Roar Softly and Carry a Great Lipstick

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY OCT 11, 2004

In contrast to the derring-do of man vs. mountain stories, this collection (whose title riffs on Theodore Roosevelt's macho injunction to "carry a big stick") lauds the feats of women who have battled personal demons like marriage, divorce, pregnancy, motherhood, lesbianism, anorexia and breast cancer. But there's more to this anthology than struggle and strife. The 28 contributors chronicle their own soul-searching with an equally diverse range of tones, from incisive wit to spare elegance to unabashed frankness. Several selections address the rift between domestic bliss and free-spirited singledom. In "Without Me, I'm Nothing," Bonnie Wach wrestles with postpartum depression, admitting her anger at her body's "failure to deliver the euphoria that's promised... to every mother at childbirth." And Cynthia Kaplan's wry yet forthcoming essay, "Foreign Correspondent," describes the mixed blessing of being ensconced in a "snow globe," living with the husband and children she has always wanted yet passively observing the adventures of her friends. Other essays share the joy of reaping blessing from calamity, like Autumn Stephens's tale of how her mastectomy rekindled her faith in her marriage, and some, like Mary Roach's comic riff on aging, simply point out the humor in the unavoidable (On having dark under-eye circles, she writes: "Many athletes apply black grease-paint to this area to reduce glare and improve their game. You don't ever have to do this. That's a savings right there"). Though several authors address serious issues with this sort of lighthearted pluck, readers will sense the emotion that lies beneath. Both reflective and unflinching, these accounts will resonate with women from all walks of life.