
Because it's #MothersDay and approval is a thing!
From comedian and journalist Faith Salie, of NPR's
Wait Waitβ¦Don't Tell Me! and CBS News Sunday
Morning, a collection of daring, funny essays
chronicling the author's adventures during her lifelong
quest for approval
Faith Salie has done it all in the name of validation.
Whether itβs trying to impress her parents with a perfect
GPA, undergoing an exorcismΒ in the hopes of saving her
toxic marriage, or maintaining the BMI of βa flapper with a
touch of dysentery,β Salie is the ultimate approval
seekerβan βapproval junkie,β if you will.
In βMiss Aphrodite,β she recounts her strategy for winning
the high school beauty pageant. (βNot to brag or anything,
but no one stood a chance against my emaciated, spastic
resolve.β) βWhat I Wore to My Divorceβ describes Salieβs
struggle to pick the perfect outfit to wear to the
courthouse to divorce her βwasband.β (βI envisioned a look
that said, βYo, THIS is what youβll be missingβ¦even though
youβve introduced your new girlfriend to our mutual friends,
and sheβs a decade younger than I am and is also a fit
model.β) In "Ovary Achiever," she shares tips on how to ace
your egg retrieval. (βThank your fertility doctor when she
announces you have βamazing ovaries.β Try to be humble about
it [βOh,these old things?β].β)
And in βWait, Wait, Donβt Tell Me About Batmanβs Nipplesβ
she reveals the secrets behindΒ Wait Waitβ¦Donβt Tell
Me! (βI study for this show like Tracy Flick on Adderallβ).
With thoughtful irreverence, Salie reflects on why she tries
so hard to please others, and herself, highlighting a
phenomenon that many peopleβespecially womenβexperience at
home and in the workplace. Equal parts laugh-out loud funny
and poignant, Approval Junkie is one womanβs journey
to realizing that seeking approval from others is more than
just getting them to like youβit's challenging yourself to
achieve, and survive, more than you ever thought you could.
Start Reading APPROVAL JUNKIE Now
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