Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Original edition (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307949338
• ISBN-13: 978-0307949332
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces

Review ,“A fascinating blend of memoir and self-help. Strayed is an eloquentstoryteller, and her clear-eyed prose offers a bracing empathy absent frommost self-help blather. ,Nora Krug, The Washington Post ,“Strayedsworldview,her empathy, her nonjudgment, her belief in the fundamental logic ofpeoples emotions and experiences despite occasional evidence to thecontrary,begins to seep into readers consciousness in such a way that theycan apply her generosity of spirit to their own and, for a few hours at least,become better people. . . . The books disclosures,on the part of both thewriter and her correspondents,is ultimately courageous and engaging stuff.??Anna Holmes, New York Times Book Review ,“Wise and compassionate.?,GregoryCowles, New York Times Book Review ,“Inside the List? ,“Penning an advicecolumn for the literary website The Rumpus, [Strayed] worked anonymously,using the pen name Sugar, replying to letters from readings sufferingeverything from loveless marriages to abusive, drug-addicted brothers todisfiguring illnesses. The result: intimate, in-depth essays that not onlytook the letter writers life into account but also Strayeds. Collected in abook, they make for riveting, emotionally charged reading (translation: beprepared to bawl) that leaves you significantly wiser for the experience. . .. Moving. . . . compassionate.?,Leigh Newman, Oprah.com ,“It seems inadequateto call ,Dear Sugar an advice column, because it exists in a category all itsown . . . Part memoir, part essay collection, the aptly titled Tiny BeautifulThings gathers together stunningly written pieces on everything from sex tolove to the agonies of bereavement. Strayed offers insights as exquisitelyphrased as they are powerful, confronting some of the biggest and most painfulof lifes questions. . . . . In her responses, Strayed shines a torch ofinsight and comfort into the darkness of these peoples lives, cutting to theheart of what it means to love, to grieve and to suffer.? ,Ilana Teitelbaum,Shelf Awareness ,“What makes a great advice columnist? . . . Strayed hasproved during her tenure at the website the Rumpus, where she has helmed theDear Sugar column since 2010, that the only requirement is that you give greatadvice,tender, frank, uplifting and unrelenting. Strayeds columns, nowcollected as Tiny Beautiful Things, advise people on such diverse struggles asmiscarriage, infidelity, poverty and addiction, and it’s really hard to thinkof anyone better at the job. Strayed has succeeded largely because she sharespersonal, often heartbreaking stories from her own life in answering readers’questions. Her experiences are qualifications, in a sense, as Strayed hastaken the wisdom she gained from personal tragedies, including her mother’searly death and the breakup of her first marriage, and generously applied itto all manner of issues. . . . What runs through all the columns, which rangefrom a few hundred to a few thousand words in length, is Strayeds gift atpanning out from the problem in question. Often, the fuller picture thatStrayed gives us illustrates what needs to happen for the letter-writers tochange, to pull themselves out of their current predicament, to see things ina different way, to act. . . . Here is Strayeds breathtaking ability to getto the core of her own failures and triumphs, which she often does throughsurprising and sharp imagery. . . . Strayed has covered much ground in thesetransformative pieces. In the end, Tiny Beautiful Things serves as a guide foranyone who is lost, and those who only think they might be. ,Liz Colville,San Francisco Chronicle ,“As Sugar, Strayed addresses questions about love,family, addition, grief, abuse, afflictions, fears, friends, gossip, amongother topics,and in each of her answers, without fail, she meets the letterwriters with a kind of startling compassion; what Steve Almond termed ,radicalempathy. Dear Sugar is an advice column like no other. ,Nika Knight, FullStop ,“It is very rarely that I am a ridiculous fangirl about anything. Itsso emotionally taxing, so inherently undignified, that I try not to fall intothe trap. So it took me by surprise when, upon discovering Dear Sugar at theRumpus, I gradually fell down the rabbit hole into ridiculous fangirlishnessfor the first time in years. [Strayed took me to] the edge of the dark wood,staring into the place where the most wrenching and lovely truths reside. Aplace to lose your heart and find it again. If there is a common thread thatunites the columns, its work. Sugar doesnt tolerate laziness: doing the workto reach ones full potential, to write that novel, to exorcise ghosts, to letgo of resentments and jealousy and commit instead to generosity and love,allof these are sacred, lifelong tasks for which there are no shortcuts. Thecolumns are a gift, and so too is the book. As Sugar herself bids in hercolumn of the same name, I’ve written this now on the eve of her bookspublication with one intent: to say thank you. ,Ilana Teitelbaum, TheHuffington Post ,“Typically an advice column might not be the first thing tocome to mind when considering examples of fearless first-person writing. ButCheryls Dear Sugar column is a major exception in that way. In the majorityof her column entries, she boldly delves into her own life, to places whereshes had to overcome obstacles similar to those her letter-writers haveexperienced. Her understanding and compassion are real and hard won, rooted inher own experiences. And so is her sometimes butt-kicking advice. ,If I wasable to do this, she seems to be saying, ,so can you, sweet pea. Now get offyour ass and do it. The stakes may have seemed lower when she was writing thecolumn anonymously. But Cheryl says she always knew shed eventually revealherself,which she did in April. Now many of her best Dear Sugar columns havebeen gathered into Tiny Beautiful Things, a collection that goes on sale thisweek (and is available through The Rumpus). Her name is on it; therevelations, the fearless admissions are hers. And Im awed.?,Sari Botton,The Rumpus ,“Sugar didnt pen a few plucky paragraphs about how to pickyourself up by your socks and move on from whatever horrors befell you,in manycases Sugars letters were heart-rending exhumations of her own past in searchof parallels to the advice-seekers situation. She didnt shy from plumbingher own failings, flaws, and troubles. But in the end, Sugars columns areabout heart and love. Not saccharine, treacly love that comes from greetingcards, but the gritty, painful, sometimes mundane work it takes to loveyourself, warts and all. Tiny Beautiful Things isnt really a compilation ofher advice columns. More, its a series of essays about life in all its grimy,unpleasant heartache, and a plea to rise above it to love truthfully anddeeply and well, despite all our handicaps. Sugar navigates the path throughthe treacherous human psyche as a shining beacon before us, flickering in thedark. . . . [She] gives her best, even when shes tired. . . . Im glad thatthe world is learning about all the love that Sugar has to give. ,QuenbyMoone, The Nervous Breakdown ,“Strong, smart and self-assured: those qualitiesare in full power in [Tiny Beautiful Things]. Strayed doesnt just give goodadvice. People write in with the most wrenching personal problems, and receivegenerous, seriously motivating inspiration to move on and do better. . . .Dear Sugar is a rare hideout from the prevailing meanness of the Internet. Shecalls her readers Sweet Peas, shares stunningly intimate stories about herlife, and writes with true warmth and kindness. And its not an act. . . .Strayed aims to help not just the people whose letters she answers, but thewider audience who reads the exchanges. Her responses are direct and personal,but peppered with universal messages that cut to the heart. ,Amy Goetzman,MinnPost ,“Why do we read memoirs? Some choose autobiographies to betterunderstand the lives and histories of important men and women. Some might hopethat the experiences and insights of a personal essay might unveil a smalltruth about the human condition, might teach us about ourselves. Some of usmight just be busybodies, looking for a socially acceptable way to peek deeplyinto a strangers life. If you fit into any of these categories, you must meetDear Sugar, the ultimate advice columnist for lovers of memoirs. TinyBeautiful Things is a collection of her works, interspersed with Q&As; fromSugar herself. The columns were written anonymously, but with an amount ofpersonal detail that no advice column has ever seen before. In a gracious,sassy, poetic and maternal voice, Sugar shares her own raw personal accounts .. . She runs a highlighter over the breathtaking aspects of mundane tasks,from wedding planning to the day-to-day duties of raising small children. Bythe last page of the book, which will likely be a bit wrinkled with tearstains by the time youre through, you may know more about Sugar than you knowabout your closest friends. . . .Though many of the letters she receivescontain ugliness and woe, she weaves them together into a story that isunexpectedly beautiful and impossibly warm. Theres no shortage ofconversations on love and sex, but we words also go beyond that. . . . Theressomething worth quoting on almost every page. . . . Eloquent . . . Generous.??Kara Zuaro, Biogrophile ,“In this collection of her columns, Strayed provesherself to be an astute amateur psychologist, as well as a compassionate,thoughtful and occasionally tough counselor. As with all personal advicecolumns, the questions that readers pose to Sugar are at least as intriguingas the answers. Strayed . . . uses her own foibles and misdemeanors to showthat ,we all suffer, we all fail, we all struggle and triumph and struggleagain. ,Cynthia Crossen, The Wall Street Journal ,“Strayed has a specialtalent for glimmering, golden turns of phrase that seem to hold all thepromise and hope in the world,theyre Bible verses for a secular audience,butthese are not the sort of mottos that youll find on, say, motivationalposters on Pintrest. . . . Most remarkable has been Strayeds willingness touse her own story, to revisit her most hopeless, fumbling moments,from druguse to infidelity,in answering readers questions. . . . The magic is in theseunexpected connections, her ability to make the specific universal. She refersto letter writers as ,sweet pea and ,honey bun, but never lets them off thehook. No matter how tragic their predicament, she exhorts them to be their,best, most gigantic self, that ,every last one of us can do better than giveup. It is tough, smart, real love. ,Tracy Clark-Flory, Salon ,“To say thatCheryl Strayed is an Internet advice columnist does not do her justice. TinyBeautiful Things is a gob-smacking high, a brilliant reinvention of the MissLonelyhearts genre. . . . This collection of poignant insights into thecomplexities of the human heart offers a form of radical empathy and inspiredcompassion from a fellow traveler,one who not only feels the pain of othersbut leads them toward light and art. ,Elizabeth Taylor, The Chicago Tribune,“The problem with advice columnists [was that] they were supposed to help yousolve your problems, but they didnt reveal much about their own lives, so itwas hard to understand why you should trust them. Cheryl Strayed changed allthat with Dear Sugar, a deeply personal advice column thats earned a devotedfollowing. Beautifully written . . . honest and forthright. . . poignant andpersonal, unlike the string of clich©s other writers throw at readers. Sheproves real connection is still possible, even on the Internet, whereeveryones shouting to be heard. She delivers tough love, very gently. Theresa lesson in here for everyone, sweet peas. You just have to find yours. Grade:A ,Melissa Maerz, Entertainment Weekly ,“When I was younger, the Dear Ann andDear Abby columns that ran in newspapers offered a fascinating look at otherpeople’s problems. Eventually, though, the advice coming from pseudonymouswriters felt distanced and staid, especially compared to the next generationof advisers who staked out the alternative papers and web sites. . . . Mycurrent favorite, by far, is ,“Dear Sugar, written by Cheryl Strayed. . . .Tiny Beautiful Things collects Strayeds columns, and it perfectly captureswhy she has completely won me over. Strayed can be profane, but she offerssympathy, sound advice, gentleness and a surprising amount of confession.??Vikas Turakhia, Cleveland Plain Dealer ,“A good psychoanalyst does twothings: she listens, and she dissects. In Tiny Beautiful Things, Strayed doesboth adeptly. Sugar forces us to swallow sometimes painful realizations aboutwhat we want, who we are, and what we therefore must do,or, if not that, thechoices we must make. She also lays bare the impossibility of controlling whatisnt ours to control. . . . The honesty is far more comforting than shallowpromises would be. Sugar can handle whats real in us. . . . If she can handleour treacherous secrets without disintegrating, maybe others will accept us inour entirety, too. Maybe we can accept ourselves. . . . Sugar seems to havehad more experiences than any human weve ever met, like some sort ofomniscient goddess. . . . These stories are not written for their own sake,but as a way to explain human complexity. The details of her past theft comesout as a means of empathizing with a writer ashamed of the same. Sugardescribes her husbands infidelity to help a fianc©e with a stark, black-and-white view of marriage consider nuance. This is the type of meaning-making anypersonal essayist or memoirist should aim for, of course,and, notably, Strayedis both,but its all the more explicit and obvious in an advice column.Strayeds story is, in its way, a mirror. One of Strayeds most vitalmessages,which her revelations of past lapses are meant to show,is that beinga real, whole person means being imperfect. Sugar models this not only in herhistory, but in her letters, too. Once in a while, she falters. . . . Sugar isgood enough, but not perfect. Which is exactly what shes been trying to tellus all along. ,Jessica Gross, The Millions ,“Many of the pieces in TinyBeautiful Things, which first appeared in the online literary magazine TheRumpus, have had robust first lives, circulated on the Internet by fans. Inbook form, the letters and Strayeds responses take on greater meaning as anextended epistolary essay on the human condition,with its antsy spouses,frustrated parents and desperately indebted students,and also as a companionautobiography to Wild. Sugars technique is to share the thorniest, mostindelible experiences from her life to help each letter writer work throughhis or her own, which makes Tiny Beautiful Things an odd, contradictory andmoving invention: an anecdotal memoir,that most narcissistic of genres,whoseevery chapter is written lovingly and generously to someone else. . . . Sugaris sharp-witted, but she doesnt do funny. She doesnt do snarky. (Thisdistinguishes her from, to state it conservatively, most of the Internet.) AndSugar doesnt coddle. She especially doesnt coddle writers. . . . Stillnesspervades Strayeds Dear Sugar columns, which profit from all the advantages ofthe Internet,its anonymous e-mail forms, endless terrain and capacity forcomments and community building,but provide refuge from its white noise. Itspartly because of the emotional content of each letter and response, but alsodue to the inherent intimacy of the form. Direct address is as old as lyricpoetry: its just I and you,and the rest of the world gets to listen in.??Radhika Jones, Time Magazine ,“Strayed, in this collection of advice (somepreviously unpublished) for readers of her ,Dear Sugar column ontherumpus.net, chooses thought-provoking questions from her readers andlistens deeply to their emotional content. In casually intimate prose and withliterary grace, she creates moments of wise, compassionate insight in oftenstartlingly personal miniature memoirs, cradling gentle but practical guidancewith enough humor to cement Strayeds presence as both a mentor and the mostunderstanding of friends. Sugar can be tough and honest, but shes never mean:in Sugars world, we all deserve love unconditionally, but also owe it toourselves to be the best, most authentic selves we can be. For a regroundingin the beauty of what it means to be flawed and gorgeously human, for answersthat feel real, Strayeds caring essays offer surprisingly rich comfort.??Publishers Weekly (starred review) ,“This beloved Internet advice columnist,using the pseudonym Sugar, revealed herself in early 2012 to be the acclaimednovelist and memoirist Strayed. First appearing on the Rumpus in 2010, hercolumn ,Dear Sugar quickly attracted a large and devoted following with itscut-to-the-quick aphorisms like ,Write like a motherfcker and ,Be braveenough to break your own heart. This collection gathers up the best of Sugar,whose trademark is deeply felt and frank responses grounded in her ownpersonal experience; in many ways, it is a portrait of Strayed herself. Sheanswers queries on subjects ranging from professional jealousy to leaving aloved partner to coping with the death of a child. VERDICT: Part advice, partpersonal essay, these pieces grapple with lifes biggest questions.Beautifully written and genuinely wise, this book is full of heartache andlove. Highly recommended. , Molly McArdle, Library Journal (starredreview),“Strayed offers insight into the world of online advice through hercollection of letters sent to ,Dear Sugar, her once-anonymous column for theonline magazine The Rumpus. Sugars Golden Rule,,Trust Yourself,pushes theauthor and her readers to embrace themselves and not be afraid of askinglifes complex questions. . . . Strayeds practical advice mixes with abundantpersonal anecdotes in which she illustrates to the addressee the reasoningbehind her counsel. Admittedly not versed in psychology, her responses aresensitive and comprehensive, and her self-reflection projects understandingand sympathy. . . . The authors comforting yet stern writing style connectsreaders to each contributors plight and the subsequent response to their cryfor help. Appealing to Dear Sugar fans and self-help seekers alike, this,collection of intimate exchanges between strangers demonstrates that wisdomdoesnt come only from age, but also from learning from the experiences ofothers. A realistic and poignant compilation of the intricacies ofrelationships.?,Kirkus Reviews,“These pieces are nothing short of dynamite,the kind of remarkable, revelatory storytelling that makes young people wantto become writers in the first place. Over here at the Salon offices, we’rereading the columns with boxes of tissue and raised fists of solidarity,shaking our heads with awe and amusement. ,Sarah Hepola, Salon ,“Sugar doesn’tcoddle her readers,she believes them, and hears the stories inside the storythey think they want to tell. She manages astonishing levels of empathywithout dissolving into sentiment, and sees problems before the reader can.Sugar doesn’t promise to make anyone feel good, only that she understands aquestion well enough to answer it. ,Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorkercritic,“Powerful and soulful, Tiny Beautiful Things is destined to become aclassic of the form, the sort of book readers will carry around in purses andbackpacks during difficult times as a token or talisman because of the radiantwisdom and depth within. ,Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness ofLemon Cake,“[Sugar is] turning the advice column on its head. ,Jessica FrancisKane, author of The Report,“Sugars columns are easily the most beautiful thingIve read all year. They should be taught in schools and put on little slipsof paper and dropped from airplanes, for all to read. ,Meakin Armstrong,Guernica editor,“Dear Sugar will save your soul. I belong to the Church ofSugar. ,Samantha Dunn, author of Failing Paris,“Charming, idiosyncratic,luminous, profane. . . . [Sugar] is remaking a genre that has existed, in moreor less the same form, since well before Nathanael Wests Miss Lonelyheartsfirst put a face on the figure in 1933. . . . Her version of tough love rangesfrom hip-older-sister-loving to governess-stern. Sugar shines out amid the seaof fakeness. ,Ruth Franklin, The New Republic Read more About the AuthorCheryl Strayed is the author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific CrestTrail and the novel Torch. Her stories and essays have been published in TheNew York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, Allure, TheRumpus, The Missouri Review, The Sun, The Best American Essays, and elsewhere.She lives in Portland, Oregon. Read more See all Editorial Reviews