From comedian and journalist Faith Salie, of NPR's Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! and CBS News Sunday Morning, a collection of daring, funny essays chronicling the author's adventures during her lifelong quest for approval Faith Salie has done it all in the name of validation. Whether it’s trying to impress her parents with a perfect GPA, undergoing an exorsism in the hopes of saving her toxic marriage, or maintaining the BMI of “a flapper with a touch of dysentery,” Salie is the ultimate approval seeker—an “approval junkie,” if you will. In “Miss Aphrodite,” she recounts her strategy for winning the high school beauty pageant. (“Not to brag or anything, but no one stood a chance against my emaciated, spastic resolve.”) “What I Wore to My Divorce” describes Salie’s struggle to pick the perfect outfit to wear to the courthouse to divorce her “wasband.” (“I envisioned a look that said, ‘Yo, THIS is what you’ll be missing…even though you’ve introduced your new girlfriend to our mutual friends, and she’s a decade younger than I am and is also a fit model.”)
In "Ovary Achiever," she shares tips on how to ace your egg retrieval. (“Thank your fertility doctor when she announces you have ‘amazing ovaries.’ Try to be humble about it [‘Oh,these old things?’].”) And in “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me About Batman’s Nipples” she reveals the secrets behind Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! (“I study for this show like Tracy Flick on Adderall”). With thoughtful irreverence, Salie reflects on why she tries so hard to please others, and herself, highlighting a phenomenon that many people—especially women—experience at home and in the workplace.
Equal parts laugh-out loud funny and poignant, Approval Junkie is one woman’s journey to realizing that seeking approval from others is more than just getting them to like you—it's challenging yourself to achieve, and survive, more than you ever thought you could.
Approval Junkie had been on my to-read list for quite some time now. I personally struggle greatly with social and general anxiety disorder; so I was quiet interested in reading a book on a woman's experience in trying to please others, always seeking approval, caring too much. Faith Salie experiences are at time outlandish yet very relatable. Salie's experiences at first look may seem slight and silly, but truly hold valuable life lessons.
Her chapter titled the Howler Monkey I found quiet interesting, I loved how at first she perceived the call of a howler monkey as shrill and painful; which her ex-husband often referred her to as, but found a howler monkey all can be strong and powerful. Faith Salie speaks on the struggle with death, toxic relationships, and the female struggles with self-image. Her perspective is valuable to read to one's own life for guidance. The insecure questions we often find ourselves thinking are approached thoroughly within Salie’s book.
Faith Salie’s relationships are colorful yet wonderful, her loving relationship with her later mother can be funny and a little confusing, while her relationship with her brother David to be nurturing and goofy, and her relationship with her wasband or ex-husband was raw and flawed with its purpose. As to a quote from the text to sum up the feel of this rather entertaining book, "NOW I THINK I'M A LITTLE AFRAID OF WHAT THIS PENIS AND GOD WILL DO TO ME." I give a five out of five stars!!!
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