The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love

January 18, 1999
Unlike other beauty queens, the Jackson, Miss., Sweet Potato Queens are self-crowned, rule for life (there's no "former" tag for these gals) and are real women--figure flaws and all. Originally organized in 1982, the Queens are, by their own account, "fallen Southern belles" and "female drag queens"--and as such, they are all about attitude and humor. This buoyantly funny guide to life and love is a hoot from the get-go as ringleader Browne offers queenly observations on life's most pressing issues. Some topics may seem trivial, such as tanning, making the most of big hair and delighting in "big, sturdy, serviceable, substantial Russian immigrant underwear" for pregnant women (it's so "indescribably comfy" that "you may never go back"), but they are expertly mined for laughs. Non-cooks may reconsider when reading the hilariously artery-clogging recipes in the chapter "What to Eat When Tragedy Strikes," highlighting the four main food groups (sweet, salty, fried and au gratin) and suitable for both therapeutic and recreational eating. The life-affirming final chapter reminds readers of life's many options: "Life may indeed be short, but it is, for a fact, wide." If you can't get enough of the Queens, you can visit their Web site (coming in January): www.sweetpotatoqueens.com.

February 1, 1999
Let me say right up front that I had never heard of the Sweet Potato Queens until their book landed on my front porch. If you too are unenlightened, let me inform you that they are a group of women in green sequined dresses, red wigs, and "enhanced" figures that participate in parades and other events in the South, led by founding Queen (and humor writer) Browne. Their tongue-in-cheek advice includes chapters on maintaining the queenly look, magic words to get any man to do your bidding, and what to eat when tragedy strikes. The book includes recipes ("chocolate stuff" for when you're feeling down) and addresses (where to order fake teeth). But chapters like "The Five Men You Must Have in Your Life at All Times" and "Men Who May Need Killing, Quite Frankly" just weren't all that funny. Some of the stories were touching, and there's more than a little truth to all of them, but most of this book is a bit heavy-handed. Strictly a regional title; not recommended for most libraries.--Kathy Ingels Helmond, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L.

Starred review from August 5, 2002
A monumental wrong has been righted as Random House Audio finally brings Browne's deliriously funny and subversively inspiring book to audio. Browne's comic manifestos have struck a chord with women of a certain age who follow her belief that "while it is demeaning to have our beauty judged by strangers, as Southern women it is our birthright to be the queen of some food group as long as we don't have to walk down a runway in a swimsuit to get the crown." Browne's honeyed purr fits the snappy double entendres and ribald tales perfectly, and she's a delight to listen to, whether she's discouraging marriage ("if you must marry, buy a duplex"); singing the praises of Fritos ("Is there a more perfect food on the planet?"); listing the advantages of widowhood over divorce; planning what to eat when tragedy strikes or discussing body types ("I have a friend who insists on wearing the very smallest size clothes.... If that zipper closes, honey, it fits!"). Fair warning: have tissues ready for the audio's last section, a moving tribute to late friends Winston Brown and Willie Morris. This is an empowering, uproarious joy from start to finish. Based on the Three Rivers trade paperback. (June 27)FYI:Browne's first book,
The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love, is being simultaneously released as an unabridged audio (ISBN 0-553-75685-0).