The Madwoman and the Roomba

"A Fran Lebowitz-esque comic exploration of a year in the life of "imaginatively twisted and fearless" (Los Angeles Times) bestselling writer. In a half-changed America, "liberated" women have had to wear fifteen different hats to make everyday life work-while putting themselves second. As the self-appointed spokeswoman for the forgotten generation of Gen-X women-those who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, neither First Wave Bella Abzug feminists nor Third Wave Riot Grrrrls-Sandra Tsing Loh recounts the struggles of leaning in, staying lean, and keeping her family afloat-the burdens of running a household that still all-too-often fall to women. With raucous wit and carefree candor, Sandra navigates a mouse sighting in her kitchen, the temptations of online goddess webinars, and an attempt to refresh her home (without getting sidetracked by the mysterious variety of light bulbs). Whether helping younger family members with their college essays (or trying to write them without laughing) or dodging algorithms that recognize her as a middle-aged lady with a VISA card, Sandra confronts her First World guilt on a much restricted budget. By day's end, we all might just need a glass (or three) of chardonnay, a massage chair, and a Roomba to clean up the mess"-- As the self-appointed spokeswoman for the forgotten generation of Gen-X women-- those who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s-- Loh recounts the struggles of leaning in, staying lean, and keeping her family afloat. The burdens of running a household still all-too-often fall to women, but with wit and carefree candor, Loh somehow navigates the realities of what it means to be a middle-aged woman in the twenty-first century. -- adapted from jacket

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.