Lori Jakiela has big dreams -- much too big to be contained by her hometown, tiny Trafford, Pennsylvania. Her dreams, inspired as much by pop culture icons like Marlo Thomas as by her father's early desire to have a singing career, draw her inexorably to that mecca for dreamers, New York City.

The nudge from the universe that makes the move seem possible is a newspaper ad from an airline company recruiting flight attendants. The ad tempts Lori with visions of glamorous jet-setting and a home base in New York -- but the reality of the job is somewhat different. The life of a flight attendant is exhausting and occasionally humiliating, but does provide Lori with some of the adventure she hoped for. Until the news of her father's illness pulls her back toward home, and into the very future she thought couldn't be found anywhere but New York.

MISS NEW YORK HAS EVERYTHING must confront the same tough questions put to every memoir: Who wrote this, and why should I care? Lori Jakiela's answer would probably be that her memoir was written by an inveterate dreamer - someone who managed to hold onto the inherent beauty of the possible in the face of the inevitable. And whether or not readers enjoy Jakiela's sharp, slightly caustic voice, or her occasional flights of literary fancy, her memoir will be of interest to anyone who's ever wanted to make something extraordinary out of an ordinary life.