Amy Dickinson

I'm a daily fan of Amy Dickinson's advice column -- she's the Dear Abby/Ann Landers of our generation with a no-nonsense approach that often asks the advice seeker to take a look at him/herself in addition to the problem. She also offers book suggestions for perspective which I love. This memoir provides good insight into the life experiences that have made her so wise. Raised by her mother after her charming, but noncommittal father did a runner, she shares childhood experiences that have show more become more relevant after her return to the town she grew up in (Freeville, NY) in recent years. There she re-establishes ties with her mother, sister, aunts and cousins and falls in love with and marries Bruno, whom she knew slightly in high school. That part is a little schmoopy and self-indulgent but overall it is a strong story of going back to roots, blending families, making choices to live simply and intentionally. A cousin remarks "We abide" which Amy riffs on: "To abide means to stand with someone, to suffer alongside someone. But it also means to live somewhere, and for me, abiding meant to live in that tender and tenuous place of knowing but not knowing. Knowing what would happen but not how it would happen. Knowing it would all end, but not what that ending would be like or how it would feel." 138 show less

When Ann Landers, the famous advice columnist passed away a hole was left in the Chicago Tribune. Seeking someone to fill it, they happened upon Amy Dickinson, a single mother with few credentials who answered all the questions just right. In explaining her success Amy says “I make the mistakes so you don’t have to.” Mighty Queens of Freeville is the story of the mistakes Amy made that finally ended in her “falling up” into the dream job she didn’t even know she wanted.

There show more isn’t anything very remarkable or unusual in Amy’s story of a failed marriage, single parenthood, an absentee father, her struggle to come to terms with all this and the unconditional love, support, and sage advice she receives from her mother, aunts, and sisters along the way. But she tells the story with such humbleness, wit, and humor that it is entertaining anyway. To me this is the best kind of memoir. I can easily relate to Amy and her circumstances, she makes me laugh, and there are a few gentle reminders that I can do a little better in life. show less

I received a copy of The Mighty Queens of Freeville in the mail today, and already finished it! Though I only intended to read a few pages to get a feel for the writing, I simply couldn't put it down. This book is a memoir, the story of "a mother, a daughter, and the people who raised them"; the Mighty Queens of Freeville are the women of Dickinson's extended family who live and thrive in tiny Freeville NY.

Author Amy Dickinson writes "Ask Amy", the syndicated advice column that replaced that show more of the late Ann Landers (though I didn't know that when I bought the book). This book though is not about Dickinson's career; it is about the women who ultimately gave her the skills she needed to make a success of her job.

This memoir follows Dickinson from her divorce in England (when daughter Emily is a toddler) to Emily's freshman year of college. Dickinson's writing is no-nonsense and engaging. The women in her life are simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary- her mother rises above her father's abandonment and the loss of the family farm to eventually find her niche as a college professor. Dickinson is by turns funny and touching, and the book is a wonderful tribute to her family and its resilience.

I highly recommend this wonderful book. Definitely five stars, and would make a great gift for the important women in your life. show less

I'll admit that I think memoirs sound like a great idea until I start reading them and think, "Why do I care about this whiny person's life?" The answer is usually that I don't and I pretty much hate the book.

However, I stuck with this one past the first couple chapters where I found myself thinking the above and I did enjoy it. Somewhat obviously, since it centers on Dickinson and her daughter, with a dappling of mother, aunts, etc. I believe women will enjoy it much more than men would. show more

And I'm not an "Ask Amy" reader....I don't think it's even carried in my local papers, so I didn't have any interest in the book from that angle. But her storytelling is better than some memoir writers and there is a bit of humor sprinkled all around which helps a great deal. Not a bad read. show less