Instant Mom was written by the very funny Nia Vardalos, writer and star of the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This is her memoir about adopting her daughter Ilaria, and semi-guidebook for new parents.
Instructions not included.
Instant Mom chronicles her struggle over the years to have a child through different means with her husband, actor Ian Gomez. When those did not work out, they went through adoption to find their daughter Ilaria. The book is mostly a humorous overview of this process including anecdotes of all 'firsts' they encounter - both the daughter and the parents. If you have kids, you'll relate to the misadventures and successes of learning to be a parent - Halloween, baptism, birthdays. If not, it's like listening to any parent gush about the whole experience, interesting, but always told with Nia's wacky humour. A standout is how they decided on her name, Ilaria - which her daughter chose for herself.
I love Nia, so for me the best parts were scattered throughout, where she talks about My Big Fat Greek Wedding (the serendipidous story about casting John Corbett was worth reading the whole book), any tidbit about Connie & Carla, filming My Life In Ruins (a funny romance shot in Greece), and hearing about her growing up in her family and becoming a comedian. While Ian and Nia continuously work, they try to keep Ilaria out of the business, not even telling them they are actors or show her their movies. When she does get it, Nia asks, "Hey, do you want to see one of my movies?" And she yawns, "No, they're probably boring." Welcome to being a parent.
This was more about the process of becoming a family, and an overview of adoption than a biography, but as a fan, I enjoyed it. If anyone is thinking about adoption, highly recommended.
If you like Nia, and watch whatever project she is in (My Big Fat Greek Life, the spinoff TV series) and consider it a success regardless (even I Hate Valentine's Day... even Helicopter Mom) you'll enjoy spending time with this funny lady.
2013 / Hardcover / 282 pages
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