Mara Altman enjoys writing about issues that embarrass her (e.g., chin hair), because she has found that putting shame on the page defuses the stigma, leaving her with a sense of empowerment and freedom. Her first book, Thanks for Coming, an investigation into love and orgasm, was translated into three languages. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, and New York magazine, among other publications. Before going freelance, Altman worked as a staff writer for The Village Voice and daily newspapers in India and Thailand. An alumna of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she lives in San Diego with quite a few other hairy beings.
Praise for Gross Anatomy
"I’ve wanted the language to discuss why I have been inveterately
disappointed with my sex and body since the day I looked a mirror
in the eye. Here is a book that will set you free, wake you up, and
get you on your own team. I am a woman, and I will now take
pleasure in allowing you to hear me roar."—Chelsea
Handler
“It's an honest, often hilarious look at women's bodies, how we
think of them, our practices, questions, embarrassments. It's all
on display, and Mara Altman is not shy about any of it.”—NPR’s All
Things Considered
“Delightfully crass...[Altman’s] level of research coupled with her
unique shade of humor sets her series of essays apart.”—Publishers
Weekly
“An endearingly outrageous attempt to demystify the female body
while shedding light on the causes of female corporeal
insecurities. A simultaneously funny and informative memoir about
the wonder of the human body.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Altman's bottomless curiosity and razor-sharp wit are a perfect
match for fans of Mary Roach and everyone frustrated or fascinated
by their mysterious vessel of flesh.”—Booklist
“Altman both contends with her feelings about her own body and
raises some cultural questions I've been pondering for a while...I
felt very seen by it. So in a way, it's not just [about] one woman.
It's [about] all of us."—The Forward
"Like microdermabrasion for the psyche, Mara Altman's delightful
collection removes the veneer of shame and stigma associated with
the messier aspects of womanhood. Pairs well with tweezers."—Ada
Calhoun, author of Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give
“Gross Anatomy anoints Mara Altman at once the Mary Karr of sweat,
the David Sedaris of head lice, and the Frank McCourt of nudist
resorts....What more could you ask for in a book?”—Sarah Knight,
New York Times–bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not
Giving a F*ck
“Mara Altman treads bravely where most humans dare not go: into the
slippery, icky, mushy corners of the collective human bod. She
comes out triumphant, concluding hilariously that not every aspect
of our bodies needs to be worshiped, purified, and/or plucked.
Sometimes bodies are just plain odd. I read this while shrieking,
laughing, and eating a bagel—as we bodies do.”—Tori Telfer, author
of Lady Killers
“Gross Anatomy is a charming, deeply-researched, whole-hearted
embrace of our imperfections, the things that women don't talk
about because we feel they mar our societally imposed notions of
femininity. But after reading Mara Altman's exploration of her body
(and ours) you'll feel more comfortable with yourself, from head to
toe.”—Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
“Forget that old fake news about sugar and spice. With wit and
candor, Mara Altman tells us what girls are really made of—and it's
a hair-raising revelation.”—Tom Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls
Get the Blues and Jitterbug Perfume
“I love how Gross Anatomy delightfully reveals Mara
Altman’s upbeat and life-affirming obsession with the human
body—our lovelinesses and not-so-lovelinesses. Lots of people
will soon feel far more body-positive because of this book.”—Jon
Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test
“Mara Altman boldly goes where no man has gone before. With this
collection of hilarious and honest stories, I’m hoping that will
change.”—Lesley Arfin, author of Dear Diary and
co-creator of Netflix’s Love
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