Parnassus Books is thrilled to offer our customers the opportunity to pre-order signed and/or personalized copies of Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott. Bomb Shelter will be published on April 12, 2022. Read on for important ordering information, as well as more details about the book!
All pre-orders can be signed or personalized by Mary Laura Philpott at no additional cost. If you would like your book personalized, please include exactly how you would like the author to personalize your book in the comments section of your order. The deadline for pre-orders is April 11, 2022.
More about Bomb Shelter
From Mary Laura Philpott, “writer of singular spark and delight” (Elizabeth Gilbert) and bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink, comes a poignant and powerful new memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope — or as she puts it: “Am I here to tell you we’re all going to die? Yes. Am I here to give you a pep talk along the way? Also yes!”
A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe.
Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound — and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can’t know for sure what’s coming next?
Leave it to the writer whose critically acclaimed debut had readers “laughing and crying on the same page” (NPR) to illuminate what it means to move through life with a soul made of equal parts anxiety and optimism. (And while she's at it, to ponder the mysteries of backyard turtles and the challenges of spatchcocking a turkey.)
Hailed by the Washington Post as “Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one,” Philpott returns in her distinctive voice to explore our protective instincts, the ways we continue to grow up long after we’re grown, and the limits — both tragic and hilarious — of the human body and mind.
Advance Praise for Bomb Shelter
"An unforgettable memoir about holding it together when it’s time to let go, Bomb Shelter met me exactly where I am and gently walked me towards humor and hope. This book is a must read—a treasure to savor now and save for always. I loved it.” —Glennon Doyle, Author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Untamed and Founder of Together Rising
“Each of these powerful, beautifully written essays is like a tiny grenade aimed straight at the heart. Mary Laura Philpott is a trustworthy guide, ushering us through the magnificent, harrowing terrain of being human. Trust me: You will laugh, you will cry. You will fall in love with her voice.” – Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Inheritance
“Witty, inspiring and piercingly honest, this book will pull you in and it won’t let go. Mary Laura Philpott has the gift of making the ordinary extraordinary as she invites you to reflect and laugh. You’ll leave these pages with a deeper appreciation for this exceptional and explosive thing we call life.” – Tembi Locke, author of New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection From Scratch
"Bomb Shelter is a gorgeous, gut-wrenching memoir that drew me in immediately. Mary Laura Philpott puts words to the human condition in a life-affirming, joyful, and surprisingly funny way -- even as she leaves readers in tears. I'm blown away." —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
More about Mary Laura Philpott
Mary Laura Philpott, author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink (2019) and Bomb Shelter, writes essays that examine the overlap of the absurd and the profound in everyday life. Her writing has been featured frequently by the New York Times and appears in such outlets as the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Paris Review Daily, O the Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, and more. A former bookseller, she was also the Emmy-winning co-host of an interview program on Nashville Public Television for several years. Mary Laura lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.
