‘This is Not Chick Lit’

Edited by Elizabeth Merrick

When first picking up this book, full of ‘original stories’ by various women writers, one thing crossed my mind-another ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ book. Great.

The first thing the anthology’s editor Elizabeth Merrick writes in the introduction is her definition of a ‘Chick Lit’-a ‘Sex and the City’ template of a story. White Girl in big city, trying to find prince charming while maxing out her credit cards at the top line stores. But, as the title states, ‘This Is Not Chick Lit.’

Surprisingly, the book is full of inspirational stories told by women from outside of the narrow chick-lit spectrum. Yes, it includes stories on love and finding one’s self, just like its girly counterparts, but on a deeper level.

The first story, ‘The Thing Around Your Neck,’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is written by a young girl from Nigeria who comes to America, leaving her family behind. Throughout her tale she attempts to find her place in America, but is extremely guarded. She finds America is nothing like she thought it would be, and the most miniscule things intrigue her. The narrator wonders why poor people are fat while rich people look starved. After this first piece, it’s hard to put the anthology down.

Another notable story in the book is ‘An Open Letter to Doctor X’ by Francine Prose. She wrote a letter from a man on a subway who overhears a shrink talking to another doctor on his cell phone about a patient. This story is amazingly touching because the man relates what the doctor is talking about to his own family. His daughter is a ‘cutter,’ and he finds the doctor’s reactions toward his patients unprofessional and heartless.

‘Gabriella, My Heart,’ by Cristina Henriquez focuses on a homosexual man and the woman he was in love with before he realized he was gay. And ‘Embrace,’ by Roxana Robinson, is a moving story about a couple and their life together. This story is especially great because it is told from the viewpoints of both the man and the woman. Every other story in the collection is equally amazing.

The book also includes small biographies on each of the writers at the end. This offers the reader a chance to see where these amazing women authors come from and when their stories began.

However, the true brilliance of this book is the lack of a blanket theme or message. Each story stands alone because each of these writers’ experiences are completely different. Diversity radiates from the book, combining with humor, intelligence, warmth and sadness to give a new outlook on life. It’s truly a must-read for everyone.

Published on September 18, 2006 at 12:00 pm