Suburban Luchador: Memoirs From Suburbia by Philip Rivera

His minivan is his chariot. His mower is his weapon. Enter the whimsical world of suburbia’s favorite underdog.

Author Philip Rivera is a father to three, a husband to one… and a hero to all. When he’s not fighting crime in his fighter-jet-cloaked-as-a-minivan, he can be found teaching high school and patrolling the ‘hood for story material. He’s the man who’s making mortgages, meatloaf, and the middle-class sexy again.

In Suburban Luchador: Memoirs from Suburbia, Philip turns his ordinary family, marriage, and teaching scenarios into offbeat and humorous slice-of-life adventures that collide day-to-day humdrum with a vivid imagination. For every mild-mannered, undiscovered underdog who thought they were the only ones envisioning daily life as a music video or an epic movie scene, this is a heart-warming and comically self-deprecating look at the wondrous, valiant and touching moments in our everyday lives.

Sherry Terry’s Review: 4-Stars

The Suburban Luchador: Memoirs From Suburbia by Philip Rivera is a bit of a wild ride. I think the cover needs a once-over by a professional. I’m not a fan of that much yellow and red in a cover. But in the end, this cover matches the story. The formatting was a little unexpected, and I found a few typos. Personally, I am not a fan of all caps, all caps in bold, or all caps in a larger font than the rest of the text. But in the end, those did not take away from my enjoyment.

Tighten your chin straps, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

The first stories are cute and funny with a surprise at the end of each that will put a smile on your face. At this point, I give the book 4-Stars because of a few little hiccups I think could have been a little tweaked for a smoother flow. Once I read through the middle of the book, the stories became more about the author’s life, and it was pretty mundane, doing things everyone does. But, Philip Rivera does have a way with his imagination that’s excellent.

By the end, all the day-to-day, little stuff in life got in the way, slowed the book to a stop, and grew tedious. Adding together everything that jumps out at me as an editor, I give the story 3.5-Stars.

However, Phillip has a way with words and a very vivid imagination. He is a great father and gives his kids wonderful memories. The jewels at the beginning are worth 4-Stars in the end.

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