Moms review comics' memoirs

Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa (William Morrow, $25)
Reviewed by Lillian Benincasa Donnelly

How did you feel when you first picked up Sara’s book?
Having worked as a school librarian for 21 years, the idea that my daughter has a book published was very, very emotional for me.

Which part made you laugh the hardest?
The chapter about Sara teaching in Texas. Teaching is a very rewarding experience, and sometimes innocent experiments can really be quite amusing. Buy the book and read about Billy and his boner.

Which part do you kind of wish weren’t in there?
The suicide of her friend Kevin brought up some very painful memories. I wish that tragedy could have been prevented.

What’s not in the book that you’d want to scribble in the margins for readers to see?
When she turned 16, many of her friends were having gigantic sweet 16 parties at expensive venues, and Sara wanted to have a party at home and asked for donations for the local AIDS clinic rather than gifts. She received $800, and did indeed send it to the clinic instead of using it for a boob job.

Which part made you proudest of Sara while you were reading?
In both my generation and my parents’ generation, mental illness was swept under the rug. Sara is making people aware, not only sweeping mental illness out from under the rug, but shooting it into the atmosphere like a skywriting jet.

Any advice for Sara about writing her next memoir?
I think she needs to put in more vulgarity in the next one; this one was way too innocent!