Book Review
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0066 |
| Citation | Vol. 26 No. 5 Pg. 0066 |
If You Did What I Asked in the First Place
By Lori B. Duff 222 pages, Deeds Publishing
REVIEWED BY ROXANN SHERRI SMITHERS
Remember the good old days of March 2020? The prospect of a few weeks to a month of respite from the rat race of "normal" life was the begrudging silver lining in the cloud of a pandemic-induced shutdown. Many of us movers and shakers mused about the hobbies we would take up and the skills we would acquire. Soon the reality of the pandemic, politics and social unrest tarnished that silver lining. This was the climate in which I started reading Lori B. Duffs "If You Did What I Asked in the First Place" in the fall of 2020. Duffs breezy missive arrived just in the nick of time. "If You Did ..." is a collection of essays, comical confessions and a few poems about her life as a woman of a certain age, Georgia attorney and judge, mother, wife and author. The vignettes are grouped together in six sections: If You Did What I Asked in the First Place; Out of My Element; This Is What I'm Asking For; First World Problems; Time for a Snack; and Sometimes You Do What I Ask.
Duff, an attorney at Jones and Duff in Monroe and presiding judge in the Municipal Court of Loganville, is simultaneously honest and vulnerable about her quirks and insecurities—which is the first sign of a self-acceptance and confidence that is well worked for. She writes about how her recent obsession with all things Wonder Woman, a curious-fitting onesie and her teenage son taught her a lesson about shame and self-confidence. I am sure every parent can relate to Duffs rundown of the Top 10 types of parents you will encounter at any PTO (parent teacher organization) meeting. Duff does not exempt herself the analysis. She dubs herself Last-Minute Lisa. What woman will not sympathize with Duffs diatribe about the utter lack of utility of the pockets in women's clothing? From mini pockets to faux pockets, it can be enough to break you on a bad day. Duffs essays about the last poignant moments with her growing teenagers will definitely speak to parents who are cherishing the extra time to connect with their own teenagers and young adults finishing high school or starting college in a COVID-19 lockdown—the lockdown that had them at home for family Tik Tok challenges, Netflix binging and bake-offs with their parents.
“If You Did …” is a collection of...
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