Mob Rule by Hannah Evans ★★★★★

Reviewed by Mel Hearse

You know you've joined the MOB when you hear...

'My, are they all yours?'

'Bless you!' (Occasionally)

'Poor you!' (Frequently)

'Lucky you!' (Once)

And of course, the ultimate: 'So... are you going for a girl?' 

          I rarely say this, being aware that we all have our own tastes, but Mob Rule is a hands-down, must-read for all mothers of boys (MOB). Fellow MOB-er, author Hannah Evans, manages to make you spit your morning coffee in laughter at her tales of the high jinks and hilarious antics of life as the sole female in an otherwise all male family. Being in the same boat, and having read on the topic before, I was prepared for something clichéd and self aggrandizing, but Evans has created a book that is fresh, funny and something that’s as good for a MOB as a solo weekend at good hotel.

           If you’ve ever done the long haul driving holiday (why do we think this will work?) this is the book for you. If you’ve ever questioned your femininity based on your fallback wardrobe of boots, trackies and pull on jumpers, then this is a must read. And if you’ve ever found your house…well, just impervious to any kind of cleaning, then this is a sanity saver – going on the philosophy that laughter is the best medicine.

I gave it 5 stars – and I’m as surprised as you are.

My review copy of Mob Rule thanks to the publisher who rules

My very own paper copy to love and treasure from the very deep but fun people at Bloomsbury Australia

INFORMATION:

Release Dates:        February, 2013

To purchase:           click here

Author’s Site:          http://www.hannahevans.co.uk/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

           Hannah Evans has three small boys. In her world, farting is so much more interesting than phonics, dam-building trumps damsels in distress any day and, astonishingly, she now instinctively knows the difference between a Frontloader and a JCB. It's a world of mud - and just occasionally blood - sweat and tears. It is also a world of indescribable joy.

           Often light-hearted, always engaging, she specialises in researching and creating VIVID and EMOTIVE features, that delve into the idiosyncrasies of the human race. 

MOB Rule is the funny, honest and eye-opening account of Hannah's experiences as a Mother of Boys. Supplemented by recipes, quizzes, mnemonics and mysteries, it is the indispensible book for anyone who finds themselves adrift on a sea of testosterone, wondering when the lifeboat is going to show up.

           You may be outnumbered, your face may be frazzled and your toe-nails black and bare, but know that, far from being alone, you're part of a very special club. Welcome to ... the MOB!

The Dirtiest Race in History by Richard Moore ★ ★ ★★

Gripping Dirt

 

What I thought

          First up, I will reveal that sport is not my thing.  During the Olympics I was up watching the swimming, yes.  However, anything else is of cursory interest.  So, when I received this rather large book on a single race run in less than ten seconds, twenty-four years ago, I wasn’t doing the happy dance.  How can you write a considerably large book about that?

          But the book isn’t just about the race.  It’s about the doping and the rivalry that led up to the race.  And that is a fascinating subject.  The race wasn’t just about winning. It was also about two men, Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson who were personally and morally opposed and what this race meant to them financially and emotionally. And then there's the handlers and coaches and finincial under-the-table deals that will boggle you.  It’s gripping and suspenseful and as the race nears, towards the end of the book, almost impossible to stop reading.  When I’d finished I felt like I’d run the race.

          Having read this and The Secret Olympian back to back, I’m becoming quite the knowledgeable sports person, which if you knew me is very funny.  The power of books to educate as well as entertain should never be discounted.

          Sports fans this is an entertaining book you simply must read.

About The Dirtiest Race in History

          The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the dirtiest race of all time, by others as the greatest. The final of the men's 100 metres at those Olympics is certainly the most infamous in the history of athletics, and more indelibly etched into the consciousness of the sport, the Olympics, and a global audience of millions, than any other athletics event before or since.

          Ben Johnson's world-record time of 9.79 seconds - as thrilling as it was - was the beginning rather than the end of the story. Following the race, Johnson tested positive, news that generated as many - if not more - shockwaves as his fastest ever run. He was stripped of the title, with Lewis awarded the gold medal, Linford Christie the silver and Calvin Smith the bronze.

          More than two decades on, the story still hadn't ended. In 1999 Lewis was named Sportsman of the Century by the IOC, and Olympian of the Century by Sports Illustrated. Yet his reputation was damaged by revelations that he too used performance-enhancing drugs, and tested positive prior to the Seoul Olympics. Christie also tested positive in Seoul but his explanation, that the banned substance had been in ginseng tea, was accepted. Smith, now a lecturer in English literature at a Florida university, was the only athlete in the top five whose reputation remains unblemished - the others all tested positive at some stage in their careers.

          Containing remarkable new revelations, this book uses witness interviews - with Johnson, Lewis and Smith among others - to reconstruct the build-up to the race, the race itself, and the fallout when news of Johnson's positive test broke and he was forced into hiding. It also examines the rivalry of the two favourites going into it, and puts the race in a historical context, examining its continuing relevance on the sport today, where every new record elicits scepticism.

To buy or learn more visit The Dirtiest Race in History

 

My review copy of "The Dirtiest Race in History" thanks to the definitely very clean people at Bloomsbury Publishing Australia  

 

 

The Secret Olympian by Anon ★ ★ ★

A Bronze Read

 

 What I thought

          I read this book just after the Olympics finished and found it to be quite a fascinating insight.  It’s not everything you would hope for when the author is Anonymous.  However, its certainly improved my knowledge of the obstacles faced by elite athletes, along with the disappointments of not winning and the impact of arriving home to either retire or work for another four years.

           At $19.99 it is certainly an easy choice for the sport’s nut or would make a great gift for your lovable sport’s fan.

About The Secret Olympian

          The Secret Olympian exposes the truth of what goes on at the Olympic Games. Shocking, funny and slightly tongue in cheek, a former Olympian reveals the world of the Olympic athlete—and, behind the scenes, what a bizarre world it is...

          The vast majority of us can only dream of being an Olympic-level athlete­­­ but we have no real idea of what that means. Here, for the first time, in all its shocking, funny and downright bizarre glory, is the truth of the Olympic experience.

          It is an unimaginable world: 

·                  the kitting-out ceremony with its 35kg of team clothing per athlete the pre-Olympic holding camp with its practical jokes, resentment and fighting, and freaky physiological regimes

·                  the politicians' visits with their flirty spouses

·                  the vast range of athletes with their odd body shapes and freakish genetics

·                  the release post-competition in the Olympic village with all the excessive drinking, eating, partying and sex

·                  the hysteria of homecoming celebrations and the comedown that follows - how do you adjust to life after the Games?

          The Secret Olympian talks to scores of Olympic athletes - past and present, from Munich 1960 right through to London 2012, including British, American, Australian, Dutch, French, Croatian, German, Canadian and Italian competitors. They all have a tale to tell - and most of those tales would make your eyes pop more than an Olympic weightlifter's.

         To buy or learn more visit The Secret Olympian

My review copy of "The Secret Olympian" thanks to the good people at Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

 

Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi ★ ★ ★ ★

From insanity to hope and beyond

Three words flow through my mind as I read ‘Unbearable Lightness’—heartbreaking, mesmerising and hope.  In the book's opening paragraph, “He doesn’t wait until I’m awake.  He comes into my unconscious to find me, to pull me out.  He seizes my logical mind and disables it with fear,” I hear all those words in-between these lines.

That Portia De Rossi had the strength to write ‘Unbearable Lightness’, her personal witness to the mental disorder anorexia nervosa, adds another word to the list—courage.

When Karen Carpenter died in 1983, everyone talked about anorexia, the disease that claimed her.  It was the first time I had ever heard those words and I wondered why someone with the voice and face of an angel, with all her success, would starve themselves to death.

Over the years, the covers of magazines have paraded celebrities and models who have struggled with this disease, the most famous being Princess Diana.  It’s almost as though anorexia seeks out the most beautiful and the most talented to torment.  Each time an unearthly, skeletal figure stares back from the pages, I wonder what goes on in their mind to succumb to a vision that requires the punishing of their bodies until they resemble concentration camp victims.

Portia De Rossi has finally answered the question of ‘why’ in ‘Unbearable Lightness’.  We follow her from when the disease first strikes, through her struggle to survive whilst achieving all of her dreamed success, to the writing of the book. 

In writing in first person present tense, we are inside her head, uniquely experiencing her life and her relationship with food, not as a reader, but as a passenger to the insanity of her perspective. Her misinterpretations of simple compliments such as, ‘You looked like a normal, healthy woman,’ to mean she is ‘fat’ to her constantly feeling ugly, overweight and unlovable is heart-wrenching. As she struggles to cope with her gay sexuality and the fear of discovery, whilst maintaining her successful career, starring on ‘Ally McBeal’, we sympathise.  We come to know her and we feel her anguish as if she is our beloved sister.

One of the most refreshing aspects of this book is that the story begins at the time Portia lands her role on the hit show, with short, flashbacks to her childhood and school life inserted amidst her Hollywood life. ‘Unbearable Lightness’ serves her Hollywood Life, dessert first, but still gives us enough background childhood detail along the way, to allow us to understand Portia and the roots of her illness.

My recommendation is that every parent of a teenager read this book and then give it to their child. Portia comments, "I made the mistake of thinking that what I look like is more important than who I am.”  After reading this book, it is clear this is the one true lesson we must teach our children.  Portia De Rossi wrote this book to liberate others imprisoned by this illness.

Buy “Unbearable Lightness”, read through the heartbreak, share its mesmerising message and spread the promise of hope it contains.

Unbearable Lightness is available from all good bookstores priced $14.95. Also available as an ebook: Purchase Ebook Here

Thankyou to Hardie Grant Book Club for supplying Unbearable Lightness.  This review written for Hardie Grant Book Club