Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

By Kathleen West

Perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Small Admissions, a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High—the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle—and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.

When a devoted teacher comes under pressure for her progressive curriculum and a helicopter mom goes viral on social media, two women at odds with each other find themselves in similar predicaments, having to battle back from certain social ruin.
 
Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of Anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.
 
Brought together by the sting of public humiliation, Isobel and Julia learn firsthand how entitlement and competition can go too far, thanks to a secret Facebook page created as an outlet for parent grievances. The Liston Heights High student body will need more than a strong sense of school spirit to move past these campus dramas in an engrossing debut novel that addresses parents behaving badly and teenagers speaking up, even against their own families.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9780593098424

Reviews for Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Karma, how satisfying it is! When a secret Facebook group becomes a gathering spot for helicopter wealthy parents, an English teacher, is targeted because of her liberal agenda of getting kids to see different viewpoints. One mother is uber-determined to make sure her children succeed—that is be educated in the mold mom has set for them. There’s a lot in here about how a community like this is extremely challenging to teach in, the power of social media to influence people, how your online comments can come back to haunt you and how kids can often act in a more mature manner than their parents. It is an easy read and well worth the time.

[arthistorychick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen WestSource: NetGalley and BerkleyMy Rating: 3/5 stars**MINI-REVIEW**The Bottom Line: Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes is one of those reads that I finished and after 24 hours of reflection find that I mostly just feel ambivalent towards this story and its characters. There are a lot of threads and plot lines in this book and while they are all connected to one another, they don’t always connect well. What’s more, outside of the teenagers (GASP!) there isn’t really a decent character in this book. The adults are simply pathetic, each looking for ways to better others or tear down those they perceive as having slighted them. The pettiness is next level with personal and professional attacks alike. The greatest level of maturity, proper behavior, and actions in the book come from the kids and that simply makes no sense given who their parents are. At the end of it all, I walked away from this book thankful there wasn’t anything left to read, no more drama and no more catastrophes.

[celticlady53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't usually read this type of book but the description intrigued me. I was glad to read it, it took me a while, only because I was ill. Once I started it I was hooked. Isobel Johnson is an admired and respected teacher at Liston Heights, Julia Abbott is a parent who hovers, definitely involved in her kids lives, especially her son who has been cast in a part in the annual play. Or she hopes.Isobel received a voicemail accusing her of anti-American and a liberal agenda. Now Isobel needs to find out who the voicemail came from and she thinks she knows who it was. She can't say for sure though. So all of a sudden she is all over social media and not in a good way. She is eventually suspended from her job which is devastating to her, she loves to teach and that is why she wanted to work at Liston Heights. Julia was so excited to find out if you son got the part she wanted for him, she pushed her way to the front of the line and accidentally elbowed a student. Someone made a video of it and it went viral, to her dismay.I didn't much care for Julia, she, in my mind was not a very nice person but as I got further in the book, she just wanted to be admired by her family and community. Both Julia and Isobel wanted that but in different ways, and they went about trying to meet their own expectations in a different way.What did I come away with at the end of this book? I found that social media can be a good but sometimes a horrible thing, especially when people shame, ridicule and humiliate other people because they either don't know that person or listen to rumors. Be nice people!I enjoyed this book, there was a lot of humor, some nice and not so nice characters. But that is what makes a book good!

[melaniehope · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a fantastic book that is both relevant and engaging. I just couldn't put it down. Julia is an overbearing, helicopter mom who does everything she can to make life easy and to make sure both her high school children have every opportunity to excel and be the best. When her son Andrew has a chance for a minor part in a play, she becomes more obsessed over him getting the part than any parent should. When Julia finds herself suddenly in the limelight on social media for an accident that occurred on the school, she suddenly finds she had fallen into the gutter in her community. Meanwhile, Isobel is a radical teacher who lives in the wrong part of town and who comes under scrutiny in this tough, privileged community. Although the students love her, all it takes is a few parents to stir the pot. I loved this book and the ending makes it all come together in a uplifting way. Would love to read more from this author

[danagee73 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At Liston Heights High, parents are the children, kids are the adults and teachers walk a fine line between the two.In Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West we see what goes on behind school doors in a very real way.Told in multiple perspectives, we are introduced to helicopter moms who will stop at close to nothing, teachers who teach with all their heart, teachers with an agenda, and administration with their continual attempts to put out fires.Is mean really mean if the sole purpose is for good? To protect your family and those you love? Is being good keeping a stance for what you believe even when your career and family could suffer?These and a multitude of other topics ranging from bullying to various levels of fraud are addressed here and make for one heck of a read!

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I tried, really I tried to like this book but I just couldn't. In the beginning I was fine with all of the adults and their issues but after a while, it grew old. In fact; the issues kind of became petty and the adults whiny. I might have been able to handle is to a point if I had liked most of the characters but there was not one that I particularly liked. It is sad when the children are more mature than the adults. I get that this was part of the factor for this book. Sadly, I could not finish this book. In the future, I may give this author another try. Too many drams and catastrophes for me.

[sallyelizabethmurphy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely enthralling- over the top ridiculous, yet completely on point when considered from a satirical point. I loved it.

[stephkaye-923485 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you liked "The Gifted School," you may enjoy this story of another group of high-strung parents. It's the story of how Facebook almost ruined the lives of two women, teacher Isobel Johnson, and parent Julia Abbott. Lots of "yoga pants moms" and clever kids. A quick, suspenseful read.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun take on helicopter parenting, social media, and high school theatre.

[kmjessica · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this book from Penguin Random House and had no idea what the book was about when I started reading it.
At first I thought I would not enjoy it. It is so different then the books I normally read. I thought it seemed kind of boring.
It takes place in a high school with the main characters being teachers, students and parents. Its about one teacher in particular and her style of teaching. It tells about her past and why she teaches the way she does. And about the students she teaches and how much they like her. It also has some very interesting if not dislikeable parents that have no life of there own who get too involved in there kids lives.
I really started getting into this book about a quarter of the way through. The characters really started to get real for me and very interesting. This whole book seems like something that could really happen and it was so intriguing reading about the personalities of these people.
I so enjoyed this story and would defiantly recommend this book to everyone.
Don't judge a book by its cover or the first couple chapters. So glad I was able to read this book!

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

School drama of the most cutthroat kind. There are two main plot lines. One is about a mother who will do anything to get her son a good part in a play. The second is about a teacher who some parent think is pushing a liberal agenda that they don't like in her literature classes. By the time this novel ends these varied plot lines skillfully intersect. I think the book would be very interesting if you are a junior high or high school teacher. A quick read.