SOURCE: An Advanced Reading Copy received for review from publishers ALMA BOOKS.
As Cosmopolitan's professional agony aunt for the last forty years, Irma Kurtz has had to deal with the most intimate problems of successive generations of readers, while having to keep up with the changing mores and attitudes in British and American society. In these memoirs, she looks back on the seismic transformations that have taken place over the last four decades, as well as her own hectic and often difficult life as a single mum from America living in London.
Warm, funny and perceptive, brimming with wisdom and insight, My Life in Agony is a meditation on the subjects that tend to concern and confuse us the most - from mother-daughter relationships through to eating disorders, office politics and those perennial areas of interest: love and sex.
...... Outer back cover
FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter 1: Who do you think I am?}: I was fourteen going on fifteen.
MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 92}: We were not too young, however, to know that a 'Miss' could not have a baby until a 'Mister' asked her to be his 'Mrs'. He then would buy a house for her to live in with their kids while he went out to work every day except on weekends to feed and keep them.
MY THOUGHTS: After forty years giving advice to amongst others the readers of Cosmopolitan magazine the seemingly unshockable Irma Kurtz (along with what I came to think of as her invisible and yet anything but silent co-workers 'Common Sense' and 'Wisdom') has put 'pen to paper' in this frank and often humorous book which chronicles both her professional life as an agony aunt as well as her private life.
Dealing with a range of diverse problems ranging from whether or not now is the time to 'do it' to relationships and eating disorders My Life In Agony takes a look at the advice given to several generations of readers in need of guidance. So much more than this though it is also gives a wonderful social commentary on the developing role of the 'agony aunt', the changing attitudes and values of society and the surprisingly slowly evolving 'postbag' of problems.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of publishers, Alma Books, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
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7 comments:
I bet that this memoir has so much to teach us about modern society and how it has changed. Though a bit offbeat, i can see how this would be both entertaining and enlightening.
I bet this would be a fun book! Once upon a time, some thirty years ago, I read Cosmo. I don't really remember her column, but I'm sure I read it.
This sounds terrific! Have never heard the term "agony aunt" before!
sounds like a nice book to read. Makes me wonder what if she have a problem. Who will she turn to for advice.
This sounds like a fascinating read. I am definitely curious about it and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed it. I like that the book is more than what you expected. Thanks for sharing!
I hadn't heard of "Agony Aunt" before now. Sounds like an interesting memoir.
This sounds like an interesting memoir, and to echo the other comments, I haven't read of Agony Aunt before either.
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