Dirtbag Queen
In this "utterly unhinged, hilarious" memoir, a son pays tribute to his larger than life 'zaftig good time gal' mother and his unusual childhood (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author).

“Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash talking woman was not to be found.”

So began Andy Corren's unforgettable obituary for his mother, Renay Mandel Corren, in her hometown paper The Fayetteville Observer, a tribute that went on to touch the hearts of millions around the globe. In his brief telling of the life and legend that was Renay, a “loud, filthy¿minded (and filthy¿mouthed) Jewish lady redneck who birthed six kids,” Andy captured only a slice of his loving and fabulously unconventional mother.
His obituary for Renay was just the tip of the iceberg. In this uproariously funny, deeply moving family portrait, readers meet the rest of his absurd clan: his brothers, affectionately nicknamed Asshole (whose terrible attitude permeates every room he enters), Twin (held back a year and constantly mistaken for Andy despite the fact that they look nothing alike), and Rabbi (the only one who had a Bar Mitzvah); his one-eyed pirate queen of a sister, Cathy Sue (a teen bride who lost an eye to a Pepsi bottle); and then there's the mysterious Bonus, who Andy isn't aware of until later in life since this mysterious oldest brother grew up at the Green Valley School for Emotionally Disturbed and Delinquent Children.

A story of love and forgiveness, as well as a celebration of a woman who “didn't cook, didn't clean, and was lousy with money” but was “great at dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, filthy jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines," Dirtbag Queen is an entertaining and poignant portrayal of the complex and heartfelt humanity that unites us all-especially family.
1145553798
Dirtbag Queen
In this "utterly unhinged, hilarious" memoir, a son pays tribute to his larger than life 'zaftig good time gal' mother and his unusual childhood (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author).

“Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash talking woman was not to be found.”

So began Andy Corren's unforgettable obituary for his mother, Renay Mandel Corren, in her hometown paper The Fayetteville Observer, a tribute that went on to touch the hearts of millions around the globe. In his brief telling of the life and legend that was Renay, a “loud, filthy¿minded (and filthy¿mouthed) Jewish lady redneck who birthed six kids,” Andy captured only a slice of his loving and fabulously unconventional mother.
His obituary for Renay was just the tip of the iceberg. In this uproariously funny, deeply moving family portrait, readers meet the rest of his absurd clan: his brothers, affectionately nicknamed Asshole (whose terrible attitude permeates every room he enters), Twin (held back a year and constantly mistaken for Andy despite the fact that they look nothing alike), and Rabbi (the only one who had a Bar Mitzvah); his one-eyed pirate queen of a sister, Cathy Sue (a teen bride who lost an eye to a Pepsi bottle); and then there's the mysterious Bonus, who Andy isn't aware of until later in life since this mysterious oldest brother grew up at the Green Valley School for Emotionally Disturbed and Delinquent Children.

A story of love and forgiveness, as well as a celebration of a woman who “didn't cook, didn't clean, and was lousy with money” but was “great at dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, filthy jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines," Dirtbag Queen is an entertaining and poignant portrayal of the complex and heartfelt humanity that unites us all-especially family.
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Dirtbag Queen

Dirtbag Queen

by Andy Corren

Narrated by Andy Corren

Unabridged — 10 hours, 4 minutes

Dirtbag Queen

Dirtbag Queen

by Andy Corren

Narrated by Andy Corren

Unabridged — 10 hours, 4 minutes

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Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A raucous good read commemorating the life of a mother who contained multitudes. At times heartfelt, hilarious and full of genuine human emotion, this is a read that hits deep.

In this "utterly unhinged, hilarious" memoir, a son pays tribute to his larger than life 'zaftig good time gal' mother and his unusual childhood (Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author).

“Because she was my mother, the death of zaftig good-time gal Renay Corren is newsworthy to me, and I treat it with the same respect and reverence she had for, well, nothing. A more disrespectful, trash talking woman was not to be found.”

So began Andy Corren's unforgettable obituary for his mother, Renay Mandel Corren, in her hometown paper The Fayetteville Observer, a tribute that went on to touch the hearts of millions around the globe. In his brief telling of the life and legend that was Renay, a “loud, filthy¿minded (and filthy¿mouthed) Jewish lady redneck who birthed six kids,” Andy captured only a slice of his loving and fabulously unconventional mother.
His obituary for Renay was just the tip of the iceberg. In this uproariously funny, deeply moving family portrait, readers meet the rest of his absurd clan: his brothers, affectionately nicknamed Asshole (whose terrible attitude permeates every room he enters), Twin (held back a year and constantly mistaken for Andy despite the fact that they look nothing alike), and Rabbi (the only one who had a Bar Mitzvah); his one-eyed pirate queen of a sister, Cathy Sue (a teen bride who lost an eye to a Pepsi bottle); and then there's the mysterious Bonus, who Andy isn't aware of until later in life since this mysterious oldest brother grew up at the Green Valley School for Emotionally Disturbed and Delinquent Children.

A story of love and forgiveness, as well as a celebration of a woman who “didn't cook, didn't clean, and was lousy with money” but was “great at dyeing her red roots, weekly manicures, filthy jokes, pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines," Dirtbag Queen is an entertaining and poignant portrayal of the complex and heartfelt humanity that unites us all-especially family.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Here's something I can say with perfect certainty: Andy Corren has written the best scene I know of involving Donny Osmond, a standard poodle named Licorice, and a young man's sexual awakening. And lucky for us, he's written a whole lot more. Dirtbag Queen is an irreverent, laugh-out-loud look back at an outrageous childhood. It's also an exquisite love letter to a woman who broke every rule of motherhood and taught her children how to live." 
 —Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding

"Fantastic. Utterly unhinged, hilarious, and unexpectedly heartbreaking.”—Jenny Lawson, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Dirtbag Queen is told with the kind of unyielding honesty, devastating humor and above all tender familial pride that makes a seemingly eccentric upbringing feel universal. You will not regret a moment you spend with this family—nor will you ever forget them.”—Steven Rowley, New York Times Bestselling author of The Guncle

"Buckle your seat belts, clear the decks, cancel all social obligations because once you start Andy Corren’s hilarious, sacrilegious, and brilliantly tenderhearted memoir, you won’t want to stop until the bittersweet end.”
 —Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company

“Dirtbag Queen is so funny, smart and original that while I was reading Andy Corren's fantastic memoir I had to keep reminding myself that I didn't write it."
 —Alan Zweibel, Original SNL writer and Thurber Prize winning author of Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier

"Wild...a unique and memorable romp."—Publishers Weekly

"A matriarch’s idiosyncratic life captured and besainted through a succession of hilarious memories."—Kirkus

“Beyond simple memoir, this is a raw, honest, funny story of family, forgiveness, and, in the end, letting go. The book would be of interest to fans of Doug Stanhope's Digging Up Mother and even David Sedaris' more family-focused stories.”
 —Booklist

"While there are other memoirs that document rural poverty and parental neglect, few manage the feat with the humor and sparkle of Dirtbag Queen.” —BookPage

"A lesson in how to approach grief with humor, tenderness, and grace for ourselves and others."—Jewish Book Council

“Corren is laughing-uncontrollably-on-public-transit funny, in the vein of comic masters like David Sedaris.”—Shelf Awareness

Kirkus Reviews

2024-10-25
A doting son commemorates the life and legacy of his eccentric mother.

Playwright and performer Corren’s memory of his beloved mother, who died in late 2021 at 84, was immortalized by a pithy, comedic obituary that became a national social media sensation. His family memoir flamboyantly elaborates on her eventful life in Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a “plus-sized Jewish lady redneck” named Renay, mother to a kooky Southern brood. The author writes of being the youngest of six, exiled every summer throughout his childhood to his grandparents’ Miami Beach home to entertain them with his celebrity impersonations. Corren establishes himself early on as an uproarious raconteur, having coined pet names for his siblings, according to their personalities, and sharing endless anecdotes about their misadventures getting backyard haircuts, their work in tandem with their mother at the local bowling alley, the family’s time living in Japan, and their house evictions during sweltering Fayetteville summers. Corren retraces his mother’s reckless early years as a nut-loving, “ravenous and ravishing redheaded” Southern woman who, when faced with trouble, “shot first, asked questions later” and was, surprisingly, a voracious reader. Unfortunately, Renay’s divorce in 1975 became the event that unraveled her emotionally and financially. Despite their former devotion, Corren’s siblings (and the author himself, on his 18th birthday) left Fayetteville forever. Though his queerness emerged throughout his youth, Corren divulges that he always knew he was special, “like a hothouse plant that needed a little extra attention,” which his mother always lavished on him in her own unique and boisterous way. Though some will find Corren’s delivery of rapid-fire anecdotes dizzying, he manages to downshift toward the book’s conclusion, recounting a poignant trip back to Fayetteville, five months after his mother’s death and 34 years after he’d permanently left the area, to organize a family memorial for Renay at the bowling alley she always adored.

A matriarch’s idiosyncratic life captured and besainted through a succession of hilarious memories.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940192499368
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication date: 01/14/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
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