Awards
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2012 Powell's Staff Top 5s
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Staff Pick
Chloe Caldwell's raw, gritty essay collection is one hell of a seething mess, but in a really good way. Really. Bald fear, lust, despair, and addictions run rampant in this particular slice of Caldwell's life, but her love of writing and words somehow trumps the stark ugliness with something like grace. Powerful and touching, Legs Get Led Astray is a tiny bomb that will break you, but make you happy in the process, and leave you awestruck at the end. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Legs Get Led Astray is a provocative collection of essays that vividly rockets the reader through one young woman's life. Chloe Caldwell beautifully and bluntly escorts you through her childhood dreams, her first loves, her most unguarded sexual exploits, bookstore crushes, babysitting jobs, heartbroken wanderlust, and the suicide of a lost lover. Caldwell's writing remarkably explores the genre of personal nonfiction and has been featured in The Rumpus, The Faster Times, and Mr. Beller's Neighborhood, The Nervous Breakdown, and Everyday Genius.
Review
"Chloe Caldwell's Legs Get Led Astray is a scorching hot glitter box of youthful despair and dark delight. Tender and sharp, wide-eyed and searching, these essays have a reckless beauty that feels to me like magic." Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, Torch, and Tiny Beautiful Things
Review
"Prepare to shed skin. Chloe Caldwell's essays will dare you to dissect your own life. Shot-through with sexuality and sass, her language will get up in you and turn you inside out in the best possible way." Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Chronology of Water
Review
"These true stories are raw and heartfelt...gems galore." Poe Ballantine, author of Things I Like About America
About the Author
Chloe Caldwell is a nonfiction writer living in upstate New York. Her essays have appeared in The Rumpus, Chronogram, The Frisky, The Sun Magazine, SMITH Magazine, Jewcy, Mr. Beller's Neighborhood, Vol 1. Brooklyn and Freerange Nonfiction. She writes a column for The Faster Times called "Love and Music."