Book Review: The Suburban Outlaw

One of the most enjoyable things for me about reading is the opportunity to be exposed to and experience (albeit vicariously) things that are outside my normal comfort zone. Within the pages of a book, anything is possible and only the limits of the author’s creativity and imagination holds you back. There are many times when I’m inspired or moved by something I’ve read – motivated to try and make more of myself. Pam Sherman, author of “The Suburban Outlaw™” is one of those writers who uses her own life and experiences to spread her message to others – the message that “everyone has an EDGE™, the ability to Explore, Dream, Grow and Excite – all you have to do is DO SOMETHING”.

What it is:

The Suburban Outlaw is a compilation of the columns that writer/performer Pam Sherman has written on a bi-monthly basis for Rochester Magazine published by Gannett, over a four-year period from 2005 to 2009. Ms. Sherman explains in the book’s introduction exactly what a ‘Suburban Outlaw’ is:

An irreverent, honest woman (or man for that matter) willing to live her life fully both for her family and for herself. A Suburban Outlaw has a city vibe and rhythm while living a suburban life. She has a drive and an energy that goes just a little faster. Mostly, a Suburban Outlaw has an edge in the best possible way… A Suburban Outlaw has dreams that go beyond the mundane activities that govern much of our lives. While these everyday activities may be the focus of our time, they do not reflect our inner passions. Fueled by her goals, a Suburban Outlaw continues to search for ways to learn, develop, and inspire others. But most of all, a Suburban Outlaw has the perspective to inject humor into her life – to enable her to pursue her dreams while living her “every days”. That’s what gives a Suburban Outlaw her edge.

The book was published by New Year Publishing LLC in June of 2009 and is 124 pages (paperback edition). Courtesy of Pam Sherman and Parent Reviewers, I received a copy of The Suburban Outlaw to read and review.

Here’s my take on it:

The first thing that struck me about The Suburban Outlaw is that originally written as a series of columns, it reads rather like a blog. It’s a first-person account of the author’s thoughts, feelings, activities – and definitely her humor. Right from the beginning, I felt that I liked Pam Sherman, even though we have little in common other than motherhood. She is a self-avowed city-dweller who relocated to the suburbs under protest, while I grew up in the suburbs and have never lived the ‘big city’ life. I didn’t have to adapt to the ‘suburban’ lifestyle, because it’s all that I’ve ever really known. Most of the time I don’t mind, but every so often, especially when reading this book, I feel like just maybe I missed out on something by never experiencing that city energy or vibe.

Each of the chapters (columns) in The Suburban Outlaw covers a specific topic, from the author’s despair at losing her full-time, live-in nanny, to her husband’s so-called love affair with their bichon frise, Curley – and each chapter brings a humorous look at the everyday, mundane aspects of being a wife and mother. The chapters are fairly short – only a few pages each for the most part, and overall the book’s a quick read. I like that I could simply pick it up and read a chapter here or there as I had time and didn’t feel that I had to sit down and read the entire book all in one sitting. I liked reading the columns a few at a time and therefore spreading out the enjoyment of the book overall.

Pam Sherman gave up her law career to follow her dream of being an actress, and as someone who’s never really even had a dream to follow, much less took the risks necessary to make it a reality, I find her story very inspiring. I think my favorite chapter though is the one called “Separate Vacations Together” where she explains how she and her husband finally found a way to travel together where they both enjoyed the experience – since she loves to hit every and all tourist attractions and he just likes to soak in the ambiance and atmosphere. Reading about how upon first having children, she lamented that they would never travel again – and about how they instead have traveled all over the world with their children, made me realize that the fact that I love to travel and my husband doesn’t shouldn’t stop us from taking trips and vacations together. Our oldest daughter will be nine years old next spring – and we have yet to go on a family vacation that’s lasted longer than 72 hours. In fact, I can think of twice that we’ve traveled together as a family – once to Washington DC for a weekend about five years ago when our older girls were toddlers, and most recently (so to speak) three years ago when I was pregnant with our youngest and I maneuvered a work conference into a three-day stay on Mackinaw Island for the four of us. It’s been a couple of years since my girls have so much as just spent the night away in a hotel. There’s so much of the the world that I still want to see – and to show my kids. And there’s no reason why we can’t work toward that goal.

I did mention that this book is somewhat inspiring – and motivating, right?    And humorous and touching and overall, a book that I have greatly enjoyed reading.

The bottom line:

The Suburban Outlaw is a humorous, inspiring book written by Pam Sherman not only to sum up her experiences as a former city-dweller, exiled into suburban New York, but also to motivate other women to find their own EDGE and follow their dreams as well.

Where can you find it?:

You can purchase The Suburban Outlaw anywhere that books are normally sold, as well as online at Amazon. The list price for the book is $19.99. You can also read more about the author (including her own blog) at http://www.suburbanoutlaw.com or follow her on Twitter.

This post courtesy of: Pam Sherman and Parent Reviewers. No payment or compensation, other than product samples as described above, was received for this post.