Love Is a Four-Letter Word : True Stories of Breakups, Bad Relationships, and Broken Hearts

by Taeckens, Michael; Pollack, Neal

• ISBN13: 9780452295506
• ISBN10: 0452295505
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-28
• Publisher: Plume

Summary

From Junot Díaz, Lynda Barry, Gary Shteyngart, and Kate Christensen to popular up-and-comers like Dan Kennedy, Wendy McClure, and Brock Clarke, Love Is a Four-Letter Wordis a dead-on contemporary collection of true stories of seduction, heartbreak, and regret. Fearlessly revealing their shattered hearts and crushed egos; their indiscretions and indignities; their delusions, desperation, and disappointments, these talented writers capture the dark side of love in prose ranging from comic to poetic, poignant to cringe-inducing. Also featuring three cartoon/ graphic essays as a sixteen-page color insert, this anthology is perfect for anyone who’s ever loved and lost.

Author Biography

Michael Taeckens is the publicity director for Algonquin Books and received his MFA from the Iowa Writers-' Workshop.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xv
Homecoming, with Turtle	p. 1
The Last Man on Earth	p. 8
Trans	p. 24
Exactly like Liz Phair, Except Older. And with Hypochondria.	p. 40
Shadow Dancing	p. 49
Runaway Train	p. 62
Conversations You Have at Twenty	p. 85
Twenty-five to One Odds	p. 106
The First Time	p. 120
The Book of Love and Transformation	p. 129
Texas	p. 145
Love and War Stories	p. 149
Leave Me Something When You Leave Me	p. 161
The Story You Will Tell	p. 169
Marking Territory	p. 180
The Rules of Repulsion	p. 190
Head Lice and My Worst Boyfriend	p. 203
Why Won't You Just Love Me?	p. 214
Dear Ugly, Dear Fatso	p. 218
Just Like the Movies	p. 219
Scout's Honor	p. 237
This Guy Who Was My Boyfriend for Like Three Weeks	p. 259
I Love You in Twelve Languages	p. 271
About the Authors	p. 291
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