Cool, Calm, and Contentious

��his is so well written. [When a book like this] comes along, it��, like, ��hank you!��What a great way to spend an afternoon, an evening, reading these essays. . . . Absolutely great.����on Stewart

��Merrill] Markoe is easily as funny as David Sedaris. She�� capable of manic riffs and acerbic skewering. Still, her good nature shines through.��i>��he Washington Post

In this hilarious collection of candid essays, including two pieces new to this edition, New York Times bestselling author Merrill Markoe reveals much about her personal life��s well as the secret formula for comedy: Start out with a difficult mother, develop some classic teenage insecurities, add a few relationships with narcissistic men, toss in an unruly pack of selfish dogs, finish it off with the kind of crystalline perspective that only comes from years of navigating a roiling sea of unpleasant and unappeasable people, and��oil���ou��e funny! Cool, Calm & Contentious is honest, unapologetic, sometimes heartbreaking, but always shot through with Merrill Markoe�� biting, bracing wit.

��his has been a great year for funny women. . . . Let�� call Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling exhibits A and B. Both owe a debt to those who came before, including Merrill Markoe.����i>The Boston Globe

��arkoe�� goal is to find the absurdity in everyday life. That, coupled with her sharp wit, makes her writing sublime.����i>BookPage

��augh-out-loud humor.��i>��ampa Bay Times

��ot only crazy-funny, but crazy-heartbreaking.��i>��he New York Times