Author and commentator Sandra Tsing Loh comes to town to talk schools

I am no huge fan of the mommy-memoir trope. Stifled angst over diapers or dirty dishes? Feh.

But here’s one author I do enjoy: Sandra Tsing Loh. As a contributing editor to The Atlantic Monthly and NPR commentator, Loh offers biting, insightful and hilarious commentary on parenting in America.

In her newest book, not the typical cutesy mommy bestseller (check out that title), Loh describes her battle to find "the perfect school," and takes on the parenting rat race along the way:

"Jonathan and Aimee are those insane types of parents who played Mozart in the womb, festooned their baby cribs with black and white mobiles, and forced their sons from the age of six months into strange yuppie art forms like Shakespearobics and Kindertanz and --and-- and...tumbling jazzerbastics."

She also aims at people who hate kids, but looove to talk about Rex's doggy incontinence. Basically, Loh expresses what you'd like to say out loud, but you just can’t. Hey, this is Seattle. We’re a polite, repressed people.

Loh’s coming to town in just a week, on Monday, Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Elliott Bay Book Company. Read her book, hear her speak and maybe grill her on school choice in Seattle.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company