In this collection of unflinching, unapologetic, and funny oh-so-real life stories, Lori B. Duff bares the creaky, embarrassing parts of our high school cafeteria-scarred souls for us, leaving us no choice but to laugh at our failures, no matter how spectacular, and rejoice in our successes, no matter how itty-bitty.
What’s the first word that comes to mind when I say “Lawyer”? I betcha you didn’t say “funny.” Heck, if I gave you 25 chances to describe lawyers, funny would not appear anywhere on the list. And let’s be realistic here – we don’t hire lawyers for their wit. But it’s nice to know that they’re human too; capable of making us laugh, even while describing the most mundane situations.
So I approached reading Lori B. Duff’s newest book ‘If You Did What I Asked in the First Place’ with great trepidation. “Let’s leave the humor to comedians,” I thought. Don’t lawyers have better things to do like draw up documents and advise clients on legal matters, then to make us laugh? As it turns out, Duff is a multi-tasking wizard – a self-proclaimed Wonder Woman and I would have to whole-heartily agree with her on that observation! I just hope her lawyering skills are as sharp and insightful as her witticism.
‘If You Did What I Asked in the First Place’ is divided into six sections, each containing short, humorous essays and spot-on observations detailing life, family, and everything in-between. Apparently, nothing gets past Duff without her keen sense of surveillance, which is part mommy and part attorney with equal measure. And no subject is off-limits.
While reading the book, I was glad to be nestled in my seat on an airplane, next to a man wearing headphones who was totally oblivious to my giggles and occasional knowing head shakes. At times I even questioned whether the author had been reading my mind; covering topics near to my heart like sleeping with a CPAP machine, wearing flip-flops in a hotel (no bare feet on hotel carpets!) and bathroom etiquette. Not exactly hilarious stuff, but Duff hits the right note every time with a hefty dose of reality and authenticity; spinning these topics in a way that everyone could appreciate.
Actually, most of the chapters are universal, but the way Duff presents them makes them worth reading if only to bring a knowing smile to your face. And if you’re a busy bee (who isn’t these days?), you’ll appreciate the brevity of each essay. No need to read the entire book at once. But be forewarned, once you pick it up – you won’t be able to put it down. Just be sure that if you’re reading it on an airplane, the person sitting next to you has headphones on.
And if I could share one of my own observations with Ms. Duff – be sure to wear those flip-flops in hotel showers as well as on the carpet. There are sound scientific studies about germs lingering on those tiles!
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