Money, A Memoir: Book Review
Money, A Memoir, by Liz Perle.
Imagine moving yourself and your toddler to a foreign country, only to land and be told by your spouse that they want a divorce. You’ve got your passport, your kid’s passport, $3000.00 cash, a 13-hour flight and a sense of despair to bring you back to the States. That’s what happened to Liz Perle when she arrived in Singapore with her 4-year old son.
I really wanted to like this book and there are many good points in it with which I agree. It’s a wake up call for marrieds and divorcees who are living in a upper middle class bubble about their finances. But I’m not married or divorced. I feel very bad for Ms. Perle, but she’s rebounded well with vigor and headstrong determination from her prior circumstances. I applaud her for writing something personal and admitting to her mistakes through the process of divorce and financial enlightenment. She writes for every woman to take responsibility for their finances, single or not. I just didn’t feel that the book spoke to me since it’s full of anecdotes about divorces and divorce advice. If you’re about to get a divorce and you’re worried about your finances, definitely read this book. There are one or two savvy tidbits on divorce strategy in there which might serve a person well, male or female.
The other thing that I enjoyed about the book is the mind-money connection the author makes. My regular readers know that I firmly believe our psychology influences our spending and saving pattterns. Suze Orman discusses this point a lot in her book 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. Ms. Perle is very candid about her adolescent dreams about money and lifestyle. They’re pretty average dreams I think most girls have. Some White Knight is going to marry you and take care of it all. Nothing to worry about. I know I had those kinds of dreams too, but now those dreams disgust me as I see the reality of life and too many broken marriages. A girl has to take care of herself, which is what the author is trying to get across.
This book is exactly what it bills itself as, a memoir. I cannot find fault with that. It’s about Ms. Perle’s experiences and related information to that experience. It just doesn’t resonate with me since I haven’t been through those circumstances. Your mileage may vary.
The Miserly Mistress wrote:
Wow, thanks for the review! It sounds great and I’ll have to order it soon.
Posted on 24-Jun-06 at 3:40 am | Permalink
Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge / PF Book Reviews wrote:
[…] New! (7/2006) Money, A Memoir, by Liz Perle, a memoir of her relationship with money. A personal journey to financial enlightenment. […]
Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 9:07 pm | Permalink