Book Review: A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
December 26th, 2008
I finished reading this one several days ago, and it is a part of the From the Stacks Challenge that I am attempting to complete. I have my work cut out for me as this is only book number 2 that qualifies for the challenge. I think I can make it as I have some quick reads on my bookshelves (and got a few more for Christmas!). I enjoyed A Girl Named Zippy, though I found that it didn’t keep my attention as well as some other memoirs that I have read. Overall, I would recommend it. I had picked up and read the first few pages at a friend’s house and decided to put it on my list of “to read some day.” I received it for my birthday this year.
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW
A Girl Named Zippy tells the story of Haven Kimmel’s childhood. I have read a good number of memoirs, so it was surprising to read about a childhood that was more or less a happy one. The story could be anyone’s who grew up in a small town in the midwest, but she does tell it in an interesting (and often laugh-out-loud) way. It took me a little while to realize that I was not reading about another extremely dysfunctional family with unbelievable disasters or horrific living conditions. I have to admit that I’m often drawn to those for some reason, so I suppose it is refreshing to read a memoir that doesn’t make me question humanity.
I was entertained by the small town stories and related to a few, even though my small town wasn’t nearly as small as hers! Sometimes her storytelling made me snicker out loud (Gabe never asks me why I’m laughing when I’m reading a book – I guess he’s used to it). I would be interested in reading more of her memoirs.
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