Review by Booklist Review
Corren's obituary for his "plus-sized Jewish lady redneck" mother, Renay, went viral; here, he expands his tribute to the larger-than-life mother of six into a memoir of his own childhood and his mother's life story as he experienced it. As the youngest of Renay's children, and as a young, gay man so different from his older brothers, Corren grew up unusually close to his mother (therapists would later assure him he was not in love with her, to his great relief). Corren describes his childhood and his family's descent from the middle class with a sort of gallows humor but also with a somewhat rosy glow--the entire rowdy, crass brood of Correns revolved around the star that was Renay's well-manicured, bawdy, unconventional self. Beyond simple memoir, this is a raw, honest, funny story of family, forgiveness, and, in the end, letting go. The book would be of interest to fans of Doug Stanhope's Digging Up Mother and even David Sedaris' more family-focused stories.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Playwright and actor Corren expands on his viral obituary of his mother, Renay Corren (1937--2021), in his wild and occasionally hilarious debut. Renay raised Corren and his four siblings on her own in Fayetteville, N.C., in an environment straight out of a John Waters movie: Corren and his brothers had nicknames like "Jewboy" and "Asshole," and Renay often gambled or sold marijuana to keep everyone fed. When she came up short, Corren and his brothers stole food from wherever they could. Folded into Corren's affectionate, off-color portrait of Renay--"a brilliant, beautiful, fat, horny, fertile, disrespectful, disobedient, book-obsessed gambling redhead who didn't give two caramelized figs for society's expectations"--is a tender account of his own coming-of-age, including his early discovery that he was gay while watching Donny Osmond on Donny & Marie. Given that Fayetteville was "a small, Southern town with very few gay safe spaces," Corren made several attempts to move away, only to be drawn back into Renay's orbit. Corren's ribald sense of humor won't be for everyone, but readers who go along for the ride will be moved to learn how his family endured significant hardships by sticking together. It's a unique and memorable romp. Agent: Jennifer Gates, Aevitas Creative Management. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Playwright and performer Corren expands the viral obituary he wrote for his mother, who died in 2021, into a memoir about his unconventional childhood in this unforgettable debut. The book centers around Corren's relationship with his unapologetic, irreverent mother, Renay Mandel Corren, and his equally quirky siblings. The family stories he recounts serve as the backdrop for his own coming-of-age narrative as a gay teen in 1980s North Carolina. Corren is a skilled storyteller with a gift for characterization. Everyone he introduces is palpable and memorable, and each scene is as poetic as it is absurd. No matter how wild the stories, the narratives of Corren's outrageous upbringing are conveyed with a balance of honesty, humor, and heart. Readers will be immediately drawn into this eccentric, loving world and left wanting to hear more from Corren. VERDICT A stunning debut memoir and celebration of an unconventional family that will appeal to readers interested in offbeat family memoirs and humorous nonfiction. Give to readers who enjoyed Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Séamas O'Reilly.--Kate Bellody
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A doting son commemorates the life and legacy of his eccentric mother. Playwright and performer Corren's memory of his beloved mother, who died in late 2021 at 84, was immortalized by a pithy, comedic obituary that became a national social media sensation. His family memoir flamboyantly elaborates on her eventful life in Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a "plus-sized Jewish lady redneck" named Renay, mother to a kooky Southern brood. The author writes of being the youngest of six, exiled every summer throughout his childhood to his grandparents' Miami Beach home to entertain them with his celebrity impersonations. Corren establishes himself early on as an uproarious raconteur, having coined pet names for his siblings, according to their personalities, and sharing endless anecdotes about their misadventures getting backyard haircuts, their work in tandem with their mother at the local bowling alley, the family's time living in Japan, and their house evictions during sweltering Fayetteville summers. Corren retraces his mother's reckless early years as a nut-loving, "ravenous and ravishing redheaded" Southern woman who, when faced with trouble, "shot first, asked questions later" and was, surprisingly, a voracious reader. Unfortunately, Renay's divorce in 1975 became the event that unraveled her emotionally and financially. Despite their former devotion, Corren's siblings (and the author himself, on his 18th birthday) left Fayetteville forever. Though his queerness emerged throughout his youth, Corren divulges that he always knew he was special, "like a hothouse plant that needed a little extra attention," which his mother always lavished on him in her own unique and boisterous way. Though some will find Corren's delivery of rapid-fire anecdotes dizzying, he manages to downshift toward the book's conclusion, recounting a poignant trip back to Fayetteville, five months after his mother's death and 34 years after he'd permanently left the area, to organize a family memorial for Renay at the bowling alley she always adored. A matriarch's idiosyncratic life captured and besainted through a succession of hilarious memories. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
