When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win: Reflections on Looking in the Mirror
Leifer uses her background in stand-up comedy to good effect in her collection of easy-to-read, column-length pieces that range from her finding her lesbian sexual identity at 40 (“If I don’t sleep with a woman soon, I think I’ll kill myself”) to her childhood disappointment at her dad’s “bargain” gift of a cheap Babblin’ Barbara doll instead of the A-list Chatty Cathy she yearned for. Babblin’ Babs was “a train wreck reeking of cheap Taiwanese sweatshop child-labor plastic . . . a speech-impaired whore . . . you didn’t want to play with as much as rush her to the emergency room.” Along the way she offers breezy observations on Jews celebrating Gentile holidays à la Jews for Jesus—“like vegans for Burger King”—and her heartfelt conversion to animal adoption that led to her current household of seven dogs, all rescues that have changed everything: “My life without loving animals is unimaginable to me now. It’s like living without air, without music.” All in all, Leifer presents a charming mix of outrageous fun shot through with poignant affirmation. --Whitney Scott--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.