published 2014
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“One of ten great books from small presses. A top pick.” – Reader’s Digest
[A] fascinating read. Each of Friedman's observations is microscopic in its precision, but her collected wisdom, prolific and sprawling among so many topics, could fill a sea . . . For those of us still seeking permission to act, Friedman's book is strong encouragement." -- The Rumpus “I find my life on every page, it is universal. Every woman who can read should read this book.” -- Abigail Thomas, A Three Dog Life “In these very personal essays, lit by a harsh honesty and graced by a supple, eloquent prose style, the author has dug deep and found her own truth, and in the process triumphantly reconciled with a flawed self.”
-- Phillip Lopate, The Art of the Personal Essay |
Surrendering Oz is a memoir in essays that charts the emotional awakening of a bookish Bronx girl. From her early job as a proofreader at The Guinness Book of World Records through a series of dominating and liberating friendships and secret connections, the author takes charge of her life as a Texas professor, writer, and wise student of her own soul.
Early Praise for Surrendering Oz
“[An] indelible book.”
– Lilith magazine.
“[T]he kind of memoir that peels back layers from the reader's own life in the reading. Vivid in metaphor and imagery and incisive in her self-discoveries, Friedman's book serves as both literary banquet and a source of rich emotional wisdom. Friedman deftly dissects issues of identity and voice (particular, perhaps, to being female in American culture) that are rarely articulated with such grace and logic.
– Image Journal
“Growing up in the Bronx, Friedman was always buried in a book and in college she ensconced herself further in intellectualism. Then, at age forty-one, a near-stranger kissed her on a subway platform and she embarked on a misguided affair . . .Friedman’s voice is lyrical, deeply sensual. I love her descriptions of the Greek grandmother she met who fed a black kitten a sprinkle of kibble as if it were a chicken and of wearing cocoa-colored lipstick that drifed off her lips like mayonnaise.”
– Shambhala Sun
– Lilith magazine.
“[T]he kind of memoir that peels back layers from the reader's own life in the reading. Vivid in metaphor and imagery and incisive in her self-discoveries, Friedman's book serves as both literary banquet and a source of rich emotional wisdom. Friedman deftly dissects issues of identity and voice (particular, perhaps, to being female in American culture) that are rarely articulated with such grace and logic.
– Image Journal
“Growing up in the Bronx, Friedman was always buried in a book and in college she ensconced herself further in intellectualism. Then, at age forty-one, a near-stranger kissed her on a subway platform and she embarked on a misguided affair . . .Friedman’s voice is lyrical, deeply sensual. I love her descriptions of the Greek grandmother she met who fed a black kitten a sprinkle of kibble as if it were a chicken and of wearing cocoa-colored lipstick that drifed off her lips like mayonnaise.”
– Shambhala Sun
literary essays
memoir
creative nonfiction
Ploughshares
Image Journal
Shambhala Sun
The Sun
literary journal
memoir
creative nonfiction
Ploughshares
Image Journal
Shambhala Sun
The Sun
literary journal