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Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Memoir & Autobiography (2022)From the bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink comes a poignant and powerful memoir that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope.
As a daughter, mother, and friend, Mary Laura Philpott considered herself an “anxious optimist”—a natural worrier with a stubborn sense of good cheer. And while she didn’t really think she had any sort of magical protective powers, she believed in her heart that as long as she loved her people enough, she could keep them safe. Then, in the early hours of one dark morning at home, her belief was upended. In the months that followed, she turned to poignant memories, priceless stories, and a medley of coping mechanisms (with comically mixed success) to regain her equilibrium and find meaning in everyday wonders.
Hailed by The Washington Post as “Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one,” Philpott tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear—not to mention the lessons of an inscrutable backyard turtle—with hope, humor, and joy.
As a daughter, mother, and friend, Mary Laura Philpott considered herself an “anxious optimist”—a natural worrier with a stubborn sense of good cheer. And while she didn’t really think she had any sort of magical protective powers, she believed in her heart that as long as she loved her people enough, she could keep them safe. Then, in the early hours of one dark morning at home, her belief was upended. In the months that followed, she turned to poignant memories, priceless stories, and a medley of coping mechanisms (with comically mixed success) to regain her equilibrium and find meaning in everyday wonders.
Hailed by The Washington Post as “Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one,” Philpott tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear—not to mention the lessons of an inscrutable backyard turtle—with hope, humor, and joy.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2022
About the author
Mary Laura Philpott
3 books739 followersMary Laura Philpott, author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink (2019) and Bomb Shelter (forthcoming in 2022), writes essays that examine the overlap of the absurd and the profound in everyday life. Her writing has been featured frequently by the New York Times and appears in such outlets as the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Paris Review Daily, O the Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, and more. A former bookseller, she was also the Emmy-winning co-host of an interview program on Nashville Public Television for several years. Mary Laura lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family. Find her books at your local bookstore.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,420 reviews
January 26, 2023
This is the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club June 2022 selection and a 2022 Summer Reading Guide selection .
Among the finest—perhaps THE finest—memoir-in-essays I’ve ever read. This intimate look at family life is like sitting down with a trusted friend to talk about what matters most in life. Philpott’s leaping-off point is her teenage son’s middle-of-the-night medical emergency. She never sees it coming, but later wondered, Should I have known? He stabilized, but nothing is the same after that pivotal moment. In the aftermath, Philpott explores her long-held desire to keep those she loves safe through sheer will or worrying—but if that doesn’t work, what can we do instead? She wrestles through the answers in these pages. Witty and candid, deeply relatable, humorous and heartstopping, with tales of hypothetical disaster balanced with restful interludes featuring Frank the Turtle and the Philpott family dogs. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll text all your friends. For fans of Kelly Corrigan’s The Middle Place, with interesting parallels to Nicki Erlick’s The Measure.
I enjoyed getting to talk with Mary Laura in What Should I Read Next #195: Wanted: book enthusiast at large.
Among the finest—perhaps THE finest—memoir-in-essays I’ve ever read. This intimate look at family life is like sitting down with a trusted friend to talk about what matters most in life. Philpott’s leaping-off point is her teenage son’s middle-of-the-night medical emergency. She never sees it coming, but later wondered, Should I have known? He stabilized, but nothing is the same after that pivotal moment. In the aftermath, Philpott explores her long-held desire to keep those she loves safe through sheer will or worrying—but if that doesn’t work, what can we do instead? She wrestles through the answers in these pages. Witty and candid, deeply relatable, humorous and heartstopping, with tales of hypothetical disaster balanced with restful interludes featuring Frank the Turtle and the Philpott family dogs. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll text all your friends. For fans of Kelly Corrigan’s The Middle Place, with interesting parallels to Nicki Erlick’s The Measure.
I enjoyed getting to talk with Mary Laura in What Should I Read Next #195: Wanted: book enthusiast at large.
June 29, 2022
It has some funny and insightful moments, but as nice as it was to spend some time with this author, being invited into someone else's anxiety spirals isn't exactly my idea of a good time.
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
March 22, 2022
Mary Laura Philpott gives great essays. This book is no exception.
January 17, 2022
3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars
This is a little book of personal essays that I chose on a whim. I’m glad I did. Mary Laura Philpott writes in a very relatable way. Reading her stories are like chatting with a good friend. She is not afraid to let us in on her inner fears and worries and share how she grapples with living with them. She laces heavy subjects such as illness, disability, and loss with just the right amount of gentle, yet sometimes laugh out loud, humor to make this an enjoyable insightful read.
Life is hard. Life is unpredictable. Life is good and life is disastrous. Overall though, life is a gift to be cherished in all its forms. Traveling along with Ms. Philpott on her journey to navigating the challenges of life is both thought-provoking and satisfying. It is also joyful. I could see a lot of myself in Ms. Philpott.
In the reviews I’ve read there are many positive comments about her previous book “I Miss You When I Blink”; I definitely want to track that one down. If you are looking for something inspiring to start off the new year in a positive fashion, I recommend you pick up a copy of Bomb Shelter. As of this writing, it is currently available for request on Net Galley.
This is a little book of personal essays that I chose on a whim. I’m glad I did. Mary Laura Philpott writes in a very relatable way. Reading her stories are like chatting with a good friend. She is not afraid to let us in on her inner fears and worries and share how she grapples with living with them. She laces heavy subjects such as illness, disability, and loss with just the right amount of gentle, yet sometimes laugh out loud, humor to make this an enjoyable insightful read.
Life is hard. Life is unpredictable. Life is good and life is disastrous. Overall though, life is a gift to be cherished in all its forms. Traveling along with Ms. Philpott on her journey to navigating the challenges of life is both thought-provoking and satisfying. It is also joyful. I could see a lot of myself in Ms. Philpott.
In the reviews I’ve read there are many positive comments about her previous book “I Miss You When I Blink”; I definitely want to track that one down. If you are looking for something inspiring to start off the new year in a positive fashion, I recommend you pick up a copy of Bomb Shelter. As of this writing, it is currently available for request on Net Galley.
April 19, 2022
This books speaks to me in sooo many ways and it surpassed my high expectations. This anxiety ridden gal that has experienced grief, loss and my own battle with cancer still worries about the world and her babies. What a good reminder that our worry won’t do that much to protect them but our love is what matters most.
Thank you so much to Atria and Simon Audio for the gifted arc and alc.
Author BFFs 👯♀️
I’ve started a collection of my favorite female essayists and Mary Laura Philpott stands strong among the group.
These ladies are my kindred spirits.
They’re my besties (they just don’t know it yet).
They know what to say at the right moment or just to sit in silence with me when I need it.
They make me feel seen, understood and less alone.
They make me laugh at life and appreciate the small moments.
They give me the courage to be confident in myself as a spouse, mother, sister, friend.
They don’t make me feel silly for my anxiousness, especially when it comes to my children.
I think you too need friends like this. What are you waiting for?
Thank you so much to Atria and Simon Audio for the gifted arc and alc.
Author BFFs 👯♀️
I’ve started a collection of my favorite female essayists and Mary Laura Philpott stands strong among the group.
These ladies are my kindred spirits.
They’re my besties (they just don’t know it yet).
They know what to say at the right moment or just to sit in silence with me when I need it.
They make me feel seen, understood and less alone.
They make me laugh at life and appreciate the small moments.
They give me the courage to be confident in myself as a spouse, mother, sister, friend.
They don’t make me feel silly for my anxiousness, especially when it comes to my children.
I think you too need friends like this. What are you waiting for?
June 19, 2022
3.5 stars
I read this for book club and overall, I enjoyed this well-written and witty memoir-in-essays. Mary Laura Philpott begins the book with the incident that changes her life (and that of her family) forever: the medical emergency that wakens her in the middle of the night, where she finds her teenage son unconscious on the bathroom floor. In the aftermath, Philpott wonders whether she she should’ve seen warning signs of her son’s condition, but more broadly, she ponders the limitations of the human ability to protect and keep those we love safe. A self-admitted lifelong worrier, yet also possessing a sunny disposition that helps her balance her anxious thoughts by focusing on the bright side of things, Philpott looks back at various aspects of her life and explores essential questions related to love, family, relationships, anxiety, death, fear, etc. — basically all the realities of human existence.
While reading this, I definitely appreciated the many insights that Philpott conveyed as well as the way she approached so many tough issues with a sense of humor. In exploring various situations that occurred in her life, Philpott is candid and doesn’t shy away from showing her vulnerability and insecurities in her roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend, or just as an ordinary person trying to live her life as best she can, in a challenging world. There were a few essays that I related to more than others, and some I ended up skimming because I found it difficult to maintain my focus (most likely because that particular essay’s subject matter didn’t appeal to me). I especially loved the essays about the turtles and also the peculiar behavior of the family dog, which I found hilarious. The meditation chapter made me chuckle and, not surprisingly, it quickly became one of my favorite essays in the book.
Even though not all of the essays spoke to me, I still recommend reading this one, as I really enjoy Philpott’s style of writing and the way she is able to infuse humor when relaying difficult topics, but in a way that is respectful and doesn’t make light of the seriousness of some situations. I would definitely be interested in reading more of Philpott’s works at some point.
Received ARC from Atria via NetGalley.
May 1, 2022
2.5
Written with humor and grace, perhaps this book should’ve worked for me, or at least the-me-of-twenty-or-forty-years-ago in that I could relate to some of the events at those times of my life. (Whether I wanted to relive the kind of anxiety she writes of is debatable.) But I’m not the ideal reader for this type of memoir/essay, especially in book-length form. As with any good essay, the author does expand her stories of recent events to include a bigger picture, but I guess I need even more distance in my reading.
The book’s topics make this another apt pick for The Nervous Breakdown Book Club (April’s selection).
Written with humor and grace, perhaps this book should’ve worked for me, or at least the-me-of-twenty-or-forty-years-ago in that I could relate to some of the events at those times of my life. (Whether I wanted to relive the kind of anxiety she writes of is debatable.) But I’m not the ideal reader for this type of memoir/essay, especially in book-length form. As with any good essay, the author does expand her stories of recent events to include a bigger picture, but I guess I need even more distance in my reading.
The book’s topics make this another apt pick for The Nervous Breakdown Book Club (April’s selection).
February 15, 2022
Yep, this is it. This is exactly the stage of life I’m in and reading it from Philpott’s perspective made me FEEL SEEN!
It’s just in the last year that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of parenthood as we generally think of it. I can still remember those early years with my babies when high school, eighteen, and college all seemed so far away that it was unfathomable. But when my son turned 16 and got his driver’s license, it’s like I ran straight into a brick wall. He’s rarely home now - he’s home late from sports practice and when he’s not doing that or in school, he’s out running around with friends.
I have 4 more years before my youngest leaves and makes my husband and I “empty nesters”. There’s a part of me that feels some excitement at reclaiming our lives, but there is also a deep-seated sadness at knowing this stage of our lives will be over. I’m sure there’s great things about college-aged kids too, but I want to cherish these last few years and suck all the goodness (even if totally chaotic) out of them that I can.
I am ALL IN with my kids; in fact, I recently turned down a perfect-for-me job opportunity because I cannot fathom preserving my time and energy for my kids. In four short years, I’ll have all the time in the world to do my own thing, but for now, bring on all the school activities, sports events, and mundane taxi driving.
It’s just in the last year that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel of parenthood as we generally think of it. I can still remember those early years with my babies when high school, eighteen, and college all seemed so far away that it was unfathomable. But when my son turned 16 and got his driver’s license, it’s like I ran straight into a brick wall. He’s rarely home now - he’s home late from sports practice and when he’s not doing that or in school, he’s out running around with friends.
I have 4 more years before my youngest leaves and makes my husband and I “empty nesters”. There’s a part of me that feels some excitement at reclaiming our lives, but there is also a deep-seated sadness at knowing this stage of our lives will be over. I’m sure there’s great things about college-aged kids too, but I want to cherish these last few years and suck all the goodness (even if totally chaotic) out of them that I can.
I am ALL IN with my kids; in fact, I recently turned down a perfect-for-me job opportunity because I cannot fathom preserving my time and energy for my kids. In four short years, I’ll have all the time in the world to do my own thing, but for now, bring on all the school activities, sports events, and mundane taxi driving.
April 25, 2022
The author wants us all to know what a good cheerful person she is. And sometimes people are mean and rude and that is not nice, but maybe we should also assume they’re just having a bad day.
This book felt partially like a gee-golly guide to basic human empathy. The rest was a mundane recounting of tales of an overly anxious suburban mom.
It felt exhausting to live in her brain. The chapter on what goes on in her head while trying to meditate was particularly tedious, though I assume it was intended to be funny.
I’m sure the author is indeed a good person, and one I would like plenty in real life. She’s a good writer, she just doesn’t have anything that interesting to write about unfortunately (at least to me).
I’m sure this book is wildly relatable to a certain demographic. It just wasn’t for me.
April 9, 2022
[3.8] An approachable collection of essays about daily life and mothering. There is an immediacy to Philpott's writing - perhaps because she is still in the middle of many of the events she describes. Although each piece is separate, some of them are linked so it feels almost like a memoir. I thought the mix of raw anxiety and comforting wisdom worked well.
March 11, 2022
“Are John and I really on our fourth dog together?” I had to laugh. And shudder. I have been with my husband long enough to have had six dogs–and a rabbit. Again and again, Mary Laura Philpott had me laughing and shuddering in recognition.
Phlipott writes about being alive, the wonder and dread of being a mother, the joy of life and the recognition of one’s mortality. It’s a hard world. Is it even safe to send our children out into it? We can’t protect them. And we look into the mirror and see our own aging. “I am obsessed with death because I am in love with life,” Philpott writes; “I grieve in advance of loss.”
This struck too close to home. I am looking at 70 in a few months. I have already lived longer than my mother, her twin brothers, my grandfathers, my great-grandparents, and a cousin. I have to live forever, to be there for our son. How do I use the years that are left? We can’t save everyone, Philpott writes, but we can shelter each other in love. It’s the only bomb shelter we have.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Phlipott writes about being alive, the wonder and dread of being a mother, the joy of life and the recognition of one’s mortality. It’s a hard world. Is it even safe to send our children out into it? We can’t protect them. And we look into the mirror and see our own aging. “I am obsessed with death because I am in love with life,” Philpott writes; “I grieve in advance of loss.”
This struck too close to home. I am looking at 70 in a few months. I have already lived longer than my mother, her twin brothers, my grandfathers, my great-grandparents, and a cousin. I have to live forever, to be there for our son. How do I use the years that are left? We can’t save everyone, Philpott writes, but we can shelter each other in love. It’s the only bomb shelter we have.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
April 27, 2022
BOMB SHELTER is, as its subtitle tells us, about “love, time, and other explosives,” and if I had to sum it up in a phrase of my own, I’d say that it’s about the anxiety that comes with loving someone. These beautiful, heartfelt essays are framed by the story of @marylauraphilpott witnessing her teenage son’s seizure and learning how to cope with, and keep him safe despite, his epilepsy diagnosis. Mary Laura writes a lot about the fear of losing the people (and animals!) she loves, as well as her persistent anxieties of all the catastrophes that can happen at any moment. As someone who’s also extremely anxious, I related deeply to so much in these magnificent pages, and I admired the way Mary Laura brought humor and hope to such serious subjects. I am 100% obsessed with everything Mary Laura writes, BOMB SHELTER included, and on another note, I am now desperate for a backyard turtle like the one (Frank) she describes in this truly special book.
May 13, 2022
I downloaded this book from the library to look it over, then life events kept me from starting something else, so I just kept reading. I would have liked this more 20 years ago, and thought about how many of the things she worries about now will look to her in 20 years. But overall, entertaining and funny and thoughtful.
May 17, 2022
This book hit me at exactly the right time. As a 40+ year old mom of teens I found these essays smart, funny and insightful. From the very first page Philpott invites you along on a relatable journey that embraces the beauty in a shared experience- no matter your stage of life.
It felt like I was chatting with a good friend. A couple passages felt like I was holding up a mirror to see my reflection. I have 4 kids, ages 9 to 16, so I've been at this gig awhile. There are many days that I ask myself "How am I STILL grappling with worry and self-doubt as a Mom?" Guess what? There are just as many days that I ask myself "How can I feel such joy, love and awe for these humans. How did I get so lucky?" It's all part of the deal.
This collection of essays left me refreshed and inspired.
“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.” - 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑
It felt like I was chatting with a good friend. A couple passages felt like I was holding up a mirror to see my reflection. I have 4 kids, ages 9 to 16, so I've been at this gig awhile. There are many days that I ask myself "How am I STILL grappling with worry and self-doubt as a Mom?" Guess what? There are just as many days that I ask myself "How can I feel such joy, love and awe for these humans. How did I get so lucky?" It's all part of the deal.
This collection of essays left me refreshed and inspired.
“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺. 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.” - 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑
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April 12, 2022What an amazing memoir! I don't know how anyone could make motherhood sound so humorous and terrifying all at once. But Mary Laura Philpott has done it. This is a must read for every mother who's had sent her children out into the big scary world, and lived to talk about it.
July 1, 2022
This floored me. I recently heard about it through MMD’s book club’s June22’ pick. The author is married and a mom herself that suffers from “anxiety”.. so that’s pretty relatable to me. She’s incredibly intelligent, humorous, and on top of it.. the way she relates to her children and husband is inspiring. The unimaginable does happen with her son taking her down a path of worry and despair that she shares. Her memoir is moving and beautifully written, and she’s even included the turtles she finds at her doorstep. ❥ 4.5 stars
April 16, 2022
As a 40+ mom of teens this book ripped my heart out. I loved it SO DAMN MUCH.
January 16, 2022
If you liked her first book, you’ll love this just as much, maybe more. Philpott is a local-to-me author, and though I don’t know her personally, her writing makes me feel like a friend. When she said she’s always “waiting for worry to materialize,” that hit hard. These stories carry the common thread of parenthood, anxiety, and inevitable change. Heavy, but Philpott is a funny storyteller, so it’s a good vibe. Very relatable collection!
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this collection!
PUB DATE: 4.12.22
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this collection!
PUB DATE: 4.12.22
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March 10, 2022Also a memoir in essays, about motherhood, anxiety, self-knowledge, and much more.
January 11, 2023
4.5 stars. I really liked this—a tender, funny, aching sort of collection on what it means to love, worry, hold close, and let go. Some language.
April 11, 2022
I Miss You When I Blink was a five star read for me and just perfect for the life stage I was in of toddler to middle grade kiddos. When I saw the author had a new memoir full of essays coming out, I knew I had to read it.
Bomb Shelter resonated so deeply with me, I found myself feeling seen over and over again in her words. Written in short chapters, this collection of short stories will make you smile, chuckle and so aptly describe the pieces of our hearts and inner thoughts that we struggle to connect to coherent thoughts.
I’ve been parenting teens for a few years and the author’s comments on parents needs and growing closer to the “finish line” of college are all the things I’ve been feeling and saying.
I want to give a copy of this one to all my friends, I loved it that much. My only complaint is that I finished it too quickly and want more.
Bomb Shelter resonated so deeply with me, I found myself feeling seen over and over again in her words. Written in short chapters, this collection of short stories will make you smile, chuckle and so aptly describe the pieces of our hearts and inner thoughts that we struggle to connect to coherent thoughts.
I’ve been parenting teens for a few years and the author’s comments on parents needs and growing closer to the “finish line” of college are all the things I’ve been feeling and saying.
I want to give a copy of this one to all my friends, I loved it that much. My only complaint is that I finished it too quickly and want more.
June 10, 2022
(4.5) Exceptional. Subtle depth, meaningfully constructed and enjoyable. I'm not one to gravitate toward essays, but this hit home. The author and I are about the same age, so the cultural references, humor and overall subject matter really resonated. I loved it!
February 6, 2023
Bomb Shelter is a book I can relate to - as a mid 40 year old mother with a teenager, many of my own stories are similar. I have noticed these last few years of high school are in fact, few and time is short. In this book Philpott examines her care for her family and how she doesn’t want anything to happen to anyone.
“If I want to take care of everyone and tuck them all up under my wing, but it turns out that it’s impossible—that there is no such thing as keeping them all safe, that no one can ever get everyone they love under their wing because nobody can be everywhere at one time, no wing is big enough—then my whole goal is rendered moot.” Close Calls
She also goes through the process of diagnosing her son with epilepsy, and how that has affected their family as he grew up.
“A parent might spend a decade wondering what her six-year-old meant when he told her, “I miss you when I blink.”
A parent might realize then, after ten years, that when he blinked he was absent.
A parent might finally understand that, whether he fully knew it or not at the time, her child had been telling her something very important.
She might wonder, Should I have known?” One Might Wonder
As she’s examining her rescue kits for her son’s seizures she thinks,
“I looked at the bags. I was ready. Was I?
Is anyone?” Rescue Practice
And of course, I can identify with anxiety, worry, and her bouts with cholesterol (did hers get better?)
I noticed Bomb Shelters from the beginning
“We laughed every time one arrived—“Here we go, another bomb shelter box”—and stacked the cans under our beds.” (On what her dad sent her in Hello from Upside Down)
-and the chapter labeled Bomb Shelter about the time her dad worked in the military and part of his job involved protecting the President and practicing the national safety bomb plan.
As a middle-aged woman, I know the baton will be passed to me (someday)… my mother still enjoys hosting holidays and not so patiently waited her turn. But Philpott’s stories about cooking her first thanksgiving were so funny.
“But lately what I’ve been thinking, deep in the part of my brain with the other thoughts I don’t want to put words to, is: Someone needs to hurry up and learn how to do the things my mom has been doing all my life.” Spatchcock This
And this from “I would like to report an attack upon my soul”
“A few years ago I started looking at each fall as if I’m starting the next level in school. In fortieth grade, I set my alarm clock ten minutes earlier to make my mornings more peaceful. In forty-first grade, I remodeled my office. I’ve made myself a reading list for forty-second grade, because I want to enter forty-third grade with a broader perspective on the world.
It’s goofy, I guess, to think of myself as a still-growing child, but it’s also thrilling to remember that although it has been my job for so many years to help my children grow up, I am still growing up, too. I am becoming someone, still and always. …
It helps me look at life less like one ending after another and more like a series of starts.”
“If I want to take care of everyone and tuck them all up under my wing, but it turns out that it’s impossible—that there is no such thing as keeping them all safe, that no one can ever get everyone they love under their wing because nobody can be everywhere at one time, no wing is big enough—then my whole goal is rendered moot.” Close Calls
She also goes through the process of diagnosing her son with epilepsy, and how that has affected their family as he grew up.
“A parent might spend a decade wondering what her six-year-old meant when he told her, “I miss you when I blink.”
A parent might realize then, after ten years, that when he blinked he was absent.
A parent might finally understand that, whether he fully knew it or not at the time, her child had been telling her something very important.
She might wonder, Should I have known?” One Might Wonder
As she’s examining her rescue kits for her son’s seizures she thinks,
“I looked at the bags. I was ready. Was I?
Is anyone?” Rescue Practice
And of course, I can identify with anxiety, worry, and her bouts with cholesterol (did hers get better?)
I noticed Bomb Shelters from the beginning
“We laughed every time one arrived—“Here we go, another bomb shelter box”—and stacked the cans under our beds.” (On what her dad sent her in Hello from Upside Down)
-and the chapter labeled Bomb Shelter about the time her dad worked in the military and part of his job involved protecting the President and practicing the national safety bomb plan.
As a middle-aged woman, I know the baton will be passed to me (someday)… my mother still enjoys hosting holidays and not so patiently waited her turn. But Philpott’s stories about cooking her first thanksgiving were so funny.
“But lately what I’ve been thinking, deep in the part of my brain with the other thoughts I don’t want to put words to, is: Someone needs to hurry up and learn how to do the things my mom has been doing all my life.” Spatchcock This
And this from “I would like to report an attack upon my soul”
“A few years ago I started looking at each fall as if I’m starting the next level in school. In fortieth grade, I set my alarm clock ten minutes earlier to make my mornings more peaceful. In forty-first grade, I remodeled my office. I’ve made myself a reading list for forty-second grade, because I want to enter forty-third grade with a broader perspective on the world.
It’s goofy, I guess, to think of myself as a still-growing child, but it’s also thrilling to remember that although it has been my job for so many years to help my children grow up, I am still growing up, too. I am becoming someone, still and always. …
It helps me look at life less like one ending after another and more like a series of starts.”
June 11, 2022
I hate when I don’t like a book everyone else seems to love. Although the author had some good insights and humorous moments, overall this was really tough to read. It was extremely relatable - so relatable it was painful to read. I have enough anxiety and worries in my own mind. Spending a couple hours foraging through someone else’s anxiety was not enjoyable. The topics varied so widely, it felt like one tangent after another, with small attempts to bring it back to related points. I kept thinking maybe it would get better by the end, but the end was just as depressing as the rest of the book. Her feeble attempt to end on a positive note drowns in her insistence that life is full of terrible things and we just have to find a way through it.
April 7, 2022
I HATED this book. This woman and her “me,me,me…it’s all about me” attitude has concocted the most sporadic, pointless book I have ever tried to read. Awful. Trash. Zero stars rounded up only because I had to put something.
**Side-note - this woman stated in this book that she wanted to put a note in her neighbor’s mailbox (which is illegal btw) because he had a political banner or sign in HIS yard…on HIS property that he apparently OWNS - because she didn’t like the candidate (she didn’t specify who, and it does not matter who or which party!) speaks volumes about her ignorance and intolerant ways. This disgusted me. The way she spoke of others speaking down to her, but not batting an eyelash, apparently, to speak down about others and dream up scenarios about their lives that she knows nothing about makes me sick. Trash. Just trash. And not classy at all.
**Side-note - this woman stated in this book that she wanted to put a note in her neighbor’s mailbox (which is illegal btw) because he had a political banner or sign in HIS yard…on HIS property that he apparently OWNS - because she didn’t like the candidate (she didn’t specify who, and it does not matter who or which party!) speaks volumes about her ignorance and intolerant ways. This disgusted me. The way she spoke of others speaking down to her, but not batting an eyelash, apparently, to speak down about others and dream up scenarios about their lives that she knows nothing about makes me sick. Trash. Just trash. And not classy at all.
April 15, 2022
Have you ever read a memoir and felt like a friend is talking directly to you? Maybe articulating thoughts you’ve had yourself but could never quite express them? That’s the feeling I had when I was listening to this one. There was so much that I found relatable here, so many themes that were applicable to my own life but especially anxiety and motherhood and the author captured my fears so well. This is a collection of essays but there always felt like there was a common thread linking everything together making it feel really cohesive. Overall this was both entertaining and insightful for me
July 23, 2023
In my previous life, I worked on an Air Force base in Montana. Our mission included moving nuclear warheads in tractor-trailers over icy/windy/wet/cow-laden highways. The teams would call base leadership (sometimes that was me) for permission to roll. While in transit, I felt I could keep them safe if I cared enough and stayed focused on their safety. I wouldn’t relax until I heard the lead helicopter return. To this day, I love the sound of a helicopter. When we hear one, my husband says, “Convoy’s home.” And I feel my shoulders come away from my ears.
I tell you this because I always thought this was my idiosyncrasy. Imagine my joy to hear Philpott explain the same feeling. “I felt the universe had entrusted me with so much more than I could possibly keep safe.” (She was writing about her children, but children and nuclear weapons are pretty similar.)
“A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side, too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe. Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound—and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can’t know for sure what’s coming next?” (GoodReads)
Not only does she crack open her outer shell to write about her thoughts and feelings, but she almost breaks the Fourth Wall when she narrates the audiobook herself. I felt like she was talking to me, not to a microphone in a recording studio. It was an exceptional and heartfelt delivery, as only the owner of the stories can do.
I tell you this because I always thought this was my idiosyncrasy. Imagine my joy to hear Philpott explain the same feeling. “I felt the universe had entrusted me with so much more than I could possibly keep safe.” (She was writing about her children, but children and nuclear weapons are pretty similar.)
“A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side, too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe. Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound—and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can’t know for sure what’s coming next?” (GoodReads)
Not only does she crack open her outer shell to write about her thoughts and feelings, but she almost breaks the Fourth Wall when she narrates the audiobook herself. I felt like she was talking to me, not to a microphone in a recording studio. It was an exceptional and heartfelt delivery, as only the owner of the stories can do.
May 22, 2022
This memoir in essay form was the April selection of the Nervous Breakdown Book Club. The author has published many essays in some quite prestigious places, hosted a TV interview program and raised two children. The elder child had an epileptic seizure on the cusp of his teen years and she had to learn to care for him. In fact, everyone in her family has a health issue, even the pets, leading her to quip, "everyone has something."
I have a strained relationship with essays. I have written a few myself; in fact during my blogging years my book reviews approximated essays. I guess I enjoy writing them more than I enjoy reading them.
My problem with essay collections it that I usually find them to be uneven in terms of keeping my interest. This was true for me in Bomb Shelter. I do appreciate that the author has a lot on her plate. She wanted to protect and take care of the people she loves and that has proved to be a great challenge. She presents herself as a woman who worries incessantly but has a positive outlook. I get that. It could describe me.
I also get that urge to put it all down in words, something I do almost everyday in my journal. I think modern moms would relate to Bomb Shelter. My life as a mom was quite different from Mary Louise Philpott's. I am writing about that. So, it was interesting to read about hers, some of the time.
I have a strained relationship with essays. I have written a few myself; in fact during my blogging years my book reviews approximated essays. I guess I enjoy writing them more than I enjoy reading them.
My problem with essay collections it that I usually find them to be uneven in terms of keeping my interest. This was true for me in Bomb Shelter. I do appreciate that the author has a lot on her plate. She wanted to protect and take care of the people she loves and that has proved to be a great challenge. She presents herself as a woman who worries incessantly but has a positive outlook. I get that. It could describe me.
I also get that urge to put it all down in words, something I do almost everyday in my journal. I think modern moms would relate to Bomb Shelter. My life as a mom was quite different from Mary Louise Philpott's. I am writing about that. So, it was interesting to read about hers, some of the time.
November 21, 2022
3.5 stars
Bomb Shelter opens with a bang. Philpott describes the night she and her husband (and her daughter) are awakened by the sounds of her teenage son in the throes of a seizure. She relays her fears, her guilt, her acceptance, and her scrambling to help her son in any way possible as they head towards his diagnosis. My heart hurt along with her as she worried about whether she should've seen some signs that would've made this known earlier, and if this would've mattered.
The journey she takes as a mom following this episode and leading up to her son's diagnosis was especially poignant and moving. As a mom of two (now-) teenaged boys, this felt particularly close and threatening. Philpott share a lot of herself in the essays connected to this incident; her raw, real emotions honed the story into a sharp relief.
Along with that journey are essays (though this feels more like one long meandering memoir than broken up, separate essays) where Philpott covers moments from her childhood, current events, and a look forward to her life throughout being middle-aged and beyond. I wish the rest of these essays felt as nuanced and open as the one with her son. They, for the most part, felt like observations made by almost anyone. While many readers may like this for just that reason, I often struggle with memoirs by essayists because of this. I want to experience something and be told things beyond what my friends and I discuss already. There were many essays that I related to more than others, and overall there was an impression of a patchwork effort to make this seem more cohesive than it might otherwise be. Still, much of this was satisfactorily relatable and fairly engaging.
Audiobook, as narrated by the author: Philpott did a wonderful job — some authors cannot read their own words while maintaining a conversational tone and also emoting as necessary. Philpott was just as friendly and open in voice as she was in her words.
Bomb Shelter opens with a bang. Philpott describes the night she and her husband (and her daughter) are awakened by the sounds of her teenage son in the throes of a seizure. She relays her fears, her guilt, her acceptance, and her scrambling to help her son in any way possible as they head towards his diagnosis. My heart hurt along with her as she worried about whether she should've seen some signs that would've made this known earlier, and if this would've mattered.
The journey she takes as a mom following this episode and leading up to her son's diagnosis was especially poignant and moving. As a mom of two (now-) teenaged boys, this felt particularly close and threatening. Philpott share a lot of herself in the essays connected to this incident; her raw, real emotions honed the story into a sharp relief.
Along with that journey are essays (though this feels more like one long meandering memoir than broken up, separate essays) where Philpott covers moments from her childhood, current events, and a look forward to her life throughout being middle-aged and beyond. I wish the rest of these essays felt as nuanced and open as the one with her son. They, for the most part, felt like observations made by almost anyone. While many readers may like this for just that reason, I often struggle with memoirs by essayists because of this. I want to experience something and be told things beyond what my friends and I discuss already. There were many essays that I related to more than others, and overall there was an impression of a patchwork effort to make this seem more cohesive than it might otherwise be. Still, much of this was satisfactorily relatable and fairly engaging.
Audiobook, as narrated by the author: Philpott did a wonderful job — some authors cannot read their own words while maintaining a conversational tone and also emoting as necessary. Philpott was just as friendly and open in voice as she was in her words.
April 29, 2022
I read all but 30 pages of this book in one day! I would have finished it but life gets in the way sometimes. I haven't read a book in one day in a while so I really wanted to finish it, but alas. This book has a bit of a story for me. I have heard this author on multiple book podcasts but I am just not a big memoir fan. Then I found an ARC of it at a thrift shop for two dollars. I will check it out for $2. This author writes in essays, which i am also not a fan of, but $2! The author is a few years older than me and so whenever she told stories from her childhood I was like, I remember that too! So that was fun and she told some funny tales too. This book started because her teenage son had a seizure and the whole family was like what the heck?! She is at an age also where the kids are about to leave the nest and I am approaching that as well. (One should have already left but we're working on it.) I really enjoyed the part about Thanksgiving 2020. We all had to learn how to cook a turkey that year. So I found myself captivated with all of her stories. I could not put it down!
"Am I here to tell you we're all going to die? Yes. Am I here to give you a pep talk along the way? Also yes!"
"It's a glass-half-empty, glass-half-full kind of thing: Better to believe the world is at least half-full of decent intentions than to focus on how it's also half-full of assholes."
"It's so easy to miss the moment when things begin to burn."
"Someone needs to hurry up and learn how to do the things my mom has been doing all my life."
"I want to believe that if humans really leaned into this impulse to mother one another, it would be stronger than the impulse to tear one another apart. We have a long way to go."
"We take care of who we can and what we can, near and far, because that's the job. That is life."
"Am I here to tell you we're all going to die? Yes. Am I here to give you a pep talk along the way? Also yes!"
"It's a glass-half-empty, glass-half-full kind of thing: Better to believe the world is at least half-full of decent intentions than to focus on how it's also half-full of assholes."
"It's so easy to miss the moment when things begin to burn."
"Someone needs to hurry up and learn how to do the things my mom has been doing all my life."
"I want to believe that if humans really leaned into this impulse to mother one another, it would be stronger than the impulse to tear one another apart. We have a long way to go."
"We take care of who we can and what we can, near and far, because that's the job. That is life."
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