botox parties, catty mothers and manicured pet pups make this an amusing insider look into the opulent lifestyle of prep school families. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Some jobs are decidedly unenviable, but Rouse may have the most unenviable of all: mommy handler. OK, his real title is "director of public relations" for a tony prep school (renamed Tate Academy here). But the job, at its core, is to deal with the very rich, very demanding, very unkind mothers of the school's so-very-fabulous students. His memoir opens during carpool-lane duty, where Wade is accosted by Kitsy Ludington, who becomes his nemesis of the year. Kitsy is the supreme Mean Mommy, and Wade's tales of his misadventures with her are hilarious. Take, for example, the time he tried to drop off an invitation to her home only to find he had stumbled into a Botox party with a Doogie Howser–like "doctor" at the helm. Even as Wade makes strides at understanding what makes these ladies act the way they do, he finds himself the target of their insecurities—and it doesn't end pretty. But Wade's irreverent look at his career at Tate is laugh-out-loud funny and full of charm, candor, and a boatload of cattiness. Wilkens, Mary Frances --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
. Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment