Featuring . . . This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson

This Friday and every Friday for the next couple of months, I will be featuring a book that was published under the Amy Einhorn Books imprint. I am starting with the 2009 books and will spotlight them in alphabetical order by year.

According to the publisher's website, Laura Munson's memoir, This Is Not the Story You Think It Is, started out as an essay in the New York Times. The response was so great that the commenting feature crashed the newspaper's website. Take a look at the publisher's summary:

What did Munson write that caused such a fervor?

Laura detailed what happened when her husband of more than twenty years told her he wasn't sure he loved her anymore and wanted to move out. And while you might think you know where this story is going, this isn't the story you think it is. Laura's response to her husband: I don't buy it.

In this poignant, wise, and often funny memoir, Munson recounts a period of months in which her faith in herself--and her marriage--was put to the test. Shaken to the core after the death of her beloved father, not finding the professional success that she had hoped for, and after countless hours of therapy, Laura finally, at age forty, realized she had to stop basing her happiness on things outside her control and commit herself to an "End of Suffering." This Is Not The Story You Think It Is . . . chronicles a woman coming to terms with the myths we tell ourselves--and others--about our life and realizing that ultimately happiness is completely within our control.

I have always believed that our happiness depends only on ourselves, but I have also realized that it is easy to forget and difficult to put into practice. I can't wait to share Munson's journey to self-acceptance and happiness.

Here's how Munson describes her experience:

The original "Modern Love" essay, published by the New York Times in July 2009, is still available and gives you a preview of what to expect in the book.

Almost every review I've read of this memoir has mentioned that Munson's story makes readers think not only about their marriage or relationship but also about the nature and attainment of personal happiness. Sounds like a must-read to me.

This book was featured as part of the Amy Einhorn Books Reading Challenge (click to join the fun). For information about the imprint, please read Amy Einhorn's open letter posted here on January 25, 2010.

This Is Not the Story You Think It Is at an Indie

This Is Not the Story You Think It Is at Powell's
These links lead to affiliate programs.

Published by Putnam/Amy Einhorn, April 2010
ISBN-13: 9780399156199