Aren't You Forgetting Someone?: Essays from My Mid-Life Revenge

by Kari Lizer

Overview

From award-winning TV comedy writer Kari Lizer (The New Adventures of Old Christine) comes a collection of hilarious essays about the challenges of being a woman of a certain age and all that comes with it: empty nest, post #MeToo dating, aging parents, menopausal rage, unrealistic expectations, and eternal optimism.

What does it feel like to have your kids leave the house at the same time your parents might need to move in? With self-deprecating humor, sharp wit, and Ephron-esque aplomb, Kari Lizer gives an honest account of finding herself in the middle of growing up, growing old, and still figuring it all out. She finds the wry, bittersweet humor in (almost) all situations—whether it's becoming radioactive during a thyroid cancer treatment, getting fired from her volunteer work, or struggling to find her identity outside of motherhood. Aren't You Forgetting Someone? speaks to those of us who lament the invisibility of the middle-aged woman, but also revel in the unexpected delights of newfound freedom to do whatever the hell we want while no one is looking.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762469338
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kari Lizer is the creator of the award-winning show The New Adventures of Old Christine (which was based on her life as a single, working mom) and an Emmy-nominated co-executive producer of Will & Grace. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Vermont with her chickens, dogs, cats, horses, and occasionally children.

Table of Contents

Alexa, Is Everything Going to Be Okay? 1

Cry It Out 9

Daughter, Divorcée, Storyteller, Jew? 21

We'll Call That Love 31

Empty Nest 50

Denial 58

Winter Break (Down) 65

Growing Pains 79

The Californian 88

Gravity 97

I Am the Best Person Ever 112

The Art of Self-Defense 124

Want 134

Me on All Fours 141

Isolationism 156

Under the Influence 166

Something to Believe In 176

#NotMe 191

Tick 197

Happy Endings 205

Kate Middleton's Bangs 214

Late Bloomer 226

Inked 235

I Don't Know Why I Say Hello 244

Chasing Nothing 250

Sometimes They Come Back 264

Live Like You're Dying (You Are) 273

Acknowledgments 281

Editorial Reviews

02/24/2020

TV scriptwriter and producer Lizer, creator of the show The New Adventures of Old Christine, debuts with a rollicking and often hilarious compilation of observations on life after her three children have departed for college. Lizer devotes some space to men and women’s different experiences of the workplace, particularly hers as a divorced, working mom, but devotes most of the text to empty-nest syndrome and its effects on her outlook. Now in her mid-50s, Lizer is “finding my voice... just when I have no one left to talk to.” She lists things she doesn’t want to ever do again (wear high heels or false eyelashes; attend parties where people ask intrusive questions about her career) and the things she does want to do (have “three dogs at all times” with her; not have to worry about her appearance; get more sleep). And despite the obstacles life throws her way—her sister’s death, a breast cancer scare—Lizer soldiers on, cheerily bringing the family dachshund to comfort her father in his nursing home, getting her first tattoo, and with some trepidation, starting “nervous dating.” Readers will enjoy these challenging and sweet stories. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Kari Lizer's essays are SUBLIME . . . Moving and laugh- out-loud funny. . . No one is a more keen observer of human behavior, of the kind we all try to hide from one another. Her writing makes me feel seen, as if I belong somewhere, and that somewhere is that magical place where Kari's pen touches paper . . . Her writing makes me feel as though I am home."
—Sarah Paulson

"Kari Lizer writes about being the child of parents, being the parent of children and being a middle aged adult with brutal honesty, a tender heart, and a wicked sense of humor."—Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"Kari's essays are unpretentious, open-hearted, and filled with integrity. From boldly admitting to her flaws, to calling out the b.s. she faces as a working mother, I found myself just constantly saying, 'YAAASSSSS.'"—Wanda Sykes

"For years Kari Lizer has been writing truthful and incisive comedy for television, and now she's bringing her honesty and hilariousness to the classy world of books. We're all lucky for it."—Andy Richter

"This book is honest, open, hilarious, and has a big heart. I devoured it. Treasured it. Didn't want it to end."—Molly Shannon

"TV scriptwriter and producer Kari Lizer... debuts with a rollicking and often hilarious compilation of observations on life after her three children have departed for college. ...Readers will enjoy these challenging and sweet stories."—-Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

03/01/2020

In a series of essays, Lizer (creator, The New Adventures of Old Christine; coexecutive producer, Will & Grace) describes the various ways that a midlife crisis impacted her life. Having survived the "double hyphen" years (as a divorced, working mother), Lizer encounters new emotional challenges when her three children begin to leave the curated nest she constructed for them. While the timing could have been better, as her parents were aging and her own health wavering, the tsunami of indignities and annoyances visited on Lizer in her competitive personal and rarified professional environments prove to be hilarious and thoughtful fodder for her reflections on aging, personality, and parenting. Her attempts to create and strengthen connections via game nights and volunteer work go humorously awry in Lizer's retelling, but she doesn't sugarcoat tougher topics of sexism and loneliness. VERDICT Fans of Nora Ephron will empathize and laugh along with Lizer.—Thérèse Purcell Nielsen, Huntington P.L., NY

Library Journal

With wry humor and a good dose of self-deprecation, TV writer Kari Lizer reflects on being an empty nester when her children go off to college, leaving her alone with several dogs and chickens. Lizer’s voice enhances the essays with her animation, warmth, and a healthy dose of prickle. She spies on her son’s texts, tries to resist the impulse to read about Kate Middleton’s bangs because nobody writes about Prince William’s hair, and gives a warm coat with $20 in the pocket to a homeless man but waits until some people come out of a restaurant nearby so they’ll know she’s a good person. Lizer receives a little bit of help from additional narrators as she writes about a TV pilot that explores her abandonment issues. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

With wry humor and a good dose of self-deprecation, TV writer Kari Lizer reflects on being an empty nester when her children go off to college, leaving her alone with several dogs and chickens. Lizer’s voice enhances the essays with her animation, warmth, and a healthy dose of prickle. She spies on her son’s texts, tries to resist the impulse to read about Kate Middleton’s bangs because nobody writes about Prince William’s hair, and gives a warm coat with $20 in the pocket to a homeless man but waits until some people come out of a restaurant nearby so they’ll know she’s a good person. Lizer receives a little bit of help from additional narrators as she writes about a TV pilot that explores her abandonment issues. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile