Share the love

First Impression: A collection of experiences depicting the identifiable struggles endured by early Generation X-ers and the modern world.

mom & dad are dinosaurs book cover

Sending out a big thank you to Frank Mastropolo for the oppotunity to read this humor/comedy book. It provided some giggles at both others, and myself.

Frank Mastropolo’s Mum and Dad are Dinosaurs is exactly what the book set out to be. It is a humorous quick read sharing exaggerated recaps of his parents entering the 21st century, kicking and screaming. When you look at your parents, older relatives and/or older colleagues, you will recognize that you have come across at least some of the issues raised, which only adds to the comedic value. In fact, I think there are several instances where we may even see ourselves in place of the leading characters.

Sections have a statement title such as, The Best Way to Save Money is to Forget Who You Borrowed It From, Alexa Asked, ‘How Can I Return Myself?’, and Libraries: Where Books Go to Die. Within each chapter are short little anecdotes, for want of a better term. Paragraphs are often short and succinct summing up a mini story in just a few sentences. This structure makes for easy reading but does not offer broad information. Instead, it cuts to the chase and focuses on highlighting this issue the Mastropolo seniors have. In other words, it’s like a joke book that is literally just filled with a series of punchlines. If each of the stories were slightly more developed with smoother transitions between them, this could quite easily be a stand-up comedy performance.

Sadly, money is an issue in our family. If robbers ever broke into our house and searched for money, Dad would just laugh and search with them. Dad has worked himself up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty.

The book is a clean read, with no cursing or sexual content. Where it talks about issues that affect day to day life, the scenarios are quite ordinary. As a result, this book comes with a PG rating (please note that this is just my unofficial opinion), although I suspect the audience is likely to be people in their late teens and above. There is a lot of content on working from home, social media, and technology that stands out against the other topics.

I would recommend this book for someone wanting a little chuckle in their lunch break, or someone wanting to occupy themselves on a short but mundane commute. It also makes a great joke gift for an elder and lets them know they are not alone in their thoughts. At 53 pages long, a decent size font, and large images at the start of each chapter, the book can be consumed in 30-60 minutes.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / PG Rated

Have your say: What are the components of a good comedy book? Drop a comment below to start interacting with the Papergirl Community.

Disclaimer: Clicking on links may direct you to Papergirl branded products, or Papergirl endorsed items for which there is an affiliation. It will not affect your purchases or prices in any way, but it may mean that Papergirl earns a small commission from any successful sales.

Wondering what to review next, consider: