Serials and Scenarios - Family Squeeze

Though I'm not quite sandwiched between teens and ailing parents, I laughed and cried my way through this book.

One reviewer recommended it to anyone between the ages of forty and sixty. I think I'd extend it another half a decade on each end. (Click on the book cover if you want to find out more about Family Squeeze and here for Phil Callaway.)

Book Blurb:

You’re in the “Middle Ages”–sandwiched between the “greatest generation” and the “gimme” generations, busily juggling both with no relief in sight. Children are driving, and parents are not. Money is tight and so are your favorite jeans. And things that never ached before are beginning to give you trouble! For every baby boomer who wonders if it’s possible to navigate the Middle Ages with grace and style, Phil Callaway offers plenty of hope and a little hilarity, too. Because there’s nothing like a smile to make wrinkles less noticeable.

My Review:

Phil Callaway has been called "the Dave Barry with a message." The label fits.

Humor, some tongue-in-cheek, some outright roll-your-eyes corny, some hysterical, blended with self-depreciation, or sadness, or loss fills chapter after chapter of a poignant read. Chicken soup flavored short segments with more humor and more hope, even for those not facing the exact situation of teens and adult parent squeeze that hits many mid-lifers.

Callaway met my expectations. Each story works as a stand alone and together paint a picture of a loving, nutty, respectful family. As a whole I'd describe Family Squeeze as less side-splitting hilarity and more humor that stops the reader and causes self-inspection, a flood of memories or a tiny fragment of hope.

Callaway honestly paints his life, not sparing himself from the harsh light of truth where his own flaws are concerned. The he whips around to a lesson that penetrates reader thoughts and attitudes.

Entertaining and uplifting words that stick. Family Squeeze is a book for caregivers, or those who need to laugh, or those who care to live a life that makes a difference.