Lost and Found

March 1, 2011

A timely portrait of one woman's devastating loss and subsequent rise from the ashes of the Bernie Madoff scandal.

Roth (Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything, 2011, etc.) invites us into the socially uncomfortable discussion of money with ease and aplomb, despite her status as a self-proclaimed shirker of fiscal responsibility. Faced with financial ruin after losing her entire life savings to Madoff, the author delves into the often-illusory world of finances, the determination of "metric worth, both in the community and with one another...[as]...our collection of new, shiny things," and the opportunity to alter one's sense of what is "enough." She weaves between the humorous, as in the chapter entitled "Hyperventilating at Target," and the painful—"by the time I was eleven, I stopped longing for my father's attention and love...and learned how to use them." Roth relates her extensive experience as a self-help food guru to money with such ease that even the fiscal novice will understand just how uncomplicated the world of money can be—and how important it is to understand it. The author presents a literary one-stop-shop of financial responsibility, social awareness, eating disorders, sexism, spirituality and, above all, happiness.

An engaging exploration of the often intimidating world of personal finance.

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