Carpool Diem, by Nancy Star (Book Review)

This is a light, fun novel, as the name implies. It pokes fun at the disturbing social trend of certain types of upper-middle class parents who push their kids too hard over things that really don't matter all that much.

Annie Fleming is the workaholic mother of a twelve-year-old daughter. Annie is under the mistaken impression that her life is totally under control under she finds herself suddenly without a job. Annie is the type of person who never settles for second best. She is not the type of person who, for example, will decide she wants a cat and pick up a cute one from the animal shelter. No. She is the type of person who would exhaustively research cats on the internet to ensure that she gets the best possible cat. And she is like that about everything. Annie might be in need of some medication.

So you can imagine Annie's angst when her daughter, Charlotte, earns a spot on a second-rate soccer team. She vows that she will teach Charlotte the importance of not settling, and that Charlotte will make the elite team.

It turns out that Charlotte has some talent, enough to get noticed by Winslow, the coach of the very best local team. Too bad Winslow is crazy. He schedules something every day--during the summer--for his team. If they aren't in a tournament, they are having practice twice a day or a scrimmage. He subjects them to training better reserved for Olympic athletes, and the only excuse for missing anything is death. He puts out newsletters for the team and parents that are quite hilarious, as is this glimpse into the world of "soccer parents" in general.

It would be good if parents like these could read this and see themselves in it and maybe back off a little (and learn to laugh at themselves). I'm not sure, though, if such parents would allow themselves to do anything so frivolous as read a novel. I mean, encouragement is great, but when you're forcing your kid to practice soccer in a thunderstorm, it's time to reassess your priorities.