Smile

I bet everyone reading this has had difficulty expressing an internal reality. Now imagine an affliction that separates the two physically. With poignancy and power, Smile helps us all to find ways of expressing our internal truth. It helped me to both learn and grow * Gloria Steinem, author of My Life on the Road * With a poet's sharp eye for detail and a playwright's grasp of both the tragic and the absurd, Sarah Ruhl has written a remarkable book. Smile is at once a gripping story and a profound exploration of the mysteries of illness. I know of nothing like it * James Shapiro, author of Shakespeare in a Divided America * Ravishing ... that rare and gorgeous melding of gemlike, literary insights, raw honesty, heart break and radiant wisdom. It took my breath away. For real * V (formerly Eve Ensler), author of I Am an Emotional Creature, The Vagina Monologues and The Apology * I'm now accustomed to Sarah's whipping out profound and necessary books that I can't put down even when I smell dinner burning, but I guess I wasn't prepared for her book about Bell's Palsy to provide some of the most deeply romantic passages about married love I have ever read. I smiled, for sure, but I also swooned and ached and was left with goose-flesh more than once. I adore this book * Mary Louise Parker, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Mr. You * Smile is staggeringly great... All of us have disappointments that we try to keep secret because we're ashamed and want to be above them. We are not above them. And Smile speaks to this predicament with extreme insight -- Beth Henley, author of Crimes of the Heart Within her chronicle of illness, the author deftly weaves memories of her father; thoughts about motherhood, friendship, writing; and perceptive reflections about the meaning of smiling, especially for women... A captivating, insightful memoir * Kirkus, starred review * She recounts learning to find joy in small things - such as regaining the ability to blink - Ruhl proves that even life at its most mundane can be fascinating. This incredibly inspiring story offers hope where it's least expected * Publisher's Weekly, starred review * Smile is not just a medical memoir it's the story of a passionate and committed woman trying to forge a life that nourishes her creativity, her children, her health and joy... this book serves as a welcome invitation to worry about it all a little less, and smile a little more -- Alice O'Keeffe * Guardian * Extraordinary... smart, quipping, pacy... a practical investigation that explores how, when half your face goes on strike, new ways have to be found to do a smile's work -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *