Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home

"Funny, generous, thoughtful, and wonderfully crisp, Dickinson's memoir is one of those tales that make you proud to be a human--with all of our hopes, failures, and graces intact."― Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl "Dickinson deftly recounts [her story] truthfully but without trespassing on family members' privacy...Her warm and generous spirit makes a reader feel as though they've been invited in for hot cocoa on a cold day."― Booklist (starred review) "Amy Dickinson has written a simply wonderful memoir. It is courageously honest and touching, but most of all, hilarious and laugh-out-loud funny. She tells us what it is like to be human, to love and to lose and keep going, no matter what. This book is a life-affirming love letter to small town America and the true meaning of family and community. I couldn't have loved it more!"― Fannie Flagg, New York Times bestselling authorof Can't Wait to Get to Heaven "[An] honest, funny memoir...especially potent when it comes to the blending of families...[a book] that won't disappoint."― Real Simple "A wonderful memoir of what family and home mean in these complicated times. Amy Dickinson will captivate you with her wit, wisdom, and honesty."― Delia Ephron,author of Siracusa "Wryly sincere and poignant...Dickinson remains an engagingly chatty, witty, and relatable writer with sage insights."― Kirkus Reviews "This book is a truth machine. A laugh machine. An I-needed-that-kick-in-the-ass machine. Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things is absolute proof that the best stories don't just entertain us; they reveal us. And lift us. Wherever you are in your life, you need this book."― Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestsellingauthor of Heroes for My Daughter "This is awkward, because the characters in this book are real people, but I'm going to say it anyway: I love the people in this book. Jane! Bruno and the daughters! And Amy, who is very tough on herself, and funny and wise; I especially love her because she is a wonderful writer. Plus, she sings in the church choir. Plus, there is a line on p. 169 that makes me laugh every time I think of it. Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things is a terrific memoir."― Jane Hamilton, bestselling author of A Map of The World "Poignant and revealing."― Bustle, Best Nonfiction Books of the Month "Dickinson makes you believe in the ageless gift of love....In Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things, she is...making room for us to make our own mistakes, to leave the house with our hair unbrushed, to fall in love in a rush, to fall off the tightrope during that awkward blending family stage, and then to climb back on, quietly triumphant."― Beth Kephart, The Chicago Tribune "'Real life doesn't always reveal itself as neatly as a question sent in to an advice columnist,' Dickinson admits. But the heartfelt honesty of her entertaining narrative--rife with contemporary dramas to which many readers will relate--makes for a compelling, hopeful portrait of a woman coming-of-middle-age with wit, aplomb and authenticity."― Shelf Awareness "You can't go home again. But you should consider moving to Amy Dickinson's hometown. The Village of Freeville may not have a Starbucks but it's got Venti grace, kindness, and wisdom."― Mo Rocca, CBS Sunday Morning "Amy Dickinson's Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things is a very funny, whip-smart, charming, and addictively engaging memoir. I felt myself wanting to jump into the pages and be with all of Amy's people, and of course Amy. The wisdom she is well known for is present on every page without knocking you over the head. This is a book you will want to read and give to the people you love (and maybe the people you aren't so crazy about)."― Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of You Had Me at Woof Amy Dickinson is a syndicated advice columnist. She replaced Ann Landers in 2003 and now pens the "Ask Amy" column, which appears in more than 100 newspapers nationwide, including the LA Times , the Chicago Tribune, Newsday , the Boston Herald , the St. Louis Post Dispatch , and the Washington Post . She currently lives in Chicago.