Wendy Shanker, author of your favorite book The Fat Girl's Guide to Life has a new book coming out very soon. Next week, in fact. Wendy contacted me to see if I'd like a copy to review and me being the pushy, annoying blogger I am, I asked her if I could give a copy away to one of you as well. I got not one but three copies to give away! I know, the word giveaway has you all perked up like my dog when she sees me grab her leash. You have to read my review first, though. It's only polite.
The book is called Are You My Guru?: How Medicine, Meditation & Madonna Saved My Life. I already like it because Madonna is right there in the title. It's about how Wendy contracted a rare autoimmune disease right as her whole life was taking off - single girl in Manhattan, writing for television (a little channel called Oxygen), interviewing celebs, the whole deal.
Far from a misty-eyed recollection of life revelations discovered while meditating and sipping tea, Wendy goes through a lot of shit with her illness and is brutally honest about much of it. There are endless days of depression and isolation, drug cocktails that make her feel worse than the disease does, a $600 wig, colonics and chemo.
Feeling that she's not making enough progress with Western medicine alone, she turns to all manner of new age-y woo woo cures and treatments. Some of them help, others don't. But what's interesting isn't just what changes with Wendy physically during this time, it's what happens emotionally and spiritually. Illness sucks but at least it teaches you something about yourself, even if you don't want to hear that at least illness teaches you something about yourself.
The thing I love about this book, and the Fat Girl's Guide, is Wendy's conversational writing style. It reads very much like Wendy is talking to you, but not in that corny way that comes off as silly and "Hey, girlfriend!" You know what I'm talking about. It's like you asked "So tell me what happened" and she hands you a cup of tea and spills the beans on the whole ordeal. This all means that even if you've never been sick a day in your life, you can still see yourself through Wendy's words.
All in all, a great read and when it comes out on September 7th, I recommend that you pick it up. The giveaway ends before then so you'll know whether or not you need to make a little trip to Borders.
Ok, now the fun part. Enter your name and email address in the form below and I'll draw three winners on Monday morning. I'll email you to tell you that you've won and to get your mailing address. Wendy's publisher will then send you a copy of the book. You will read the book, enjoy it a lot, and tell your friends to read it, too.
Update: Thanks to everyone who entered! The contest is over and I've sent an email to the three winners - Molly, Tristy and Jocelyn. Thanks again to Wendy and her publisher for providing the books.
