Leaking Laffs Between Pampers and Depends

Just in time for Mother's Day, this diverting hodgepodge from the bestselling author of Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death promises to tickle the funny bone while acknowledging the very real pain in many women's lives. Johnson, the ""geranium lady"" who has more than five million books in print, aims this new title not just at the ""large print"" sector but at women in every phase of life. Various chapters explore new motherhood, body issues, aging and marriage (which is ""a great institution.... That's why so many women end up institutionalized""). Motherhood, she writes, ""is like getting a life sentence in prison with no hope of parole,"" but children multiply the joy in life. Johnson eschews a traditional narrative in favor of a mishmash of humorous cartoons, widely circulated Internet stories and letters from readers, interspersed with musings from her own life and ministry, including behind-the-scenes incidents from the wildly popular Women of Faith tour, in which she is a featured speaker. She briefly mentions some of the tragedies of her own life, including the deaths of two of her sons, but the overall tone of the book is steadfastly upbeat. The final chapter (""Sliding Down a Rainbow into a Pool of Joy"") gently explores death as a passage into eternity. (Apr.)