Winner, 2021 Gilda Women's Book Award

In this honest and tender collection of essays, award-winning memoirist Michele Weldon asks what it means to be a mature woman seeking a life of purpose and meaning through work, family, and relationships. Facing ageism and invisibility within popular culture, Weldon examines the effects of raising children, striving for applause, failing expectations, forming new friendships, reconciling lost dreams, and restoring one’s faith. With sincerity and humor, she unwraps family traditions, painting classes, lap swimming, dress codes, and career disappointments. She addresses white privilege and her evolving understanding of racism. And she asks crucial questions about mortality, finding connection in writing and stories.

Frank, eloquent, and daring, Weldon dissects the intricacies of life, journeying toward self-discovery as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Readers of any age or gender will recognize the universal experience of learning to accept oneself and asking essential questions—even if there are no easy answers.

MICHELE WELDON is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Escape Points, I Closed My Eyes: Revelations of a Battered Woman, and Writing to Save Your Life: How to Honor Your Story. She is an award-winning journalist who has written extensively for outlets including the Guardian, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. She is emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

“Michele Weldon has written a graceful, poignant, and wise collection of essays exploring the issues so many women examine as they age and their lives change. Weldon’s interweaving of her personal history with her observations on contemporary American politics, culture, and family life make Act Like You’re Having a Good Time a very special read.” —Rebecca Sive, author of Vote Her In: Your Guide to Electing Our First Woman President

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“To read Act Like You’re Having a Good Time is to fall in love with Michele Weldon. You want to spend as much time as you can in her company. Wise, silly, down-to-earth and real, these essays fit you like your favorite slippers. This book is just what we need these days.” —Jane Isay, author of Unconditional Love: A Guide to Navigating the Joys and Challenges of Being a Grandparent Today— -

"Weldon writes with scorching depth about what we're all scared to talk about: aging and failing, visibility and mortality. In Act Like You're Having a Good Time, her journalistic clarity collides head-on with cinematographic storytelling, giving us a deeply reflective page-turner on how to live truthfully and joyfully, even when it hurts." —Megan Stielstra, author of The Wrong Way to Save Your Life: Essays
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