Review: Great Humor and Surprising Depth From a One-of-a-Kind Storyteller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 21, 2012
When longtime stay-at-home mom Suzie Ivy hits forty-five, she realizes she isn't quite where she wants to be in life. Forty pounds overweight, with an empty nest and still no real idea of what she wants to be when she grows up, she happens upon a flyer from the local police station while out doing errands one day. It seems the local PD is looking for a few new recruits... And Suzie decides she is going to be one of them.Bad Luck Cadet follows Ivy's exploits as she endures a summer of pure hell going through the Arizona Police Academy, providing all the gritty details on what it takes to become a woman in blue. Battling sexism and ageism and general unpleasantness from the powers-that-be, Ivy takes the reader on a journey through basic training with wonderful candor, humor, and surprising depth.The book resonated with me particularly because I'm a `Woman of a certain age' myself, however I believe it would be equally relevant for anyone who has ever felt curtailed by society's vision of who they should be and how they should behave. There are a few minor editorial issues, however they were easy to overlook and otherwise the writing is fluid, Ivy's style strong, and the story utterly captivating. Highly recommended for anyone looking for an interesting memoir or just a great read to amuse and inspire.