I Killed June Cleaver: Modern Moms Shatter the Myth of Perfect Parenting

by Deborah Werksman (Editor)

I Killed June Cleaver is a collection of funny and light-hearted essays about parenthood, encompassing the notion that a mother needn't be an over-achiever, and that whatever works is the way to go. One of the few books to address motherhood beyond the infant/toddler phases, I Killed June Cleaver includes such stories "What They Don't Teach You in Childbirth Class"
"Why It Takes Mom a Week to Get Over the 24-Hour flu"
"Laundry Mom"
"The Children's Car Pool Accord"
"The Young Adults Return"
"Mom and Dad Are Doin' It (Or Trying To)"
"It's Wednesday and I Don't Have Any Clean Underwear"
The new model of motherhood in these pages is a loving but human mom, whom you'll never see pushing a vacuum cleaner while wearing cultured pearls. This mom may or may not be a good cook, she's pretty tired, she probably hasn't had time to get a haircut in many months and she more or less calibrates her calendar to her car pool days. Moms today are under more pressure than ever. These humorous essays serve as a relief valve.

Genres: Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

Reviews

[Cary O'Dell]

I object more to this title than anything in the book. "June Cleaver" was a surprisingly smart and empowered TV character, why must her name always be taken in vain?

[Katherine]

This book shouldn't have a 2.78 average so I'm bringing some balance! It's a funny 1999 collection of short stories from moms from the 1980s to the late 90s. Though parts of it have aged, it was still a cathartic read for a mom or parent. I found this book in a little lending library.

[Joanna]

I expected more from this book. I thought the essays would either be really funny or would have important and interesting commentary to make on modern motherhood. While a few of the essays had a good line or good thought, on the whole, I didn't think they were well written. In fact, I was surprised that many of the authors described themselves as writers because I thought the pieces were mostly pretty amateur and I sort of expected that perhaps the authors were selected because they aren't writers.

Great title and a good concept, but content lacking.

[LeeAnn]

Ask Dr. Baby on page 54 is the best! It had me in stitches. Like another reviewer, I do not like the title of this book. By picking on June Cleaver, it picks on the profession of those women who choose to stay at home to run their homes. In Scrum terms, a mother who is at home is far more able to remove obstacles or help children and spouse navigate necessary obstacles than one being torn by too many responsibilities.

Warning: While some of the stories are very funny, others left me cold, dropping it to 2 stars. The rude stories outweighed the truly funny ones.