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She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana
by: Haven Kimmel

List Price: $14.00

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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Free Press
Manufacturer: Free Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: February 13, 2007
Publisher: Free Press
Studio: Free Press
Sales Rank: 20573

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
After twenty years of burrowing into the corner of the family couch, eating junk food, and reading science fiction, Indiana mother Delonda Jarvis did something that shocked her family: she went to college. Or, as her younger daughter, Haven Kimmel, writes, she "stood up, brushed away the pork rind crumbs, and escaped by the skin of her teeth."

Despite having no money, no car, and a resentful husband, Delonda managed to obtain a master's degree in English. The former teenage bride also dropped one hundred pounds, learned how to drive, and became a breadwinner. But as she reclaimed herself, her marriage disintegrated.

Amazon.com Review:
Haven Kimmel's memoir She Got Up Off the Couch might have been called The Further Adventures of Zippy, since it picks up where her bestselling A Girl Named Zippy left off, and is reeled out in much the same vein. The person who got up off the couch is Zippy's mother, Delonda, who for years sat on the titular sofa, ate, read, and watched TV until she weighed 268 pounds and life was nearly unbearable. You would never know the bad parts from Haven Kimmel, who always concentrates on the bright side, even though she lived in a house without heat, food, indoor plumbing, a dependable water supply or even a modicum of cleanliness. Kimmel loves her parents inordinately, even at their most unlovable.

Delonda takes a College Entrance exam, passes it and enrolls at Ball State, where she completes a degree in two years, goes on for a Master's and gets a job as a high school teacher. That sounds fairly straightforward but it wasn't easy. Bob Jarvis, Delonda's husband and Zippy's father, gave her no help at all; in fact, he ridiculed her and ignored her progress. Eventually, he found someone else while Delonda was busy reclaiming her life. We could read this as a tale of the times, where a woman takes charge of herself, loses 120 pounds and, against all odds, gains an education and a livelihood. It is all of that, and more.

Life in Mooreland, Indiana, in the 1970s is not very exciting, but Zippy finds wonder everywhere and often laughed until she "tipped right over." There is an unquenchable spirit in the girl, and then in the woman, that keeps popping up despite a very sketchy upbringing. The neighbors fed and bathed her, she wore the same pair of pants to school every day for an entire school year--without benefit of laundry. Her brother and sister lit out at the first chance they had--though Melinda ends up only a few blocks away and becomes another safe port for Zippy. She is a victim of benign neglect, not malice or meanness.

Her tales of church camp, days with her friends, driving with her Dad, going to a play with her Mother, her love for her niece and nephew and her discovery that her Dad is having an affair are all told in typical Zippy-style: they are humorous, poignant, exuberant, and often breathless. Stay tuned: this book ends when Zippy is only thirteen. Hopefully there's more to come. --Valerie Ryan

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Want More Zippy?
I had read Zippy, and just wanted more, so I bought this book and I loved it, too. I do have to say it's not AS hilarious; there are parts that are just sad, exposing the problems of the family, which weren't as obvious through the eyes of the younger Zippy.

Still, I loved it and want to read more, but there's no more. :-(

Rating:

- Tell Us More, Zippy!
I read this book immediately after finishing A Girl Named Zippy, and was pleased to find it has the same humor and draw as it's prequel. While Zippy is told entirely in a child's voice, there are numerous parts where Kimmel ventures into memories told from an adults perspective - she tells us about things as she interprets them now, illustrating that she is skillful in eloquence as well as wit and humor. I hated to reach the end of both books! Both made me wish I remembered more from my own childhood, and made me think about what my kids will remember from theirs.

Rating:

- Great Book
Great book following the adventures of Zippy (author's first book and memoir). My husband and I were blown away by the author's ability to reflect her upbringing (and oftentimes troubled upbringing) in a humorous style of writing that borders on a genius for storytelling. I've sent Zippy to family members and lent it to others. Great book for everyone to read.

Rating:

- Great Read
I'm so glad Kimmel wrote this book. After reading ZIPPY I wondered what became of Kimmel's mother. For right or wrong, I always think back to both ZIPPY and SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH when reading Haven Kimmel's novels; I always think I see parts of her characters (and certainly her landscapes) in the nonfiction books.

Rating:

- Book group loved it
"She Got Up Off The Couch" was our most recent book group selection. A most lively discussion that marveled at the resilience of Zippy and especially her Mom. The ending left us wondering what's next.... It seemed that a lot was said by what was left unsaid - specifically about her Dad.

Books : She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana