This Day: Diaries From American Women [Paperback]

Joni B. Cole (Author), Rebecca Joffrey (Author), B.K. Rakhra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2002

What is a day in the life really like for a CEO, a single mom, a TV celebrity, an inmate? This was the question that inspired This Day, a book project that invited a cross-section of women to create a "day diary" on a single, ordinary Tuesday. The result is an intimate, informative, often humorous window into the life of the American woman, transporting readers into corporate board rooms, concert halls, play groups, TV studios, prisons, soup kitchens, classrooms, and an amazing array of households across the country. Individually and collectively, these diaries reveal what women love and don't love! about their families, jobs, and lives. They illuminate common threads, from the macro (too-hectic lifestyles) to the micro (the irresistible craving for chocolates). This book has entries culled from 500 women, including Kim Gandy, president of NOW; Erika Harold, Miss American 2003; Judi Ehrlich, an L.A. private eye; and Janet Olson, an inmate in Minnesota. It is a vibrant collection that celebrates the diversity of women in America and their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Part itinerary, part journal," the selections in this anthology of diary entries written by women across America reveal women's "lives from the inside out-showing not only how they spent their time, but what was in their heads and hearts as they went through those twenty-four hours." The editors received contributions from 529 women, including famous ones, like "Satellite Sister" Lian Dolan (who has a nationally syndicated radio show with her four sisters); spiritual teacher Sharon Salzberg; and WNBA forward Rebecca Lobo; and not-so-famous ones, including Therese Ojibway, a program coordinator for autistic children; and "executive mom" Marisa Thalberg. A brief introduction gives a thumbnail biography each woman, which is followed by a series of entries, with time references, from one day in her life. The vignettes range from the mundane to the extraordinary, and make for an inspiring volume on how women from all walks of life think and feel.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Intensely entertaining -- I highly recommend this book." -- Ben Pappas, Us Weekly magazine.

"Filled with funny, fresh, vital voices. So much fun to read! I saw a little of myself on every page, in every woman's story." -- Lian Dolan, co-host, Satellite Sisters; columnist, O, The Oprah Magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words; Original edition (August 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582701024
• ISBN-13: 978-1582701028
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,783,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joni B. Cole is the author of five books, and a frequent speaker at writing conferences around the country. The recipient of a 2011 Pushcart-Prize nomination, her books include: Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior (memoir/humor essays); Toxic Feedback: Helping Writers Survive and Thrive ("I can't imagine a better guide to [writing's] rewards and perils than this fine book," American Book Review); and the three volume "This Day" series, including Water Cooler Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work ("both fascinating and eye-opening," Publisher's Weekly). Joni runs the Writer's Center of White River Junction, Vermont, and is a regular blogger on ThirdAge.com. For more information, visit her author website at www.jonibcole.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great for bookclubs!, September 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: This Day: Diaries From American Women (Paperback)

This is the kind of book that busy women can leave on their kitchen table or bedside table or briefcase. It is the kind of book that you can dip into for an always thought provoking, sometimes humorous, often touching read. My bookclub is going to read it, and we are going to do our own day diaries and share them out loud with one another. I think this book has made me feel linked to the community of women in a new way. A book to pass on.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A novel in every page, November 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: This Day: Diaries From American Women (Paperback)

I heard one of the editors of this book speak this morning, bought the book, and read it all in the same day. It is absolutely riveting, which is strange, because none of these women has a truly earthshattering day. Yet somehow, each one of these diaries or excerpts is a story in and of itself, and I found myself caught up in the trivialities of their daily lives. From sippy cups and string cheese to chocolate cravings to memorials to lost loved ones, each one of these women has so many stories to tell.

Some ones that stick with me - the newly widowed woman writing her entries to her late husband, the funeral home director going to pick up a dead man and meeting his wife, the president of NOW cuddling with her children, a 60 year-old woman getting her GED, and the barista at Starbuck's with the lovely metaphors for her line of work. And oh so many more.

What is nice about this book is that you could read it in bits and pieces (bathroom reading), or inhale it in one greedy gulp, as I did. I recommend it highly.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking in a mirror, October 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: This Day: Diaries From American Women (Paperback)

What a great idea.... It amazed me that in almost every diary, no matter who the writer, there was always a "familiar" feeling.
We are all so different, and yet so alike. It is an entertaining and insightful view into the lives of women everywhere. I recommend it! And once you have read it, pass it on....especially to the men in your life!!! I suggest Ms. Cole and her friends do it again!!!!