As far as I know, they’re still giving trophies for just showing up. But, perhaps, in these economic times (my daughter says she’ll kill me if I say that one more time), we have all learned to tamp down any false self-esteem and get ahold of what’s real. If not, have I got a book for you — or at least for the women of the world. All the Wrong People have Self-esteem: An Inappropriate Book for Young Ladies* is a large format picture book that looks a little like Eric Carle on steroids but reads like a combination of Moira Kalman and Roz Chast, Mitch Hedberg, Steven Wright and, well, perhaps every woman comic you’ve ever liked. And your therapist. If she’s ever done you any good.
Laurie Rosenwald, a font designer, commercial artist, illustrator, teacher, author and sometimes actress, is a very funny woman, and this is no self-help book. In fact, it is the ultimate anti-self-help book, which is why, even at its hefty price, it’s worth buying.
To wit: “interesting people are full of doubt. People who are totally sure their way is the only way are always wrong. I think self-esteem is a myth perpetrated by psychologists, movie stars, magazines, and the pharmaceutical industry. They want you to think something’s wrong with you because you don’t have self-esteem like you ‘should.’ Oh, please! georgia o’keeffe, beethoven, and mark twain all had their doubts, but managed to get a few things done, and so can you.” (And that lower case and italics are Rosenwald’s own, so you get the flavour.)
Rosenwald has oodles of lists, including a wonderful mad lib-type of fill-in for your friend to give you advice on, well, sex, I guess, but once you get through with it, it could be anything, and is sure to be hilarious. She has a great chapter on where babies come from and another on why girls and mothers fight (told in a French accent), plus a superb list of amazing comebacks. Perhaps because I am prone to them myself, I love the most delicious, two pages of superlatives to use instead of "amazing" and "awesome", which she finds overused (and illustrates convincingly). I like "top drawer" myself.
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