This Week, I'm Reading...

Tracy Flick Can't Win, by Tom Perrotta

I never read Tom Perrotta’s Election, but I’ve seen the movie starring a young Reese Witherspoon, which—as of last viewing, at least—was hilarious. So I knew Tracy Flick, the title character of this sequel coming 25 years later and, reportedly, soon being made into a movie starring—who else?—Reese Witherspoon. No longer a highly aspirational high school student, Tracy is assistant principal of a high school in New Jersey, which, if you know her character, is already worth a giggle. This book has been excellent vacation reading—a quick gallop with several laugh-out-loud funny moments. It’s also complex, interesting, and ultimately surprising. I won’t give away the plot; I’ll just say that even if your dream isn’t, like Tracy’s, to become president someday, if you’re of a certain age you’ll appreciate the theme of the deep work of acceptance that comes with middle age.

What are you reading this week? Let us know in the comments section below!