The Bitch in the House (William Morrow, 2002)
Women today have more choices than at any time in history, yet many smart, ambitious, contemporary women are finding themselves angry, dissatisfied, stressed out. Why are they dissatisfied? And what do they really want? These questions form the premise of this New York Times bestselling collection of searingly honest original essays, in which twenty-six women writers invite readers into their lives, minds, and bedrooms to talk about the choices they've made, what's working in today's post-feminist world of women, work, marriage and motherhood ...and what's still not.
Ranging in age from 24-67, single and childless or married with children or four times divorced, The Bitch in the House, published in thirteen countries, is the sound of the collective voice of successful women today—in all their anger, grace, and glory.
#10 New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Business Bestseller
#5 Book Sense Bestseller... and top ten bestseller lists in the Northwest, California, the Midwest, New England, the Southeast, the mid-Atlantic, and more.
Published in Turkey, Brazil, South Korea, Croatia, Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary, Holland, Russia, Australia, and more.
"Combining motherhood and marriage and a career is an intricate affair...This book of deeply personal essays contains...exceptional writing." --San Francisco Chronicle
"The Bitch in the House changed everyone's mind about anthologies-both the publishers for doing them and writers for being in them." --The New York Observer
"Amusing, ferocious, whiny, and wise." --Elle
"Deserves a place on your nightstand." --USA Today
"Any woman who has ever felt confused about personal choices she has had to make, or might have to make, should pick up this articulate and insightful collection of essays." --Daily News (New York)
"This often-hilarious collection of new pieces by women is starkly revealing of their thoughts on the conflicts and stresses of womanhood today, the constant attempts to be all things to all people: professional, nurturing, accomplished, erotic. Here is unvarnished truth and more than a smidgen of anger about marriage, motherhood, solitude, and sex from such writers as Pam Houston, Ellen Gilchrist, Hope Edelman, Natalie Angier, and northwesterners Karen Karbo & Natalie Kusz." --The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"The great thing about The Bitch in the House...is knowing how many of us are out there." --O, The Oprah Magazine
"A hot new collection of essays, all of them interesting...." --The Atlantic Monthly
"The writing is superb: smart, sassy, and honest-oh, are they honest...in this must-read for every woman." --Booklist
"Here are thoughtful, graceful writers...ruminating on choices they've made and lessons they've learned...For [these writers], speaking out is a labor of love, and all of us-men and women-would do well to listen." --Boston magazine
"A rollicking, free-flowing, double-barreled think piece." --Hartford Courant
"With a title like The Bitch in the House, you know that what lies ahead is no Stepford Wives' manual, no perpetually perky June Cleaver/Donna Reed guide to the married life...Snarls without apology." --Pages magazine
"Stark, moving essays...Like a conversation over coffee." --Pittsburgh Pulp
"Angry and engaging...Twenty-six mothers, lovers, and single women write candidly about what fuels their rage. The authors wrestle with the fundamental issues of modern female life (sex, stress, work, motherhood) and look honestly (and with a sense of humor) at why they feel so dissatisfied." --IndieBride.com
Full Reviews and Articles:
"What, me angry?" by Sharyn Wizda Vane,
Austin American-Statesman, Sept 15, 2002
"Feminine Side: 26 Women Examine their Anger and Selves," by Greg Lalas,
Boston, Sept 2002
"They're Mad As Hell," by Kate Muir,
The Times Magazine (UK), March 8, 2003
"His and Her Books Tattle on Marriage,"
The New York Times (Sunday Styles), June 13, 2004
"A Gloom of One's Own," by Sandra Tsing Loh,
The Atlantic Monthly, October 2004
"Meet Attila the Honey," by Caroline Stacey,
The Independent Review (UK), March 14, 2003
"The Anthology Orgy," by Sheelah Kolhatkar,
The New York Observer, February 22, 2005