ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you want to write this book?
I thought, What is the theme that runs through these?
And pathetically and accurately, I pinpointed that pretty much my life has been this quest for approval.
Credit: Sharon Schuster
But my life has also been an evolving relationship with approval.
What do the kids say?
Oh yeah, IDGAF.
See, youre a kid, I forgot the vowel in the front.
Or Donald Trump says he doesnt care, right?
I mean he… anybody who dares to criticize him gets nasty pictures of his wife put on Twitter!
I think theres something very disingenuous about literally all people who say that they dont care about anyones approval.
It makes you work hard.
But also, you sort of ended up having one, although not at his behest.
You write about doing this thing called the Kaya Kalpa, which you call the Mt.
It was absolutely crazy.
The part that, in a way, makes it empirically unbelievable is when my hands froze.
I meannothinglike that has ever happened to me before or since.
That experience included, youre very open in the book.
And you know whats funny?
My husband hasnt read it yet.
Why did you want to be so open?
There needs to be consideration of other peoples feelings.
So while yes, I was very open, I didnt share it all.
Why hasnt your husband read it yet?
He hasnt even read drafts?
I think he read a couple of chapters.
He read one chapter, and an iteration of another chapter that changed many times.
It gives him no pleasure to know how unhappy I was in my first marriage.
A hallmark of his, well, faith in me.
I do know he will read it on his own time.
After all, its an implicit love letter to him.
What did you learn about yourself throughout your writing process?
By that definition, I must be wildly successful!
But I guess my hesitation in saying Im so resilient is Im not Cheryl Strayed.
I dont think its a bad thing.
I think our need for approval is fundamental, and I think its human.
Im not going to pretend like it doesnt.
And then of course, seeking it from myself.
Ill never get complacent.
I am my own toughest critic.
