Aww Nuts

So, remember how I started picking some books based on their covers?

If you look at the cover of Penny Marshall's memoir My Mother Was Nuts, you'd think it was going to be a very funny book. It was not.

For those who don't know Laverne and Shirley or Big or A League of their Own, Penny Marshall is an actress/director who is incredibly funny and talented...on screen. Amazon had good reviews, but the top review on Goodreads seems to tell the story (albeit less generously).

I know English teachers are supposed to like books (and I did finish it, because I spent $2 on it and because it did get a little more interesting in the middle, when I learned about how some TV shows and movies are made), but I thought this was terrible. Penny Marshall led this AMAZING life, knows all these famous people, and yet the story read like: "I did this. And then I did this. This guy was there. He was really funny."

I know she worked with a ghost writer, and I don't know their qualifications, but I'd have to conclude that either the ghost writer wasn't very good, Penny Marshall insisted on creative control, or she did so many drugs that she couldn't remember any details that would have made this memoir feel like a life. 

In fact, reading an interview with her reads a lot like the book. It's the exact same stuff. It's a shame, because she was the first woman to make a $100 million dollar film, and with that kind of achievement, I wanted to know more about the BARRIERS she faced. Really, the struggles she has are glossed over, including her pregnancy in college which caused her to drop out and get married. Her whole life is turned upside down, and the way the book reads, it's like she had some stale Raisin Bran for breakfast.

I did find it interesting to read how A League of Their Own was cast, as I love that film. I love that Tom Hanks wanted the part so badly, and that the character of Kit was cast before Gena Davis (they dyed the hair so they would even look remotely like sisters). I loved hearing about how Jon Lovitz ad-libbed so many of his great lines in that movie (like telling the cow to shut up). All of that trivia was interesting.

This was a very fast read (I knocked it out in a few hours) and not very difficult. If kids want to know why smoking and doing drugs and having unprotected sex is bad, they might be interested in this, but I'm guessing most teens will pass. And unless you really, really love Penny Marshall (I do), I'm guessing many adults would pass too.
But if you want to know about how Penny Marshall got where she did, if you don't want to read the online summaries of the fun facts about her movies shared in her book (like how Marky Mark became Mark Wahlberg on her watch, or how she rode around France with Art Garfunkel), then this book is for you!

Happy reading!