“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or more—much more—during those dark and
The trailer for Accidents of Marriage, releasing Sept. 2. Read an excerpt here.
“When Baba Segi awoke with a bellyache for the sixth day in a row, he knew it was time to do something drastic about his fourth wife’s childlessness. He
If a coward dies a thousand deaths, and a brave one dies but one, then I have died at least a million times. I live my life cowering (at least
(This post first ran in 2011) In the continuous stream of NPR that is my life, I just learned that Jerri Nielson died of breast cancer. Dr. Nielson wrote a
Perhaps the lure of the bad boy is similar to the lure of climbing Mt. Everest. It feels so good to conquer it and get to the top—despite all the
Last night I watched a TMC documentary: And The Oscar Goes To. Saying that I wept is about as meaningful as saying I sneezed—I am the easiest tears-mark in the world.
Truly, it is easier to find out the average cost of a meal or nail polish (found them both in one try) than it is to find out most statistics on book sales (try
Food and Loathing: A Life Measured Out in Calories by Betsy Lerner Everyone hates a fat woman. Or is it that a fat woman thinks everyone hates her?
“Don’t forget; Jewish people read an enormous amount,” my lovely (and Jewish) literary agent said before my book launch. “We really love books.” I nodded. Yes, I knew that—at least I
Imagine this: Someone asks you to marry them, and because you are so eager (desperate?) to wed, you say yes—even though you don’t know them, don’t know what they expect,
Amazing. Here I am, about to realize my longest-held-dream—publishing a novel—and my biggest concern is whether I‘ll look fat at the launch party. No matter what the event, we always
There something a little creepy about knowing that when friends, family, neighbors, and mailman read the novels I wrote, that they’re probably thinking: So that’s what she thinks about when
Beginning a book is easier than ending it (at least for me.) A beginning is exciting and glittery, filled with excitement and hope. First sentences are sexy. They pop
“Justice is better than chivalry if we cannot have both.†-Alice Stone Blackwell The Internet is a tricky beast. Sitting alone, cozy in ragged sweatpants, writing while curled on
I never met a book by Ruth Reichl I haven’t loved, and my adoration continued with this book. Where others were hearty meals, Not Becoming My Mother was a deceptively simple snack.
When I was a reader, I spoke as a reader, I understood as a reader. When I became a writer, I read as a writer, I understood as a writer.
The first time I looked for a job, Help Wanted was divided into three sections: Men, Women, and General. If memory serves me (I doubt it) men’s jobs were the
  Motivations behind some choices seem so impenetrable that even squinting close enough to crash into the subject you won’t find a mental foothold. That’s how I felt about Bernie
All of us voracious readers have favorite books—book we re-read, books that encouraged us, inspired us, challenged us, and soothed us. Not always the same (the book and the character)
I had a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future this year—but unlike Scrooge’s rattling guys, my spirits crept in on the first night of Hanukkah. They
Recently I listened to Joe Queenan—author of a book about his love of books and reading—on NPR (the soundtrack of my life) eager for the pleasure of hearing someone who reads
About when I turned ten I began crafting my library checkouts, hoping I’d look smart. I’d balance my Nancy Drew with a biography of Abraham Lincoln, so the librarian thought
Here’s a big fat lie: Stick and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. Words slice to the bone. When we explode, we’re not out of