Help Yourself

Three scalding stories from the bestselling author of American Wife.

Sittenfeld’s wryly hilarious and insightful new collection, Help Yourself, illuminates human experience and gracefully upends our assumptions about class and race, envy and disappointment, gender dynamics and celebrity.

Suburban friends fall out after a racist encounter at a birthday party is caught on video and posted on Facebook; an illustrious Manhattan film crew are victims of their own snobbery when they underestimate a pre-school teacher from the Mid-West; and a group of young writers fight about love and narrative style as they compete for a prestigious bursary.

Connecting each of these three stories is Sittenfeld’s truthful yet merciless eye, as her characters stagger from awkwardness, to humiliation and, if they're lucky, to reconciliation. Full of tenderness and compassion, this dazzling collection celebrates our humanity in all its pettiness and glory.

Trei povesti fierbinti de la cel mai bine vandut autor al American Wife. Noua colectie hilara si inteligenta a lui Sittenfeld, Help Yourself, lumineaza experienta umana si ne completeaza cu gratie ipotezele despre clasa si rasa, invidie si dezamagire, dinamica de gen si celebritate. intalnirea rasista la o petrecere de ziua de nastere este surprinsa pe videoclip si postata pe Facebook; o ilustra echipa de film din Manhattan este victima propriului snobism atunci cand subestimeaza un profesor prescolar din Mid-West; si un grup de tineri scriitori se lupta pentru dragoste si stil narativ in timp ce concureaza pentru o bursa de prestigiu. Conectarea fiecareia dintre aceste trei povesti este ochiul adevarat, dar nemilos al lui Sittenfeld, in timp ce personajele ei se clatina de la stangacie, la umilinta si, daca au noroc la impacare.