Book - Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault

From the creator of the iconic “Cathy” comic strip comes her first collection of funny, wise, poignant, and incredibly honest essays about being a woman in what she lovingly calls “the panini generation.”

As the creator of “Cathy,” Cathy Guisewite found her way into the hearts of readers more than forty years ago, and has been there ever since. Her hilarious and deeply relatable look at the challenges of womanhood in a changing world became a cultural touchstone for women everywhere. Now Guisewite returns with her signature wit and warmth in this debut essay collection about another time of big transition, when everything starts changing and disappearing without permission: aging parents, aging children, aging self stuck in the middle. 

With her uniquely wry and funny admissions and insights, Guisewite unearths the humor and horror of everything from the mundane (trying to introduce her parents to TiVo and facing four decades’ worth of unorganized photos) to the profound (finding a purpose post-retirement, helping parents downsize their lives, and declaring freedrom from all those things that hold us back). No longer confined to the limits of four comic panels, Guisewite holds out her hand in prose form and becomes a reassuring companion for those on the threshold of “what happens next.” Heartfelt and humane and always cathartic, Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault is ideal reading for mothers, daughters, and anyone who is caught somewhere in between.

REVIEWS:

“The creator of the iconic cartoon Cathy comes out of retirement to make us laugh, cry, and remind us—with humor and pathos—that yes, we...live to tell the tale.”—O, The Oprah Magazine

“Often hilarious and true, [Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault] gets at that tension between the empowerment propaganda women are raised on and the gendered I-am-responsible-for-everyone's-well-being reality in which most of us still live.”—TIME

"This new book will feel like a friend...the kind who knows exactly what to say when you need some reassurance."—NPR

"Bright essays that send up the absurdities of modern middle age."—Vanity Fair

"Heartfelt and hilarious essays."—Parade

“With touching honesty and humor, [Cathy Guisewite] reflects on caring for her aging parents and raising her daughter. It's a book for Cathy fans and everyone else.”—Real Simple