About the Book
More than a decade after the New York Times bestselling anthology The Bitch in the House spoke up loud and clear for a generation of young woman, nine of the original contributors are back--along with sixteen captivating new voices--sharing their ruminations from an older, stronger, and wiser perspective about love, sex, work, family, independence, body-image, health, and aging: the critical flash points of women's lives today.
"Born out of anger," the essays in The Bitch in the House chronicled the face of womanhood at the beginning of a new millennium. Now those funny, smart, passionate contributors--today less bitter and resentful, and more confident, competent, and content--capture the spirit of postfeminism in this equally provocative, illuminating, and compelling companion anthology.
Having aged into their forties, fifties, and sixties, these "bitches"--bestselling authors, renowned journalists, and critically acclaimed novelists--are back . . . and better than ever. In The Bitch Is Back, Cathi Hanauer, Kate Christensen, Sarah Crichton, Debora Spar, Ann Hood, Veronica Chambers, and nineteen other women offer unique views on womanhood and feminism today. Some of the "original bitches" (OBs) revisit their earlier essays to reflect on their previous selves. All reveal how their lives have changed in the intervening years--whether they stayed coupled, left marriages, or had affairs; developed cancer or other physical challenges; coped with partners who strayed, died, or remained faithful; became full-time wage earners or homemakers; opened up their marriages; remained childless or became parents; or experienced other meaningful life transitions.
As a "new wave" of feminists begins to take center stage, this powerful, timely collection sheds a much-needed light on both past and present, offering understanding, compassion, and wisdom for modern women's lives, all the while pointing toward the exciting possibilities of tomorrow.
About the Author :
Cathi Hanauer is the author of three novels--My Sister's Bones, Sweet Ruin, and Gone--and is the editor of the New York Times bestselling essay collection The Bitch in the House. A former columnist for Glamour, Mademoiselle, and Seventeen, she has written for The New York Times, Elle, Self, Real Simple, and other magazines. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with her husband, New York Times "Modern Love" editor Daniel Jones, and their daughter and son.
Review :
"The great thing about The Bitch in the House ... is knowing how many of us are out there: perfectly delightful women who turn into shrews when faced with yet another sinkful of dishes/demand to hear Hop on Pop/dating suggestion from Mom. This book will have a place on the bedside table--if you don't throw it at somebody first." - O, the Oprah Magazine
"What a book, for men and women both. There is no bitterness here, only the eloquence of honesty." - Elizabeth Strout, author of Amy and Isabelle
"[R]eal--and often hard-won--self-knowledge from a wide range of smart women looking back on particular defining moments of their lives with wit and candor." - The National Book Review on THE BITCH IS BACK
"[A]t once thrilling and reassuring. . . . [T]he anger of the previous book has been replaced by a graceful reckoning and the welcome realization that if we're trapped at all, it's only within the confines of certain realities." - New York Times Book Review
"Starkly revealing ...Here is unvarnished truth and more than a smidgen of anger about marriage, motherhood, solitude, and sex." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Like an all-night gab session with one's best friend, these essays shed sincere and searing light on subjects that are often hard for women to face. . . . Hanauer and company give voice to topics all too frequently hidden under a damaging cone of silence." - Booklist on THE BITCH IS BACK
