On Being 40(ish)

Maybe the 40s are that magical decade where you realize the only story that matters is your own. That's pretty badass if it's true. But, maybe it's also why there was nothing in this book that really cut through.

As a 40ish woman myself, I thought this book of essays might provide some sort of perspective about what's important at this phase of life. You're not young anymore, but you're nowhere near old either. Most often, we're out of the phase of having babies and toddlers at home and we're just now beginning to reclaim our bodies and our lives. I already know this - this is not a mystery - but, I guess I was seeking something a little deeper in this book of essays.

The stories ranged from parenting to friendships to just life in general. None were terrible, none were great. Or, maybe it's just that, at this age, our own stories are a whole lot more interesting.

Two Girls Down

So, I read this book last week, pretty quickly, mostly while traveling. It was interesting and compelling enough that I didn't want to stop reading. Now, 8 days after finishing it, I don't remember many specifics.

I don't fault the book entirely. Between an engrossing conference last week and the insanity of the coronavirus this week, my brain is pretty much shot! But, looking back, this book felt pretty predictable and didn't have much to set it apart.

Two Girls Down starts with the disappearance of two young girls. They're sisters with a less-than-perfect mom who disappear from a parking lot while their mom is shopping inside. While police begin their search, the family hires a bulldog of a private investigator who flies across the country and dives headlong into the case. She pairs up with a local PI who used to be a cop and relies on a hacker to provide her with the kind of information even the police could never find on their own.

It's twisty and turny as she peels back the layers of this crime and this town. Just as it starts to really pick up, it somehow starts to drag, as if the author really wanted to extend what she thought was a riveting climax. By the time you get to the last page, you realize the book could have ended multiple times in the 40 or so pages before.

This book is fine. It's entertaining. But, there are too many obvious plot twists and not quite enough character developments to make it special.

This Will Only Hurt a Little

Not much more I need to say than the fact I knocked this sucker out in one day! So many people told me to read Busy Phillips' book, I'm not sure what took me so long to get there. But, I was hooked instantly and I'm so glad I went on this journey.

I've been a fan of Busy since Freaks and Geeks, arguably one of the greatest, most underrated TV series of all time. There's something so unique about her, you find yourself unable to look away. That's how I felt about her memoir. There's a lot here. There's funny, tragic, brutally honest.. and, all of it is told in her unmistakable voice.

I was searching immediately for why so many people had said I should read this book. Then, she talked about wearing Esprit and playing with Pound Puppies and instantly, we were 80's girls on the playground together. 

A few chapters later, she talked about a boyfriend who told her she laughed too loud; I knew then we were soul sisters. That fact alone is really all you need to know about my new kinship with Busy Phillips.

It's unflinching and open, just like her Insta stories (which, coincidentally provided a massive boost to her career.) Whether she's talking about her own ambitions or her relationships, you'll find yourself relating in a way you would probably not expect. She's honest about the challenges of motherhood - and parenting - in a way you don't often see.

I loved every word and every chapter. And, I'd swap Benetton sweaters with her any day.

We Will Rise

Writing this review is going to hurt a little bit. Because, while I read this a few weeks ago, I'm finally getting around to writing this review one day after the NCAA cancelled March Madness. I'm a massive college basketball fan and the NCAA tournament is my favorite sporting event of the year. Of all the chaos of the coronavirus impacts, this cancellation is when I knew this shit was really real.

So, I mourn college basketball.

This book reminds us that it's deeper than that.

I had never heard the story before about the plane crash in 1997 that killed the entire University of Evansville basketball team. This book recounts not only that crash, but the decades before that helped link this town to this team - and, the years after, when they had to rebuild the program entirely.

Evansville is like so many midwestern towns, built on industry and full dependent on it. For Evansville, it was Whirlpool and military manufacturing. That's what built the bones; this basketball team gave it its heart. The author grew up there and you can feel that connection deeply in his writing.

All along as the book is building, you meet the coaches and players that you know as a reader will die in this awful crash, shortly after takeoff. You hold your breath as their plane takes off. Your heart breaks as you hear how their families and colleagues got the terrible news.

The crash comes about mid-way, then you follow along as the program defines itself. Then, it all culminates in a pivotal game in which they just happen to face off against my alma mater, Marquette University! I won't share how that game turned out and what happened next, but I will say that I'm enough of a college basketball freak I was actually nervous about a game that took place when I was not quite four years old!

This book tells a powerful story about the link between our communities and college basketball. I can't imagine it resonating any better than it does right now.