Class Mom

Laurie Gelman’s sharp debut novel about a year in the life of a kindergarten class mom-- a brilliant send-up of the petty and surprisingly cutthroat terrain of parent politics

Jen Dixon is not your typical Kansas City kindergarten class mom—or mom in general. Jen already has two college-age daughters by two different (she thinks) musicians, and it’s her second time around the class mom block with five-year-old Max—this time with a husband and father on her side. Her best friend, who is also the PTA President, sees her as the “wisest” candidate for the job (or oldest), but not all of the other parents agree.

From recording parents’ response times to her emails to suggesting someone bring “special” brownies for curriculum night, not all of Jen’s methods win approval from the other moms. Throw in an old flame from her past, a hyper-sensitive “allergy mom,” a surprisingly sexy kindergarten teacher, and an impossible-to-please Real Housewife wannabe causing problems at every turn, and the job really becomes much more than she signed up for.

Relatable, irreverent, and hilarious in the spirit of Maria Semple, this is a fresh, welcome voice in fiction—the kind of novel that moms clamor for, and a vicarious thrill-read for all mothers, who will be laughing as they are liberated by Gelman’s acerbic truths.