Synopses & Reviews
The author of
Passages, a book that changed millions of lives, now lays bare her own life passages in a captivating memoir that reveals her harrowing and ultimately triumphant path from groundbreaking 1960s "girl" journalist to fearless bestselling author who made a career of excavating cultural taboos—from sex, menopause, and midlife crisis to illness, caregiving, and death. Daring to blaze a trail in a "man's world," Gail Sheehy became one of the premier practitioners of New Journalism at the fledgling
New York magazine, along with such stellar writers as Tom Wolfe, Gloria Steinem, and Jimmy Breslin. Sheehy dared to walk New York City's streets with hookers and pimps to expose violent prostitution; to march with civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland as British soldiers opened fire; to seek out Egypt's president Anwar Sadat when he was targeted for assassination after making peace with Israel; and to break the glass ceiling in a media world fueled by testosterone, competition, and grit.
Daring: My Passages is also the beguiling love story of Sheehy's tempestuous romance with Clay Felker, the charismatic creator of New York magazine and the mentor who inspired her to become a fearless journalist who won renown for her penetrating character portraits of world leaders, including Hillary Clinton, both Presidents Bush, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, among others.
Sheehy reflects on desire, ambition, and wanting it all—career, love, children, friends, social significance—and coming to terms with waiting until midlife to achieve it all. With candor and humor, she describes her early failures; the pain of betrayal in a first marriage; her struggles as a single mother; the flings of an ardent, liberated young woman; the vertigo of becoming an internationally bestselling author; her adoption of a second daughter from a refugee camp; the poignant account of Clay's decline; and her ongoing passion for life, work, and love.
Fascinating and no-holds-barred, Daring: My Passages is a testament to guts, resilience, and smarts, and offers a bold perspective on all of life's passages.
Review
“Here, [Sheehy] looks back on her remarkable life with unflinching candor.” O, the Oprah Magazine
Review
“Daring is an inspiring portrait of a resilient woman who fought hard to live an authentic life, and won.” More.com
Review
“[R]emarkable ... a fascinating narrative with Gails voice, breathless and intense, as she tries to make sense of everything shes doneher work, her travels, her wild giddy adventures, her sometimes intensely painful experiences.” Vanity Fair
Review
“Sheehy gives readers a distinct glimpse into some of the most important events of the last 40 years, and, for many, this will be enough reason to read on. Her perspective on the womens movement and the decline of print journalism is especially compelling.” Library Journal
Review
“Its familiarity captivates. ...The book is a thorough remembrance of [Sheehys] life . . . her entire life. And shes had a big life.” East Hampton Star
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“The love story of two superstars in the final great moment of American magazine journalism.” Tom Wolfe, journalist & bestselling author
Review
“Gail Sheehys work always combines the care of a scholar and the sensibility of a novelist. Her memoir is a thrilling read.” Erica Jong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fear of Flying
Review
“Daring by Gail Sheehy is the anecdotal life of a pioneering and hardworking journalist who plunges into everything with energy and curiosity. After a lifetime of writing about other people, she takes on the most difficult assignment - herself. Its an irresistible read.” Gloria Steinem
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“Gail Sheehy says that what she cares about most is honesty, and this remarkable memoir is proof. ...I dare you to put it down. I couldnt.” Meredith Vieira, journalist and news correspondant
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“Gail takes us behind the scenes of New York magazine as only one who was there could do.” Milton Glaser, cofounder of < i=""> New York <> magazine
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“An astonishing book! ...Those were the days, my friend; we thought theyd never end. They did, but Gail Sheehy brings them alive again.” Richard Reeves, lecturer, syndicated columnist, and author
Review
“Ardent, approachable, forthright, and empathetic ... a riveting account of one womans exhilarating trajectory, a page-turning, powerhouse testament to resilience, perseverance, and hope.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“[Sheehys] exuberance leaps off the page as she maps out her professional highs - interviews with world leaders, her best-seller Passages - against the backdrop of a failed first marriage and her decades-long relationship with New York magazine founder Clay Felker. A-” Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
The author of the classic New York Times bestseller Passages returns with her inspiring memoir a chronicle of her trials and triumphs as a groundbreaking girl journalist in the 1960s, to iconic guide for women and men seeking to have it all, to one of the premier political profilers of modern times.
Candid, insightful, and powerful, Daring: My Passages is the story of the unconventional life of a writer who dared . . . to walk New York City streets with hookers and pimps to expose violent prostitution; to march with civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland as British paratroopers opened fire; to seek out Egypt s president Anwar Sadat when he was targeted for death after making peace with Israel.
Always on the cutting edge of social issues, Gail Sheehy reveals the obstacles and opportunities encountered when she dared to blaze a trail in a man s world. Daring is also a beguiling love story of Sheehy s tempestuous romance with and eventual happy marriage to Clay Felker, the charismatic creator of New York magazine. As well, Sheehy recounts her audacious pursuit and intimate portraits of many twentieth-century leaders, including Hillary Clinton, Presidents George H. W. and George W. Bush, and the world-altering attraction between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Sheehy reflects on desire, ambition, and wanting it all career, love, children, friends, social significance and lays bare her major life passages: false starts and surprise successes, the shock of failures and inner crises; betrayal in a first marriage; life as a single mother; flings of an ardent, liberated young woman; her adoption of a second daughter from a refugee camp; marriage to the love of her life and their ensuing years of happiness, even in the shadow of illness.
Now stronger than ever, Sheehy speaks from hard-won experience to today s young women. Her fascinating, no-holds-barred story is a testament to guts, resilience, smarts, and daring, and offers a bold perspective on all of life s passages."
Synopsis
The author of the classic
New York Times bestseller
Passages returns with her inspiring memoir—a chronicle of her trials and triumphs as a groundbreaking “girl” journalist in the 1960s, to iconic guide for women and men seeking to have it all, to one of the premier political profilers of modern times.
Candid, insightful, and powerful, Daring: My Passages is the story of the unconventional life of a writer who dared . . . to walk New York City streets with hookers and pimps to expose violent prostitution; to march with civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland as British paratroopers opened fire; to seek out Egypts president Anwar Sadat when he was targeted for death after making peace with Israel.
Always on the cutting edge of social issues, Gail Sheehy reveals the obstacles and opportunities encountered when she dared to blaze a trail in a “mans world.” Daring is also a beguiling love story of Sheehys tempestuous romance with and eventual happy marriage to Clay Felker, the charismatic creator of New York magazine. As well, Sheehy recounts her audacious pursuit and intimate portraits of many twentieth-century leaders, including Hillary Clinton, Presidents George H. W. and George W. Bush, and the world-altering attraction between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev.
Sheehy reflects on desire, ambition, and wanting it all—career, love, children, friends, social significance—and lays bare her major life passages: false starts and surprise successes, the shock of failures and inner crises; betrayal in a first marriage; life as a single mother; flings of an ardent, liberated young woman; her adoption of a second daughter from a refugee camp; marriage to the love of her life and their ensuing years of happiness, even in the shadow of illness.
Now stronger than ever, Sheehy speaks from hard-won experience to todays young women. Her fascinating, no-holds-barred story is a testament to guts, resilience, smarts, and daring, and offers a bold perspective on all of lifes passages.
About the Author
Gail Sheehy is the author of seventeen books, including the classic New York Times bestseller Passages, named one of the ten most influential books of our times by the Library of Congress. A multiple-award-winning literary journalist, she was one of the original contributors to New York magazine and has been a contributing editor to Vanity Fair since 1984. A popular lecturer, Sheehy was named AARP's Ambassador of Caregiving in 2009.