What readers are saying
I got my book today! Heartwarming and amazing! I didn't realize how emotional it would make me feel! Thank you Laurie!
Mary Branham
I just finished reading my sister Laurie Tanoura’s book, Smile Darn Ya.
I’m so thankful that our grandmother’s and her siblings’ stories and poetry are being preserved. Even though I’m younger, the book brought back many memories, especially those of our life at the cabin. I also enjoyed reading about Laurie’s childhood dream of moving to Hawaii—and how she made that dream come true.
I always knew she was a talented poet, but I didn’t realize just how much poetry she had written. Several of her poems brought tears to my eyes. This book made me feel even closer to my family’s history and taught me many things I never knew.
Although Laurie is my sister, I genuinely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Linda Callison
"I laughed! I cried!
LIbby Wollenberg
Roger and I eagerly bought SMILE, DARN YA, and read it almost immediately. We think it’s a delightful book and hope you are pleased with it, both by its content and the way it is laid out. All those pictures! We especially liked the first part in which you include those silly-special and wonderful poems written by your various family members. With the exception of a book of handwritten poems that Roger’s mother wrote for children whenever they were out for the evening, we had rarely run across such a thing before. I wish more families had done that. Not only were the poems clever, they were full of love.
The next part of the book gave us a glimpse into you. We got to know you better, which we appreciated. Plus you shed a kind of light into a particular time in Hawaii that’s long over. Roger and I met in Mpls/St. Paul 34-plus years ago and for many years lived back and forth between Minneapolis (the Uptown area, near Lake Calhoun) and Hawaii. We knew all of the streets and neighborhoods you mentioned. One of Eric’s early apartments was on Emerson!
In regard to your book, we wish somehow it could be distributed to local libraries, as we think there are a great many patrons who would enjoy it for several reasons. In any event, we wish you success with it.
Eric Anderson & Roger Beck