The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club

This is the first compilation of Notaro's Arizona Republic columns, originally published in 2002. The Idiot Girls are those who were "too cool to be in the Smart Group." Notaro recounts her escapades and foibles from her teenage years to adulthood. She chain-smokes, drinks a lot (with resulting hangovers), and falls in and out of love frequently. She is chronically underemployed, going from one minimum-wage job to another. She has a love/hate relationship with her parents, whom she frequently touches up for money. There are some humorous scenes with which listeners can identify: her aversion to public restrooms, describing "bathroom terrorists" such as "the talker," whose conversations do not cease during the entire visit, and "the primper," who must style her hair and apply all her makeup. There is the sixth-grade assembly where she and her classmates learned about menstruation (with a jaunty jingle from Kotex). Notaro introduced her mother to email, which only opened up another way for mom to nag her. Narrator Hilary Huber is particularly effective in voicing Notaro's mother's gravelly tone. [The Villard pb was a New York Times best seller.—Ed.]—Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL