When was your last tetanus shot?

I will preface this review by saying this book is not for everyone. If your family is relatively normal and your tolerance for dysfunction is low, you might not think this book is funny. You might think it is sad, or mean-spirited. If, however, your family is "delightfully dysfunctional" or worse, you will probably enjoy this A LOT. 

Adam Chester has collected more than 30 years worth of letters sent to him by his mother. His mother is overprotective times infinity. The letters range from a sentence or two urging Adam not to eat sushi, drink rainwater or go skiing, to repeated listings of his mother's insurance policies, updates of her last will and testament, and once a coin taped to a piece of paper. Adam's mother always has his best interests at heart, but the sheer number of letters (thousands) and content are wacky to say the least.

Copies of some of the letters are included in the book; the layout is very clever. The author fills in humorous life scenarios between the letters, including when his mom busted right into his junior high school boys' locker room to bring him something she thought he forgot and moved into his college dorm room (unannounced!) to keep an eye on him after an accident. His room-mates loved having a mom around to make the beds and do the laundry, but can you imagine? 

Adam's mom helped him with the book, and is beautiful and charming in her "non-Adam's mom" life, so it's not like she's totally off her rocker or has completely alienated her son. Theirs is a goofy dynamic, but I've received more than a couple of phone call reminders from my own mother urging me to get flu shots (and then not to get flu shots), so I could relate to Adam's annoyance with his mother constantly asking him if his tetanus shot is up-to-date. Infuriatingly funny.