With gentle humor and ironic wit, the E.J. Sullivan recalls her childhood as the reluctant accomplice of a fast-laning, martini-swilling Madison Avenue advertising executive in the 1960s. Fans of the Emmy-winning television show Mad Men on AMC will enjoy this deeper take on the era as seen...
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With gentle humor and ironic wit, the E.J. Sullivan recalls her childhood as the reluctant accomplice of a fast-laning, martini-swilling Madison Avenue advertising executive in the 1960s. Fans of the Emmy-winning television show Mad Men on AMC will enjoy this deeper take on the era as seen through the eyes of a young girl who could have been the real-life Sally Draper. TV parallels aside, the book is a poignant and sometimes foreboding tale of a girl who both fears and idolizes her charismatic father, set at the end of the age of American innocence. Includes archival photos of the era and the author’s family life. “Mad Daddy Dearest comes straight from the mad parents-mad kids lineage. Father RJ takes his kid on rides with the Porsche, to the office in Manhattan, out to expensive restaurants, and gifts her exquisitely (even when he has no money)—but he can’t give—or take—a compliment, can’t abide intimacy, puts her down at every opportunity, and downs martinis, his final undoing, like lemonade. “But right off Ellen’s got the spunk and sass to capture the crazies. Though they soon look to do her in literately and actually—Captain RJ, for example, insanely sending his kid into storm water to get his boat off the rocks, throughout Diary Ellen lets the incoming tide do its work, and chapter by chapter brings the family cruiser to port. All this is captured in exquisite detail. Before you’re through, you know RJ as well as your own dad, and the Connecticut Shore like a native. “In spite of the madness, RJ and Ellen are chums from beginning to end.”--Scott Oury “E.J. Sullivan not only provides an enlightening look into the psyche of a real-life Mad Man, but also delivers a poignant account of growing up the daughter of a difficult parent. Told with equal parts pain and humor, her story is guided by the wisdom that comes with years and love for a man bewilderingly unable to express his feelings. It’s a good read.” –Author Lynne L. Hall. Hall is the author of the Strange But True…(as in Strange But True Alabama) series of state travel books. She also has published short stories and numerous magazine feature articles. “If only we had the talent and courage to tell our own true stories. Until then - we welcome books like this one.Thank you, Ellen Sullivan.”--Joanne Good, A.S.I.D., host of "Bookmark," Tucson, AZ “E.J. Sullivan’s sprightly memoir brings to life a man who is definitely larger than life – as he never tires of reminding those around him. Sullivan’s winning voice and sharp-edged perceptions take us back to a time and place that are sweetly remembered ... a vivid family portrait.” ––Mark Childress, author of Georgia Bottoms and Crazy in Alabama “Just so you know – Ellen has been my friend for over 30 years. I tell you this, not to brag (although it wouldn’t hurt for you to be a little envious) but to emphasis how many stories Ms. Sullivan has tucked away. I’ve known Ellen for over 30 years yet most of the stories in this memoir were new to me. Sure, I knew her dad was a Madison Avenue Advertising man, I knew Fred Bonnie, her ex-husband – I won’t keep listing the things that I knew – but I knew a lot of the information – I just didn’t have the emotion and the nuances or the order of things. And I’ve never seen any of these delightful photos that so perfectly capture the early 60s. Diary of a Mad Man’s Daughter is a story of Ellen’s self-discovery, of her deep love and devotion to her father despite his flaws (which is the only kind of beautiful true love in my mind), and her account of those special observations (both the painful and the funny side) she’s made along the way. Ellen is a storyteller. I think it is that she has a gift of seeing the things that most people miss. And lucky reader, now you get a chance to hear some of her stories.--Melody Izard, Passionate Book Reader, Reviewer, and Ellen’s Friend
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