Nappaland's BookBlog Review

JEREMY AND MOM: A ZITS Retrospective You Should Definitely Buy for Your Mom

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

(Andrews McMeel)

Reader Appeal: Teens and adults—but especially mothers

Genre: Cartoon Strips / Humor

Mothers of teenagers—unite! Jeremy and Mom will remind you that you’re not alone in the world—teenaged boys are more alike than different, and your ups and downs with them are pretty normal.

Jeremy and Mom is a collection of ZITS strips that focus entirely on teenaged Jeremy Duncan and his middle-aged mom, Connie. They have their good days (when Jeremy actually speaks two whole sentences to his mother or when he gives her a random hug), and their bad days (when Connie embarrasses Jeremy in front of his friends or when Jeremy ignores repeated requests to take out the trash or load the dishwasher).

One unique feature of this collection is that Scott and Borgman have spread through the book notes to the reader about how they came up with the ideas for some of the strips, what life is like in their own homes, commentary on how the strip has changed over the years, and so on. These notes are often funny, and remind the reader that these are real dads going through life just like everyone else. They also add letters from fans that address that fact that these two guys have managed to capture the scenes of real life—so much that readers almost feel like Scott and Borgman are peeking in their windows and taking notes on their own lives.

A strength of all ZITS strips is that they’re not one-sided. Connie is often just as much to blame for misunderstandings as Jeremy. I appreciate that these books don’t bash teenagers. Moms make mistakes too. But these strips do manage to find the lighter side of living with teenagers, and many mothers will see themselves in Connie and enjoy a smile as they remember they’re not alone.

It would be fun to see another collection of Jeremy and his dad down the line! But until that day comes, this is a great book (as the title suggests) to give your mother. And it’s just in time for Mother’s Day (so get shopping!).

BOOKBLOG RATING: A+

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Note: All book or comics-related graphics in this column are standard publicity/promotional shots and are owned by their respective publisher.