Book Reviews
" 'If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it,' Erma Bombeck wrote. Donna Debs has taken that advice to heart. In Wash Your Brain, she serves up a smorgasbord of humorous essays to make us laugh, lighten up and regain perspective. It’s just the break we need from the insanity of modern life.”
--Teri Rizvi, Director, Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
"Humor and essay books abound, but Donna Debs's Wash Your Brain: Stories. Laughter. Yoga. Life. takes a novel approach to both as she explores a life vividly lived, chronicling the ironies and mishaps embedded in such a ride.
"From the beginning, Debs exhibits a remarkable ability to marry yoga and mindful insights in fun stories. Thus, chapter headings such as 'Blundering,' 'Coping,' 'Tolerating' or 'Reconciling' place each personal experience within the broader context of not just humor, but thought-provoking analysis.
"Take 'America Needs a Nap,' for one example. What begins as a survey of the importance of daytime napping turns into a political examination that moves from the personal to national applications. Debs wields these thoughts with an attractively gentle hand that doesn't bludgeon with admonition and advice, as too many mindful approaches do, but tempers insights with appealing language and a blend of fun and honesty. Her gift for insight is delivered in a compelling manner that makes readers not just understand, but thoroughly enjoy.
"Subjects embrace wide-ranging life experiences from Botox to old boyfriends, bucket lists (described in 'Kick the Bucket List'), cat-cleaning, zucchini possibilities, and more. The shear breadth and scope of these topics might feel chaotic, but solid chapter placements and ultimate conclusions keep the stories and fun on track for deeper revelations that are delivered in not just a painless, but a compelling manner.
"All these reasons are why Wash Your Brain is very, very highly recommended for a variety of library collections (and readers), from those interested in self-help and new age thinking to readers who would flavor their own life experiences and mishaps with bigger-picture thinking.
"Rarely is such a joining delivered without pain. Wash Your Brain is not only painless, but its unusual blend of jolly information represents a sterling example of how effective literary humor works, reaching creative writing groups and classes interested in extraordinary examples of such effectiveness."
--Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“It's been a while since I have read a book that made me laugh! Donna Debs knows how to find the humor in the everyday antics of modern life. Highly recommend!”
--Susan Pohlman, Award-Winning Author of Halfway to Each Other and Creator of the Phoenix Writers Network
“Until I read Donna Debs’s book, Wash Your Brain: Stories, Laughter, Yoga, Life, I believed that yoga teachers were zen masters wafting gracefully through life, one step away from Nirvana. But through Debs’s riotous stories of clumsy chaos and harebrained antics, we are encouraged and entertained to learn that all humans bumble through life’s ups and downs, even yoga teachers.
“With masterful comic word choice, Donna’s wit gives way to wisdom, prompting the reader to both cackle and contemplate every action, implication, expectation, motivation, trepidation, and machination in our daily lives. As a writer myself, I truly appreciated the author’s clever turns of phrase, humorous lists, and unique ability to paint scenes and situations with hilarious literary precision.
“Authentically hilarious—a great read!”
—-Lisa Smith Molinari, Award-Winning Author of The Meat and Potatoes of Life
“This sidesplitting collection is a treasure trove of wonderful wit, puns, metaphors and brilliant comic lines—“bonded like plaque in an artery,” “I am woman; watch me park,” “get the feeling of debauchery before it debauched,” and so on. I laughed out loud often and when I wasn’t doing that, I was just enjoying the ride. I particularly enjoyed the author’s observations about her long marriage—very funny, totally relatable and still clearly affectionate. The illustrations were also a fun addition.”
--Dorothy Rosby, Syndicated Humor Columnist and Award-Winning Author of ‘Tis the Season to Feel Inadequate
And from Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews: Five Stars
"Donna Debs conveys her hilarious exploits with distinctive authenticity."
-- Courtnee Turner Hoyle
"A laugh-out-loud collection of stories that will have you in stitches all the way through"
-- Anne-Marie Reynolds
"...her ability to turn everyday chaos into comedic relief is both impressive and encouraging, making me reflect on my own life with a lighter heart."
-- K.C. Finn
"What makes this collection so enjoyable is her incredible command of the language. She's a master of puns and a magician at twisting words intelligently."
--- Viga Boland
"She motivates us to forgive ourselves, to wave at our reflections in the mirror and say, 'Hi Honey!' Wash Your Brain will give readers the break from life that they came for."