Michael Gelman, Kelly Ripa, Laurie Gelman, Hilary Quinlan, Bryant Gumbel (Photo Credit: Patrick McMullan)
Author Laurie Gelmancelebrated the launch of her book, Class Mom: A Novel, onWednesday, July 26, 2017 at Loi Estiatoriowith cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in New York City.
Notable attendees included: Laurie Gelman, Michael Gelman, Jamie Gelman, Misha Gelman, Kelly Ripa, Regis and Joy Philbin, Maria Loi, Dan Abrams, Rosanna Scotto, David Muir, Bryant Gumbel, Hilary Quinlan, Elizabeth Vargas, Peggy Siegel, David Mullen, Carol Cooper, Mark Simone and Richard Kind.
Class Mom: A Novel is a clever take on a year in the life of kindergarten class mom, Jen Dixon. Jen is not your typical Kansas City, Missouri kindergarten class mom―or a mom in general. Jen already has two college-age daughters by two different men (probably musicians), and it is her second time around the class mom block with five-year-old Max―this time with a husband and father by her side. Though her best friend and PTA President sees her as the “wisest” candidate for the job (or oldest), not all of the other parents agree.
From recording parents’ response times to her emails about helping in the classroom, to requesting contributions of “special” brownies for curriculum night, not all of Jen’s methods win approval from the other parents. Throw in an old flame from Jen’s past, a hyper-sensitive “allergy mom,” a surprisingly sexy kindergarten teacher, and an impossible-to-please Real Housewife-wannabe, causing problems at every turn, and the job really becomes much more than she signed up for.
Relatable, irreverent, and hilarious in the spirit of Maria Semple, Class Mom is a fresh, welcome voice in fiction―the kind of novel that real moms clamor for, and a vicarious thrill-read for all parents, who will be laughing as they are liberated by Gelman’s acerbic truths.
