Pam Sherman is The Suburban Outlaw. What is a "Suburban Outlaw?" In Pam's own words, she (or he) is someone willing to live her life fully both for her family and for herself. A Suburban Outlaw has a city vibe, while living a suburban life, and a drive and an energy that goes a little faster. She has an edge in the best possible way: the ability to explore, dream, grow and excite.
I love how Pam shares all in her book, The Suburban Outlaw: Tales from the Edge. I admire how she packed up and left New York...her very ideal of comfort, and ended up in suburbia, complete with picket fences and snow. I envy Pam the adventures she fully embraces in life; I wonder if I would do the same and if so, with as much humor and grace?
In 2005, Pam began writing a regular bi-monthly column, "The Suburban Outlaw", for Rochester Magazine. Her book is a compilation of all the published columns. In a way, reading her book is somewhat like reading a blog that is is just so funny, heart-warming and real that you can't wait to read the next entry.
Pam relates her everyday life as she deals with the chaos of marriage, parenthood and family that made me feel like she was talking about my life at times. I think that is one of the best parts of this book: we as moms and wives can see so much of ourselves in Pam's narratives, and laugh and cry as we read along. It is hysterical to read about Pam's hairdresser woes, and poignant when she shares about losing a fellow Suburban Outlaw, Cherie, to cancer. I really found this book impossible to let go of once I started reading it.
What a fantastic present this book would make a for any mom on your holiday gift list. But first, give yourself a treat and buy a copy. Enjoy on a night when the kiddos are tucked in bed, and you have a warm cup of hot chocolate, and the hubbs is well-occupied with football or some such thing. It is seriously a read that you will love, become a part of, and probably even dream about and chuckle in your sleep over!!
You can read more about Pam (including her own blog) at http://www.suburbanoutlaw.com or follow her on Twitter. The Suburban Outlaw is available at Amazon for $19.95.
Thank-you to Pam Sherman and Parent Reviewers for providing this book for review.