She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana

Haven Kimmel used "Zippy" to polish her writing skill, this one benefits from that experience. A really good read. Even funnier than "Zippy." Please don't make the mistake I did, however. I assumed because she was such a good writer, her novels would be good as well. I bought them, but they ended in the "round file." Kimmel needs to stay with the people and places she knew. Her fiction is one of those things publishers publish because of the "name." They will sell to people like me because I liked her "experience" books so well. But, sadly, The fiction should have been buried in the back yard.

Such a funny book, made my rides to work SO much easier! :o)

I honestly didn't think that A Girl Named Zippy could be topped, but Haven Kimmel has done it again. The woman is amazingly talented! While the first book was innocent and exuberant, this one was more thought provoking and poignant as Zippy grows into an adolescent young woman with so many thoughts and feelings swirling within. Don't get me wrong, there is some incredibly funny stuff in this book. There were times when I threw my head back and laughed so hard I could hardly breathe, but it kept me thinking, also. For me, the best chapter was titled "Gold" when she pays homage to her friends. Oh, my goodness! Tears came to my eyes. She absolutely captured the essence of what true friendship is all about and the fact that they all accepted her for who she was despite her family's situation. I truly hope that this is only book two of a trilogy. I'm anxious to know what happens to Zippy as she evolves into Haven. I want to know how Delonda copes with her husband leaving the family. I want to know if Melinda ever stops torturing Zippy. I want to know more about Dan and how he reconciles his feelings about his father and his childhood. And I even want to know what eventually happens to Bob Jarvis though a side of him is revealed in this book that isn't as endearing as in the first book. I want to know, dang it!

A wonderful second memoir by Haven Kimmel. I'm down to my last few pages, and I truly hate for it to end. I only hope she continues with a third sequel!