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Sign up todayApproval Junkie
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Learn moreFrom comedian and journalist Faith Salie, of NPR's Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! and CBS News Sunday Morning, a collection of daring, funny essays chronicling the author's adventures during her lifelong quest for approval
Faith Salie has done it all in the name of validation. Whether she’s trying to impress her parents with a perfect GPA, undergoing an exorcism to save her toxic marriage, or baking a 3D excavator cake for her son’s birthday, Salie is the ultimate approval seeker—an “approval junkie,” if you will.
In this collection of daring, honest essays, Salie shares stories from her lifelong quest for gold stars, recounting her strategy for winning (very Southern) high school beauty pageant; her struggle to pick the perfect outfit to wear to her divorce; and her difficulty falling in love again, and then conceiving, in the years following her mother’s death.
With thoughtful irreverence, Salie reflects on why she tries so hard to please others, and herself, highlighting a phenomenon that many people—especially women—experience at home and in the workplace. Equal parts laugh-out loud funny and poignant, Approval Junkie is one woman’s journey to realizing that seeking approval from others is more than just getting them to like you—it's challenging yourself to achieve, and survive, more than you ever thought you could.
FAITH SALIE is an Emmy-winning contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning and a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! She also hosts the PBS show, Science Goes To The Movies. As a commentator on politics and pop culture, she’s been interviewed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Bill O’Reilly, and Anderson Cooper. As a television and public radio host, she herself has interviewed newsmakers from Lorne Michaels to President Carter to Robert Redford, who invited her to call him “Bob.” Faith attended Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship, and while her fellow scholars went on to become governors and mayors, she landed on a Star Trek collectible trading card worth hundreds of cents. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and her husband’s dog.
FAITH SALIE is an Emmy-winning contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning and a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! She also hosts the PBS show, Science Goes To The Movies. As a commentator on politics and pop culture, she’s been interviewed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Bill O’Reilly, and Anderson Cooper. As a television and public radio host, she herself has interviewed newsmakers from Lorne Michaels to President Carter to Robert Redford, who invited her to call him “Bob.” Faith attended Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship, and while her fellow scholars went on to become governors and mayors, she landed on a Star Trek collectible trading card worth hundreds of cents. She lives in New York City with her husband, two children, and her husband’s dog.
Reviews
"Readers went wild for this Type A comic's ability to write about everything—from struggling with anorexia to the travails of eyelash extensions to her mother's death—with a magic mix of vulnerability and jest."—Elle (Readers’ Prize)
“Those wise enough to pick up this collection of essays are about to find their newest best friend in Salie…. Plan on reading this once for entertainment, or better, twice for the life lessons available.”
–Booklist
“Funny, touching essays on being a multifaceted woman with unique dreams, desires, and needs.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“When Salie...writes from the heart, the memoir is as pleasing as they come.”
–Publishers Weekly
"I absolutely loved this book. And I'm not just saying that because I want Faith Salie to like me."
–Elizabeth Gilbert
“I dare you not to fall in love with Faith Salie. Her book is charmingly self-deprecating and snort-soda-through-your-nose laugh inducing! She reveals such vulnerability and insight into our flawed human condition, you'll be both dazzled and deeply moved.”
–Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times Bestselling author of I See You Made an Effort
“I’m going to be an enabler and give Faith Salie some pure, high-grade, unadulterated approval. Because she deserves it. This book is a hilarious and emotional look at love, career, and Faith’s mom’s pelvic floor (among other things). You will approve of it as well. “
–AJ Jacobs
"If it is a comfort to you, as it is to me, to find that somebody as smart, sophisticated, funny, accomplished, graceful, witty, and (not incidentally) drop dead gorgeous as Faith Salie is, inside, a weird, sopping mess of crippling insecurities, just like you are—then keep this book close at hand. You will turn to it in times of trouble, stress, and self-doubt. Remember, if a genuine Rhodes Scholar in a size 2 dress can be this messed up, then you’re going to be just fine.”
–Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!"
“Approval Junkie by Faith Salie is a hilarious cry for help that will leave you thinking, “Oh sh*t, I think I'm an approval junkie too!” (Or maybe that was just me?) Do yourself a favor and read this book and then give it a 5-star review, because anything below 4 might send Faith over the edge.”
–Jen Mann, New York Times Bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop-Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges
“Faith Salie is exquisitely, sometimes painfully, honest and real -- and very, very funny. Whether you see where she's coming from or think she's bonkers, you'll be wildly entertained by this book.”
–Emily Gould, author of Friendship
“I’m not the laugh-out-loud type; I’m the stone-faced-while-everyone-else-is-howling type. Well, I laughed out loud while compulsively reading this hilarious, sometimes, heartbreaking book. Let the Tina Fey comparisons begin!”
–Jancee Dunn, author of But Enough About Me: A Jersey Girl's Unlikely Adventures Among The Absurdly Famous
"Over the top, all too true, and laugh-out-loud funny, all in one easy to approve of package."
–Seth Godin, author of Your Turn Expand reviews
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