The Mighty Queens of Freeville

Starred review from November 17, 2008
“I didn’t become an advice columnist on purpose,” writes Dickinson (author of the syndicated column “Ask Amy”) in her chapter titled “Failing Up.” In the summertime of 2002, after spending months living off of her credit cards between freelance writing jobs, Dickinson sent in an audition column to the Chicago Tribune
and became the paper’s replacement for the late Ann Landers. Here, Dickinson traces her own personal history, as well as the history of her mother’s family whose members make up the “Mighty Queens” of Freeville, N.Y., the small town where Dickinson was raised, and where she raised her own daughter between stints in London; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago. Dickinson writes with an honesty that is at once folksy and intelligent, and brings to life all of the struggles of raising a child (Dickinson was a single mother) and the challenges and rewards of having a supportive extended family. “I’m surrounded by people who are not impressed with me,” Dickinson humorously laments. “They don’t care that my syndicated column has twenty-two million readers.” Dickinson’s irresistible memoir reads like a letter from an upbeat best friend.

January 1, 2009
When Ann Landers retired as the reigning doyenne of advice-column divas, the Chicago Tribune conducted a nationwide search for her successor, ultimately selecting a relatively unknown NPR contributor and Time magazine columnist. Young and savvy, Dickinson belied the image of a bespectacled matron dispensing timeworn homilies and adages. Offering pithy, no-nonsense counsel, Dickinson quickly charmed legions of fans with her unabashed candor, tension-diffusing wit, and astute reasoning. How this fortysomething single mother came by such wisdom and practicality is lovingly explored in Dickinsons joyous memoir, an unabashed homage to the notable women who raised her, unassuming small town that nurtured her, and soul-mate daughter who sustained her through the emotional minefields of divorce, single parenthood, and career uncertainty. Though the Dickinson women might have been unlucky in romantic love, their marital misfortune only served to strengthen their innate resolve and unwavering commitment to family. Buoyant and bright, Dickinson offers a refreshingly open and sincere tribute to lifes most important relationships.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)