Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English

WHERE AM I NOW?

Mara Wilson

Essays

WHERE AM I NOW? is a hilarious, insightful, daringly honest collection of personal essays that introduces Mara Wilson--a former child actress best known for her starring roles in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire--as a brilliantly funny and relatable chronicler of the experience that is growing up young and female.

Mara Wilson has always felt a little young and a little out of place: as the only child on a film set full of adults, the first daughter in a house full of boys, the sole clinically depressed member of the cheerleading squad, a valley girl in New York and a neurotic in California, and one of the few former child actors who has never been in jail or rehab. Tackling everything from how she first learned about sex on the set of Melrose Place, to losing her mother at a young age, to getting her first kiss (or was it kisses?) on a celebrity canoe trip, to not being "cute" enough to make it in Hollywood, these essays tell the story of one young woman's journey from accidental fame to relative (but happy) obscurity. But they also illuminate a universal struggle: learning to accept yourself, and figuring out who you are and where you belong. Exquisitely crafted, revelatory, and full of the crack comic timing that has made Mara Wilson a sought-after live storyteller and Twitter star, WHERE AM I NOW? introduces a brilliant and bold new literary voice.

More about MARA:
Mara has a huge following, especially among the young, smart female readers who have made Lena Dunham and Roxane Gay's essay collections major bestsellers. Her sharp, funny tweets get picked up everywhere from Refinery 29 and Jezebel to The Huffington Post and Time.com. She was one of the most famous child actors of the 90s, and nearly everything she does seems to generate coverage, from talking to teens about mental illness to a reunion with a Matilda co-star to Where Are They Now-style listicles. (One on Seventeen.com was shared 15,000 times.) Since we announced the acquisition, her book has been mentioned in no less than ten articles, in places like Yahoo News, The Huffington Post, and Longreads.com. Mara is connected to tons of writers, celebrities and media people—a small sampling would include Roxane Gay, Lindy West, John Green, Rainbow Rowell, Neil Gaiman, Jessica Valenti, Mallory Ortberg, and Megan Amram.

Mara Wilson is a writer, playwright, actor and storyteller perhaps best known as the little girl from Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and Matilda. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, she regularly appears at live storytelling and comedy shows, including her own, What Are You Afraid Of?. Her writing can be found on Jezebel, The Toast, McSweeney's, The Daily Beast, and Cracked.com. A voice actor on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, she will guest star on upcoming episodes of Broad City and BoJack Horseman. She lives in New York City. Author Site: marawilsonwritesstuff.com, Twitter: @MaraWritesStuff (230,000 followers); Facebook: Mara Wilson Writes Stuff (99,000 followers)

Available products
Book Published 2016-09-13 by Penguin (Trade Paperback)
Book Published 2016-09-13 by Penguin (Trade Paperback)

Comments

The coolest girl to ever dump Hollywood.

Wilson is more compelling as an adult than she was a child. Her writing is sharp, funny, and critical of the film industry and expectations placed on women who live their lives in public.

Growing up, I wanted to BE Mara Wilson. I always loved that she portrayed strong characters, especially as a female, even as a young child. Where Am I Now? is a delight.

You don't have to be a fellow neurotic Jew who grew up in Southern California to adore this book. Though Mara Wilson’s childhood was unique, the themes of Where Am I Now? are universal.

Former child star Mara Wilson has grown up to be a moving, funny, and thoughtful storyteller. Well, not up. As I understand it, she's still approximately the same height.