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Book Review of On the Outskirts of Normal

On the Outskirts of Normal
pipi avatar reviewed on + 43 more book reviews


Very good book. I read it because it is a memoir about places in Texas that I have lived and know well. Turns out Debra Monroe has written other books of fiction before she wrote this memoir. She is a very good writer who has the ability to make the reader feel as if they actually know her personally. Debra Monroe has had several hard knocks in her life which she handles with grace and strength, and by the end of the book I felt like we were old friends. She added major stress to her life by adopting a black baby and taking a job in small town Texas where she ultimately triumphed. This is not a happily ever after book at all and while her book ends on a happy note, the reader feels that somewhere Debra and Marie Monroe are living a normal life filled with ups and downs just like the rest of us.