Elizabeth Benedict on Books, Money, Hair, Mothers, Gifts & What Not

Hair-obsessed readers, please join Hallie Ephron, Elizabeth Searle and me,  Monday November 16 at 7pm Newtonville Books, Newton, MA.    There may be a drawing for a hair-related gift basket involved.                                                       _____________________ And if you're headed to the Miami Book Fair, four of us will be on a panel,   Saturday, Nov. 21, at noon. Details click  here:   Hair: A Cultural Exploration Saturday, November 21 @ 12:00 pm   | Free ADD TO SCHEDULE Have a good-hair day with  Hallie Ephron ,  Ru Freeman , and  Marita Golden  — contributors to  Me, My Hair, and I: Twenty-seven Women Untangle an Obsession , edited and moderated by  Elizabeth Benedict , the anthology that proves what every woman knows — many things in life matter more than hair, but few bring as much pleasure as a really great hairdo.

I was delighted to receive this story from a reader in response to my call for stories about going gray, or as we say around here, silver. Got one you want on this blog? It can be with or without your name - entirely your choice. Email me at info@ElizabethBenedict.com and I'll consider it.  In the meantime, here's one I really identify with - especially all the ambivalence - should I, shouldn't I? Thanks for sharing with us! "I am a 37 year old brunette who has never colored my hair. Prior to having any grays, I never thought my hair was my best feature, so I didn’t want to spend the time/money in the salon coloring it. It simply wasn’t a big deal to me. "As a few silver strands started showing up like obnoxious runway lights in an otherwise calm night,  I thought, “hmm.” About that time, a (male) colleague of mine gave me Anne Kreamer’s book [ Going Gray ]. Upon reading it, I resolutely decided to not color my hair and wrote her a fan letter (my first.