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Weird but Normal

Essays

by Mia Mercado

Narrator Mia Mercado

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Length 6 hours 3 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“I adored this book! I laughed until I cried, I cringed in shared embarrassment, and I read entire essays out loud to anyone who would listen. Although almost any reader will find something to relate to in Mia Mercado’s writing, she will speak directly to the hearts of millennials who still remember their hilariously terrible first AIM screennames. For all the laughs, Weird but Normal also delivers heartfelt truths about issues ranging from racism in America to depression. Can’t wait to see what Mercado does next!”
— Kate Storhoff • Bookmarks

Bookseller recommendation

“Weird but Normal by Mia Mercado is a hilarious and thought-provoking look at the weird aspects of every day life that we all experience. When authors narrate their own memoirs, it adds an additional dimension to the story to hear it literally in their own words and voice. Mercado reminds us that it's okay to be ourselves, even if we are a little bit weird.”
— Tina • Leaves Bakery and Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Mia Mercado's comedic timing is evident as she voices the alternations of her text. Shifting adeptly between dead honest coverage of micro-aggressions and lively portrayals of her pup; between depictions of vocational doldrums and a litany of relationship discoveries, between feminist self-love and self-deprecating humor, Mercado's range is refreshing and impressive.”
— Ashley • Leaves Bakery and Books

Summary
About the author
About the narrator

Birth control. Body hair removal cream. Boobs. It’s all weird, but also pretty normal.

Navigating racial identity, gender roles, workplace dynamics, and beauty standards, Mia Mercado's hilarious essay collection explores the contradictions of being a millennial woman, which usually means being kind of a weirdo. Whether it’s spending $30 on a candle that smells like an ocean that doesn’t exist, offering advice on how to ask about someone’s race (spoiler: just don’t, please?), quitting a job that makes you need shots of whiskey on your lunch break, or finding a more religious experience in the skincare aisle at Target than your hometown Catholic church, Mia brilliantly unpacks what it means to be a professional, absurdly beautiful, horny, cute, gross human. Essays include:

• Depression Isn’t a Competition but Why Aren’t I Winning?

• My Dog Explains My Weekly Schedule

• Mustache Lady

• White Friend Confessional

• Treating Objects Like Women

With sharp humor and wit, Mia shares the awkward, uncomfortable, surprisingly ordinary parts of life, and shows us why it’s strange to feel fine and fine to feel strange.

Biography & Memoir Humor Essays Nonfiction

Mia Mercado is the author of Weird But Normal and a contributor to The Cut. Her work has also been featured in The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post’s The Lily, Bustle, McSweeney’s, Reductress, Bust, the American Bystander, Gizmodo, and The Hairpin, and other media outlets. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri.