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Book Review of A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana

A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana
reviewed on + 69 more book reviews


I love memoirs of every day people. (Celebrity ones tend to fill me with a mix of envy and boredom.) Zippy is lots of fun and a great peek into what should be a white bread world.

Kimmel does a great job capturing her childhood in the early 70s in Mooreland, Indiana, population: 300. I was expecting a look back at how simple things were in the good ole days. What I got was a crazy town filled with crazy, scary, fun, and loving people and a little girl who seems to be destined to make sure no one around her is bored.

Kimmel's childhood is anything but ordinary. I found myself howling with laughter for many memories. I'd try to read passages out loud to my husband, but I'd be cracking up too hard to make any sense. (There's also a few teary moments, and some beautiful examples of how much love a family has.)

Kimmel does an amazing job capturing the innocence of a little girl, but writes her story with a wry, very adult slant. It makes for a great read.