Assessment:
Plot/Idea: SOS Podcasts is an ex-pat's charming memoir detailing her adventures as a wife, mother, and international traveler, transporting readers from New York to the Vatican to the "the borderlands of Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium," along with Mancini's tears, travails, and triumphs during the journey.
Prose: Mancini's prose is sharp and true to life. A self-described "big pain," she's fearless about detailing her anxiety, parenting woes, and pizza palate (she describes Gouda on pizza margherita as "a food crime"). While her accounts can come across as defensive, it doesn't detract from her observations or wry humor.
Originality: Mancini's memoir stands out from similar titles; as she raises a family on the other side of the world—while doggedly pursuing her PhD—she candidly describes her anxiety and uncertainty, opening up about how she turned those emotions around once she discovered podcasts. Her taste is delightfully eclectic, and, fittingly, she closes with the hope that she can transform what she's learned into her own podcasts.
Character/Execution: Mancini describes her family with loving detail, recounting how her ailing father endured much to buy time for her to reach his bedside, while vividly depicting her family, in-laws, and the many people she met all over the world.
Date Submitted: October 02, 2024
"SOS Podcasts is a lighthearted witty memoir about author Rosamaria Mancini’s life in Italy and Germany with a military husband, two young children, and a growing interest in listening to podcasts..."
"...SOS Podcasts is a love letter from a woman to her favorite media source. It lets the Reader know that there is a podcast and a story for just about every feeling, activity, interest, and experience."
Delighted to share with you bits of my Kirkus review of SOS Podcasts
“…In her voice, universal subjects (including bad weather, religious faith, childbirth, and not fitting into a group) become compelling and entertaining…”
“This chronicle is a handy resource detailing the wide range of podcasts that Mancini sampled, which are compiled at the book’s end…”
“Writing in an informal, diaristic manner, Mancini often tries to persuade the reader…that she’s behaving acceptably (“I wasn’t nerdy, really, I wasn’t”); this approach…comes off as engaging and funny.”
“…An informative and amusing account of an expat finding solace in the world of podcasts.”
“SOS Podcasts” by Rosamaria Mancini is an informative and enlightening memoir. It captures how the author relied on podcasts to help her survive some major life transitions, and how it helped her to find the courage and wisdom to embrace the future and chart a path through the unknown."
SOS Podcasts: A Memoir is a brilliantly unique and inspirational memoir that will take readers on a thought-provoking journey while entertaining them at the same time! SOS Podcasts is written by author Rosamaria Mancini and Mancini throughout SOS Podcasts will take her readers on a journey through her expat life and all that she learned along the way. The journey the reader will encounter is incredible as well as eye-opening and incredibly relatable and her story will make you feel a host of different emotions from start to finish! That is why I already recommend this lovely book, however, if you need more convincing then continue to read to learn more!
SOS Podcasts is an incredible book in which Rosamaria Mancini will openly share her life with us readers, including all the highs and lows that come with leaving your home to live abroad. Rosamaria did just this when she left New York for Italy and then to Germany and it is in these countries she quickly learned about her surroundings and the cultures as well as more about herself. During these trying times, Rosamaria found comfort in podcasts, these became her savior and friend and it is through this that she learned to adjust to her new world around her. Every reader will be able to relate to Rosamaria, even if you aren’t an expat yourself and the result is a charming read that shouldn’t be missed!
