Lisa Valentine Clark is one of my best friends, one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and now a published author! Her book, “Real Moms: Making It Up As We Go,” combines two of the things she is best at: improv comedy and parenting. You should buy this book (here).
Like Lisa herself, the book is thinner than you’d expect. (It’s a healthy 182 pages, they just used thin paper.) She talks about her experiences as a mother of five children, as a typically atypical “Mormon mom,” and as a creative person trying to balance family, work, art, and church. Her voice is that of a dynamic woman who sometimes seems to have it all figured out, and sometimes is a barely functioning trainwreck.
I say in all sincerity that I can’t think of a mom, Mormon or otherwise, who wouldn’t enjoy this book. (Lisa doesn’t write a lot about religion, but the book is clearly from the POV of someone for whom church-going is part of the parenthood experience. What she says would apply to any denomination.) It’s funny, warm, self-deprecating, and relatable. It’s NOT full of advice and lectures and checklists to make you feel guilty. Lisa is anti- all those things.
Now, you may be asking: “Are you quoted in this book, Eric? On pages 90-91, perhaps?” And the answer is yes. To address your followup question, yes, those are the best pages in the book. But even if that were not the case, I would endorse this slender, sexy volume, and the book she wrote. I’m so proud of Lisa for cranking this sucker out while also doing ten thousand other things, and for doing such a good job of it.
In conclusion, here is one of my favorite pictures of me and Lisa performing together. I think it encapsulates our relationship.
