You Cannot Mess This Up

May 1, 2019
If you could travel back in time to meet with your ten-year-old self, would you like the child you? Amy, who shares the author's name, is a happily married mother of two boys and a self-described suburban housewife and struggling writer living in Centerville, Ohio. The middle child of three, she plans to fly back to her home state of Texas to meet with her older sister, Kim, and younger brother, Rick, over Thanksgiving, to discuss estate plans with their parents. Instead, while traveling, she wakes up from a nap and finds herself back in 1978. She's been dropped off at her childhood home, where she will spend the next 36 hours with her conjugal family including her odd, ten-year-old self. A big part of the fun in Daughters' well-written time-travel story are the images of everyday 1970s pop culture and fashion (including snap-crotch body suits and flammable polyester). Hilarious and poignant, Daughters' journey through the last 40 years reveals both powerful self-awareness and meaningful discoveries about memories, reality, and what matters in life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)