Bomb Shelter

Philpott (I Miss You When I Blink) narrates her second memoir-in-essays with a friendly, natural cadence and expressive humor that perfectly matches her accessible and honest writing style. In this collection of essays, Philpott ruminates on the pleasures and terrors of everyday life. She shifts easily between memories of enduring major crises (a life-altering diagnosis) to finding meaning in the simplest moments (existential truths revealed by backyard turtles). Spatchcocking a turkey for the first time or building the perfect capsule wardrobe might seem like stories lacking gravitas in a collection that begins with her teenage son having a seizure on the bathroom floor. According to Philpott’s joyful philosophy, however, a little absurdity shouldn’t stop people from taking her seriously. Listeners may find themselves persuaded to her approach as she speaks candidly about her lifelong anxiety and how family, community, and conscious living haven’t stopped bombs from dropping but have instead helped her to weather the inevitable explosions.