First published 2002
Every birthday, she sits down and writes herself a brutally honest letter about her life. She teaches high school art, deals with meddling parents, and dates men who think the world revolves around them. Year after year, she chronicles her struggles through cultural upheavals, from riots to the O.J. trial to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Her path toward happiness twists and turns in unexpected directions. The world seems determined to throw obstacles in her way, but she keeps writing, keeps surviving, keeps searching. Through seven years of birthday confessions, she discovers that sometimes the most winding route leads exactly where you need to go. Her letters reveal the messy, funny, painful reality of trying to build a meaningful life when everything feels like it's working against you.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, humor, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, messy-life
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
210 pages · Paperback · Villard