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

Where are you on the issue of going gray? Are you firmly for, against, or ambivalent? Before Me, My Hair and I came out, I thought the most risqué piece in the book was Alex Kuczynski's "And Be Sure to Tell Your Mother," about, well, pubic hair. But once it came out and the New York Post interviewed contributor Anne Kreamer on her decision some years ago to go gray, I realized this was a much more fraught issue than I'd imagined.  It has to do whether whether we're going to age naturally or intervene in the process - and what the costs of each decision are, financially, emotionally, and culturally. My own story: my essay in the anthology is called, "No, I Won't Go Gray," but soon after the book went into final production, I changed my mind. My hair dresser mistakenly dyed my hair black - it had been a soft brown, close to the original - and after a few weeks of trying to live with it, I decided I couldn't bear to go through what's necess...

BOOK PAGE just published a wonderful review of Me, My Hair and I .   A taste from the beginning: “Gorgeous hair is the best revenge,” said Ivana Trump, she of the platinum blonde, sky-high hair. Hair as tool of revenge, as obsession, as embarrassment, as source of pride: Why does a long string of protein absorb so much of our attention?" and the end: "Thought-provoking and insightful,  Me, My Hair, and I  is a must-read for anyone who has ever dealt with frizz, gray hair, mothers insisting we get a haircut, fathers insisting we not, hair envy or hair disasters. In short, all of us." READ MORE Reviewer Amy Scribner mentions essays by contributors Suleika Jaouad , Alex Kuczynski , Hallie Ephron , Jane Green, Jane Smiley, Adriana Trigiani , and Anne Lamott. 

I love this review from the Chicago Tribune of Me, My Hair and I by Heidi Stevens. Here's the opening: "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. "Ask a woman about her hair," writes Elizabeth Benedict, "and she just might tell you the story of her life." "Benedict, an Iowa Writers' Workshop coach and the author of five novels, did just that, gathering essays from a diverse group of 27 female writers, including Anne Lamott, Jane Smiley, Maria Hinojosa and Suleika Jaouad ." READ MORE

Our anthology, published just a week ago, has garnered accolades from PEOPLE magazine, where it was the FEATURED BOOK OF THE WEEK and from ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, where we made it to the #4 slot on the MUST List - which goes across genres and includes Martian Movie - #1- and the movie about Malala - #6.  To see photos of the contributors in various life stages, please visit Algonquin's fab tumblr page, which you can see HERE . This week you can gaze at hair photos of Jane Smiley, Deborah Tannen, Deborah Hofmann, Jane Green, and Katie Hafner.  The book's Facebook page is HERE .   And if you want to buy the book (an original paperback, only $16.95 list), please support your local indie - or visit your favorite on-line bookseller. Thanks for checking in.