Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault: Essays from the Grown-Up Years

Cathy comic strip creator Guisewite spent decades (1976-2010) encapsulating single womanhood into popular cartoons but has always wanted to write essays. This collection of 50 pieces of varying lengths (and charming interior line art) serves as the first of the multi-award-winning cartoonist's offerings to the genre. The iconic cover illustration is immediately familiar, even for readers who don't recognize "Guisewite." She hits all the expected notes: singlehood, career, appearance, the trials and tribulations of being a modern woman. These essays work better when they're shorter, and Guisewite finds her voice when she delves into her relationships with her daughter and parents and examines the struggles of aging and loss, which she does with humor and a deft eye for detail. These qualities elevate what could be a dreary, maudlin read into a work with real heart. Readers who enjoyed Cathy are a built-in audience for this title; they'll get to know the woman who struggled to present the insecurity of single career women while dealing with motherhood and a failing marriage.