Reviews
"Truth and wisdom do such a delightful dance throughout "Me, My Hair, And I" that you finish the essay collection wondering why we don't spend more time, not less, obsessing over our tresses. . . A deliciously enlightening read, equal parts fun and poignant." -- Chicago Tribune "This anthology of essays by women explores a surprising range of issues, including identity, relationships, vanity, femininity, aging, and society." -- NYTimes.com "Here, in a series of astonishingly good essays, writers wax eloquent about the emotions wrought by our locks: 'good hair' and 'bad hair' in African-American culture; envy of our follicly gifted siblings; the quest for delusional hairstyles; and much more."-- People "Women show their roots in 'Me, My Hair, and I.'" -- Vanity Fair "[T]hese twenty-seven essays are beautifully revelatory and deeply personal accounts of each woman's hair"-- Bustle "The long and the short of it is that one of the most intimate--and fraught--relationships women have is with their hair . . . it's that relationship that's explored in Me, My Hair, and I, a collection of essays from a diverse range of authors . . . These essays are by turns funny and poignant. They will spark a sense of recognition in any woman who has ever suffered a bad hair day." -- BUST Magazine "Benedict has a knack for zeroing in on subjects with far-reaching, often surprising implications and resonance. In her third invitational collection, she has definitely tapped a nerve . . . Women spend enormous amounts of money and time on their hair, agonizing over every decision. Variations on these themes are tackled with candor, wit, insight, and emotion by Benedict's 27 eloquently entertaining contributors . . . [An] irresistible, pithy, and right-on anthology." -- Booklist "[A] splendid collection . . . By turns wry, tender, pointed, and laugh-out-loud funny, the selections take us along on the contributors' tangled, complicated, and thoroughly engaging journeys."-- Publishers Weekly "This collection is not only unique for the subject matter it addresses. It also provides cultural commentary that is by turns insightful, humorous, and moving. . . Surprisingly engaging reading." -- Kirkus Reviews "We wear our hair every day, and this collection demonstrates--with great clarity and insight--the complexities of what that means for women of all backgrounds. An important conversation and worthy of note" -- Library Journal, "Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." -- Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard "Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it." -- Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing up Bébé "This is the book I wish I'd had when I let my hair go gray and when my husband and I made the pact that if he stopped talking about hockey, I'd stop talking about my hair. Now with these wonderful, affirming, and insightful essays, I understand that there's merely a hair's breadth between my hair and myself. This brilliant collection that takes us from Samson and Delilah to silver foxes is a terrific read for those of us who obsess about our hair. Or those who live with those of us who do. A collection that's, dare I say, a cut above the rest." -- Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace, "[A] splendid collection . . . By turns wry, tender, pointed, and laugh-out-loud funny, the selections take us along on the contributors' tangled, complicated, and thoroughly engaging journeys."-- Publishers Weekly "This collection is not only unique for the subject matter it addresses. It also provides cultural commentary that is by turns insightful, humorous, and moving. . . Surprisingly engaging reading." -- Kirkus Reviews "Elizabeth Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." -- Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard "Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it." -- Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing up Bébé "This is the book I wish I'd had when I let my hair go gray and when my husband and I made the pact that if he stopped talking about hockey, I'd stop talking about my hair. Now with these wonderful, affirming and insightful essays, I understand that there's merely a hair's breadth between my hair and myself. This brilliant collection that takes us from Samson and Delilah to silver foxes is a terrific read for those of us who obsess about our hair. Or those who live with those of us who do. A collection that's, dare I say, a cut above the rest." -- Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace , "Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it." -- Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing up Bébé "Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." -- Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard "This is the book I wish I'd had when I let my hair go gray and when my husband and I made the pact that if he stopped talking about hockey, I'd stop talking about my hair. Now with these wonderful, affirming, and insightful essays, I understand that there's merely a hair's breadth between my hair and myself. This brilliant collection that takes us from Samson and Delilah to silver foxes is a terrific read for those of us who obsess about our hair. Or those who live with those of us who do. A collection that's, dare I say, a cut above the rest." -- Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace, "Elizabeth Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." -- Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard, "This collection is not only unique for the subject matter it addresses. It also provides cultural commentary that is by turns insightful, humorous, and moving. . . Surprisingly engaging reading." -- Kirkus Reviews "Elizabeth Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." -- Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard "Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it." -- Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing up Bébé "This is the book I wish I'd had when I let my hair go gray and when my husband and I made the pact that if he stopped talking about hockey, I'd stop talking about my hair. Now with these wonderful, affirming and insightful essays, I understand that there's merely a hair's breadth between my hair and myself. This brilliant collection that takes us from Samson and Delilah to silver foxes is a terrific read for those of us who obsess about our hair. Or those who live with those of us who do. A collection that's, dare I say, a cut above the rest." -- Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace , "Benedict has a knack for zeroing in on subjects with far-reaching, often surprising implications and resonance. In her third invitational collection, she has definitely tapped a nerve . . . Women spend enormous amounts of money and time on their hair, agonizing over every decision. Variations on these themes are tackled with candor, wit, insight, and emotion by Benedict's 27 eloquently entertaining contributors . . . [An] irresistible, pithy, and right-on anthology." - Booklist "[A] splendid collection . . . By turns wry, tender, pointed, and laugh-out-loud funny, the selections take us along on the contributors' tangled, complicated, and thoroughly engaging journeys."- Publishers Weekly "This collection is not only unique for the subject matter it addresses. It also provides cultural commentary that is by turns insightful, humorous, and moving. . . Surprisingly engaging reading." - Kirkus Reviews "Elizabeth Benedict has gathered such wonderful writers to examine the allure, magic, curse, thrills, seductions, and sorrows of hair. Written with tender sensitivity and wild wit, these essays may start with the external, but they go deep into the lives of the writers, into what appearance means, and into how they see themselves and their place in the world." - Luanne Rice, author of The Lemon Orchard "Untangles the many truths about hair, and the lives we lead underneath it." - Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing up Bébé "This is the book I wish I'd had when I let my hair go gray and when my husband and I made the pact that if he stopped talking about hockey, I'd stop talking about my hair. Now with these wonderful, affirming and insightful essays, I understand that there's merely a hair's breadth between my hair and myself. This brilliant collection that takes us from Samson and Delilah to silver foxes is a terrific read for those of us who obsess about our hair. Or those who live with those of us who do. A collection that's, dare I say, a cut above the rest." - Mary Morris, author of The Jazz Palace
