Havrilesky writes movingly of her larger-than-life father and loving but beleaguered mother; far from being a bitter memoir of family dysfunction, Disaster Preparedness is Havrilesky's love letter to her parents

Havrilesky, on the other hand, is clearly recognizable as a real person

If you grew up in the 70's and 80's you will love this book

She observes with amusement the different parenting strategies at work in her families and those of her parents' friends

Havrilesky discusses growing up in the 1970s as a fish out of water in her North Carolina town -- daughter of a professor, but not in the same social class as many of her classmates, she struggles to find a place in her school and in her family

Heather Havrilesky's account of a childhood under siege during the catastrophe-obsessed culture of the seventies and eighties is a rare gem