Review: When Mommy Loves Bama and Daddy Loves Auburn

I had the fantastic pleasure of reading the book, When Mommy Loves Bama and Daddy Loves Auburn. I also was lucky enough to grow up in a family that was all Alabama Crimson Tide. We lived The Tide as I am sure many of you do as well. However, there are a lot of families plagued with the problem outlined and discussed in this 19 page children’s book. What does the child do when you have one parent who is an avid fan of Alabama and the other of the Barn? This might seem like a silly question for those who lived outside of our little world of Southeastern Conference Football, but anyone inside the SEC understands the pains that child may actually be going through. Who should they root for? Which school will they call their school? Is there a safer option than the other?

This illustrated comedic book explains it all!

The actress turned author, Deb Hiett, understands this house divided situation in the Deep South. She says, “Though I live in Los Angeles now, I did grow up in a ‘house divided’ in Birmingham – both my father and uncle graduated from Auburn, and my mother and aunt and grandfather graduated from Alabama,” Deb states. “But my sister and I always had a sense of real connection to both Alabama and Auburn, and we could never understand the bitterness that some fans felt about one team or the other. In our eyes, you were supposed to save that level of antagonism for Notre Dame, for heaven’s sake!”

Deb adds, “Maybe it’s all the online anonymity, but it seems these days it’s easier than ever to just be thoughtlessly mean, even about something as fun as rooting for your favorite college football team. I just wanted to take this serious rivalry and show a sweeter and more comical perspective.”

Deb would know how to turn an awkward situation into comedy better than most. During her acting career prior to writing this incredible book she appeared on “Arrested Development,” “Parks and Recreation,” The Office,” and so many more. Hiett is a comedic genius and this book reflects her creativity. Along with her creativity the illustrations in this book, which were hand drawn, are absolutely beautiful. The illustrator, Amy Lynn Stevenson, has a lot of talent and she leaves it all on these 19 pages.

There are countless reviews on this book and I decided to pick out some of the reviews I believe reflect my views on the book as well:

“What a delight for kids and parents of split or mixed Bama-AU families! At last, a delightful explanation!”

–Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump

“Although the Alabama-Auburn rivalry itself is no laughing matter, this hilarious little book manages to put it all in perspective.”

–Chad Gibbs, author of Love Thy Rival: What Sports’ Greatest Rivalries Teach Us About Loving Our Enemies and God and Football: Faith and Fanaticism in the SEC

You can find this delightful little book on Amazon.com

Connect with Deb Hiett on her website: DebHiett.com and on Twitter: @debhiett