Of Mess and Moxie

May 8, 2017
Bestselling humorist Hatmaker (For the Love), a blogger, pastor, HGTV star, and mother of five, will be familiar to any evangelical Christian reader. She’s like a friend whose laugh that most of the time is fun to listen to but sometimes it’s too much. Here, Hatmaker piles on stories about bingeing on food (or wine or Netflix) alongside a bevy of kid poop jokes and kids-learn-human-anatomy jokes. Tucked in between are conversational reflections designed to offer pastoral advice and empathy when things go wrong. Those who don’t spend time in the evangelical subculture may miss some of the references (singer Sandi Patty, Baptist youth groups) and find that the humor relies on too many stereotypes of women, Erma Bombeck style. But those who find religious people humorless should certainly read this book. Hatmaker has humor in spades, which will please those looking for laughs, but her work will disappoint readers wishing for something with more depth. Agent: Curtis Yates, Yates & Yates.

July 1, 2017
Popular Christian speaker, author, and HGTV personality Hatmaker here joins the ranks of blogger-moms turned humor authors. Women who want the grit and wit of Karen Alpert's I Want My Epidural Back (2016) without the colorful language and those who enjoy Glennon Doyle Melton's blog and books will embrace this one. Hatmaker tackles issues facing moms, especially those who are Christian, with fresh humor and perspective, giving readers the luxury of accepting imperfection, offering recipes, and starting each chapter with pithy quotes that set the tone on topics ranging from Southern fanaticism over football to the intense challenge of forgiveness. Readers should not expect a stock conservative approach here. Hatmaker shares the importance of reaching beyond comfort zones and extending welcomes. She owns the moxie she's writing about.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)