Bitch in the House

Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage

By: Cathi Hanauer, Veronica Chambers, Jen Marshall

Narrated by: Cathi Hanauer

Despite more power and choices than ever before, women are still angry - that's not necessarily a bad thing, as anger is what continues to open the door for change. In this collection, 15 women speak boldly and passionately about choices they've made - about sex, children, love, and work - and explore what's working and what is not. Their essays - always provocative, honest, witty, and wise - are the culmination of the lessons of the past two decades, the "me" years and the therapy years, the years that have taught women to express themselves and acknowledge their needs. As celebratory as they are critical, these brilliant essays reflect the truth about life.

The audio contains the following essays, written and read by the contributors:

• Introduction - Cathi Hanauer
• "Getting the Milk for Free" - Veronica Chambers
• "Crossing to Safety" - Jen Marshall
• "Moving In. Moving Out. Moving On." - Sarah Miller
• "Papa Don't Preach" - Kerry Herlihy
• "I Do. Not.: Why I Won't Marry" - Catherine Newman
• "Killing the Puritan Within" - Kate Christensen
• "My Mother's Ring: Caught Between Two Families" - Helen Schulman
• "Attila the Honey I'm Home" - Kristin van Ogtrop
• "The Myth of Co-Parenting: How It Was Supposed to Be. How It Was." - Hope Edelman
• "Daddy Dearest: What Happens When He Does More Than His Half?" - Laurie Abraham
• "Crossing the Line in the Sand: How Mad Can Mother Get?" - Elissa Schappell
• "Married at 46: The Agony and the Ecstasy" - Nancy Wartik
• "The Fat Lady Sings" - Natalie Kusz
• "What Independence Has Come to Mean to Me: The Pain of Solitude. The Pleasure of Self-Knowledge." - Vivian Gornick

©2002 Cathi Hanauer (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Thoughtfully introspective, honorably truthful, and candidly self-revelatory essays that feel less like contemporary feminist rhetoric and more like late-night, soul-searching conversations between best friends.... The writing is superb: smart, sassy, and honest.... [A] must-read for every woman, be she mother or daughter, wife or lover, sister or girlfriend." ( Booklist)

Thought provoking

Ever wonder if you should have made different choices? Been braver? Done things different? This book offers a peek into the lives of successful women, living enviable lives. The reader gets to see the choices they made, the cost, and gives a rare glimpse into their souls.

Fun, interesting, loved it!

I loved these chapters which are like short stories of these women's lives. Each author reads her own chapter, and they are great voices to listen to. I could relate. You will love this audio book. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, makes you think, and leaves a lasting impression. How did they find such good authors? Really really good.

It didn't solve anything but I'm more sympathetic

I wanted to consume this hoping to learn how to win an argument; to assemble a "BITCH Blaster" as if it where something I could build and test at home from a Popular Mechanics magazine article. feminism is only briefly mentioned throughout but then in the end as something that was misunderstood. If you want empathy listen to the whole thing but if you want a conclusion that is there the review chapter 15. I was listening at one and a half speed because it suits the expression of the narrators angst but be validated by how irrational angry people seems

An exploration of self

I'm glad I read this book. As a man in my 40's, I've seen myself through other's eyes. I've also seen my partners. We all go through similar experiences in the search of understanding ourselves.

Unabridged?? Nope

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Mostly, the essays are honest, well written, and revealing. A few are whiny and annoying. To the woman whose chief complaint is that her husband does more than his share: OMG! Are you nuts?

If you’ve listened to books by the authors before, how does this one compare?

OK

Did Bitch in the House inspire you to do anything?

Yes, the essays are thought provoking, so that was inspiring, but the experience of listening to only half of what I know to be The Entire Book also now inspires me to bitch that what is advertised as unabridged is not; it's less than half the book.

Any additional comments?

Good grief, where's the rest of the book???

Such a relatable book that makes me feel like I’m not crazy at all for my daily thoughts

I loved the different perspectives and how they touched all of the intimate questions we ask ourselves in life

Self Indulgent

I never write reviews but this was horrible. I couldn't relate to these women. In fact, I hated them. If you are spoiled, self-absorbed and have a sport a healthy dose of self entitlement you may like this book. It was like a marathon of that Housewives of New York City reality show. Less important but equally annoying was the narration.