From the April 25 issue of Publisher's Weekly...
Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life
Sandra Beasley. Crown, $23 (240p) ISBN 978-0-307-58811-1
In this intelligent and witty memoir, poet Beasley (I Was the Jukebox) recounts her lifelong struggle to live a normal life while waging a battle against deadly food allergies. The author is one of "more than 12 million Americans who have been diagnosed with food allergies, a figure that includes almost 4% of all children." The title of this enthralling book is not hyperbole. As little as a kiss or hug from a family member or a friend who had eaten cake or ice cream at a birthday party could cause Beasley to break out in hives or, worse, suffer anaphylactic shock. She calls sherbet "sweet, icy death in a bowl." Beasley details her vigilant parents' never-ending routine for keeping her safe during her childhood until she left for college, how she and her friends coped with "the thousand minor hassles of living with" her food allergies during college, and the perils of eating while traveling. Throughout this thoughtful and well-written book, Beasley closes the knowledge gap surrounding food allergies. She writes entertainingly about the history of allergies, and current research findings; religious issues surrounding food allergies; and processed foods and their hidden ingredients. (June)
#
So much of this book was written under deadline, and with very little feedback from the outside world. It's not like poetry, where by the time a full collection comes out you've had the thousand back-and-forth rounds of response from workshop classmates, journal editors, and readers. So to get an early & positive review is a huge gift. Someone finally read it! And liked it! Let the happy dance commence~
Blog Archive
-
▼
2011
(184)
-
▼
April
(25)
- A Poem about the Greeks That Worked Out Just Fine
- No Poetry Will Serve
- My First Time Reading with Music and Visual Accomp...
- More news from friends
- Publisher's Weekly Just Made My Day
- The Monday Tape
- Beauty Will Save the World
- "Poet's Pick" by Arthur Smith
- 2011 Pulitzer Prize - Poetry
- This Friday at the Writer's Center - Story/Stereo!
- The Tax Man Cometh
- To have faith: "relentless / continual / swim"
- Palm Sunday
- Terror and Transcendence: A Brief Review of Larry ...
- Forward and Back
- Soon to Return to Poetry Matters, I Promise
- Oklahoma Book Award
- Review: Alan Berecka, Remembering the Body
- On the Move
- Come on over and do the twist
- Clawback, anyone?
- Scissortail Authors
- Greetings from Fort Worth
- Can poetry be relevant today? Do you care?
- Celebration: Paper Anniversary
-
▼
April
(25)

Popular Posts
-
[[ Note: this letter was also sent via email to libraryboard@fairfaxcounty.gov .]] Dear Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees, Fi...
-
You're stressed by travel. You're overwhelmed by the conference schedule. You're wondering how on earth you're going to hit ...
-
I've been an admirer of replica watches for many years. I like the fact they are all good mechanical timepieces in very attractive des...
-
I am ready for fall. I am ready for three-quarter sleeves, bowls of bean soup, and hot drinks spiked with bourbon. I am ready for the air to...
-
October 10 Now constantly there is the sound, quieter than rain, of the leaves falling. Under their loosening bright gold, the sycamor...
