The Wig Diaries is Mary Ladd's debut irreverent cancer book. Delivered with bold gallows humor, it intimately address the gravity of cancer and invites the reader to bear witness to both the horror and the joke(s). Armed with creative sensibility, Ladd robs her diagnosis of its dour weightiness. Refusing to tiptoe around the gnarlier elements of treatment and recovery, the narrative is powerful in its unvarnished honesty and contagious lust for life exemplified by hilarious anecdotes. A uniquely fresh modern and black comedy take on cancer Covers and pokes fun at everything from diagnosis to treatment to medical bills Illustrated by noted San Francisco Chronicle Bad Reporter cartoonist Don Asmussen “I love this book.” —Mary Roach, author of the books Grunt, Stiff, Spook, and Bonk “This looks like a hoot and a half. I want more.” —Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), author of A Series of Unfortunate Events “Clear-eyed, fun, and reassuring, it’s the perfect guide!” —Vanessa Hua, author of A River of Stars and Deceit and Other Possibilities

COVID-19 is possibly the world’s biggest mass-disabling event. This ambitious book gives a humanized view of chronic illness while offering a poignant reminder of the millions of people with long COVID. The collection is rich with living history from the stories, essays, and poems of 45 long haulers. Writer Mary Ladd, a one-time Anthony Bourdain collaborator, leads the team behind an accessible paperback, offering tales of persisting symptoms and navigating the healthcare system to poignant reflections on grief, loss, and hope. This anthology is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the long-term effects of COVID-19. * Featuring Andrew David King, Pato Hebert, Nina Storey, Emily Pinkerton, Morgan Stephens, Nikki Stewart, Sonya Huber, Ann E. Wallace, Alexis Misko, and others. * Uses a patient-centric, experiential literary approach that is brave and insightful. * A powerful testament to human resilience, strength, and solidarity. “Being part of the first-ever Long COVID Reader is significant because the pandemic was a first for the world, and our stories matter. This book is meaningful as it enables the forgotten Long COVID community to break their silence and contributes to the next phase of my healing journey." —Dr. Sabrina McQueen Johnson, wife, mother, and retired school principal. "Surviving COVID was a gift of new life. As a long hauler, I am reminded of that every day. The Long COVID Reader will be a gift that keeps on giving to others." —Steven Lewis, author, poet, a former mentor at Empire State College, and current Sarah Lawrence College Writing Institute faculty. "I want to share my story so no other woman is made to believe her symptoms are all in her head. May our narratives provide solidarity for patients, information for caregivers and providers, and increased awareness and urgency for action from the masses." —Haley Nelson, age 19. She was athletic, academic, and animated before Long-COVID, ME/CFS, POTS, and small fiber neuropathy uprooted her life. Fans of The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, The Long Haul, and The Long COVID Survival Guide will love this book. This book is a must-read for * Anyone experiencing long COVID symptoms * Caregivers, family, friends, and anyone looking to understand long COVID * Medical professionals and researchers

The #1 New York Times bestselling (mostly true) memoir from the hilarious author of Furiously Happy. “Gaspingly funny and wonderfully inappropriate.”—O, The Oprah Magazine When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it. In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives. Readers Guide Inside

Having cancer is one of the scariest things in the world. But you're not alone. As this cancer survivor shares her own experiences, you'll learn a lot-and you'll even laugh out loud! In Talk Cancer to Me, author Jessica Lynne DeCristofaro confesses the initial terror at her unexplained symptoms, the mounting stress as none out of myriad different specialists could help her. Finally, after landing in urgent care, she is officially diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, an aggressive type of cancer. But she's determined to beat it. Always one to look on the bright side, DeCristofaro seeks out laughter as she faces a terrible situation. While buoyantly recounting parties in the ICU and flirting with cute doctors, she also openly details some of the physical and emotional challenges cancer patients experience. DeCristofaro provides definitions doctors may gloss over and practical tips for fellow patients as they step through their own treatment process. The positivity and optimism of DeCristofaro's outlook and her often irreverent approach shines through in her writing, serving as an inspiration. From wig shopping to the best diet when undergoing radiation therapy, DeCristofaro's advice and experiences will help replace fear and uncertainty with hope and clarity. The majority of the proceeds of this book will go to cancer research.

As Jonathan Lethem put, Steve Erickson's journal of the last 18 months of the Trump Presidency "sears the page." Erickson, one of our finest novelists, has long been an astute political observer, and American Stutter, part political declaration, part humorous account of more personal matters, offers a particularly moving reminder of the democratic ideals that we are currently struggling to preserve. Written with wit, eloquence, and a controlled fury as event unfold, Erickson has left us with an essential record of our recent history, a book to be read with our collective breath held.* Steve Erickson is the author of ten novels and two books about American culture. For 12 years he was founding editor of the national literary journal Black Clock. Currently he is the film/television critic for Los Angeles magazine and a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Riverside. He has received a Guggenheim fellowship, the American Academy of Arts and Letters award, and the Lannan Lifetime Achievement award.

"Built on her ... Modern Love column, 'When a Couch is More Than a Couch' (9/23/2016), a ... memoir of living meaningfully with 'death in the room' by the 38-year-old great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson--mother to two young boys, wife of 16 years--after her terminal cancer diagnosis"--

The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before him rose the black night of Space, like a wall. His mighty bulk towered rugged and mountain-like into the zenith, and His divine head blazed there like a distant sun. At His feet stood three colossal figures, diminished to extinction, almost, by contrast -- archangels -- their heads level with His ankle-bone. When the Creator had finished thinking, He said, "I have thought. Behold!" He lifted His hand, and from it burst a fountain-spray of fire, a million stupendous suns, which clove the blackness and soared, away and away and away, diminishing in magnitude and intensity as they pierced the far frontiers of Space, until at last they were but as diamond nailheads sparkling under the domed vast roof of the universe. At the end of an hour the Grand Council was dismissed. They left the Presence impressed and thoughtful, and retired to a private place, where they might talk with freedom. None of the three seemed to want to begin, though all wanted somebody to do it.