Understanding the "Why" Chromosome

Cathy #17

by Cathy Guisewite

"My job isn't to revolutionize anything. My job is to give women a sense of relief, to acknowledge what they're struggling with." -Cathy Guisewite Like women around the globe, Cathy has been constantly puzzled by her romantic relationships. From Irving to Simon to Alex, the men in Cathy's life have provided a never-ending source of confusion and amusement ever since the strip began in 1976. "If men's hair falls out," our weary heroine laments, "it's because there's nothing in there for it to hold onto." It's no wonder, then, that cartoonist Cathy Guisewite's Cathy collection should be called Understanding the "Why" Chromosome . In this hilarious book, Cathy outdoes herself in witty revelations about men, food, Mom, and Cathy's four basic guilt groups. Cathy epitomizes the highs and lows felt by distaff women throughout the world. In Understanding the "Why" Chromosome , Cathy's found a new a boyfriend who's a decade younger than she. Fitness fanatic Alex, who's sensitive and not particularly ambitious, introduces Cathy to an entirely new relationship angst, then introduces her to his hip, young mother. Cathy's baffled by the age difference, but is just as stumped when he proposes. "What's wrong with our relationship the way it is now? "she wails when Alex finally pops the question. Throughout her trials and tribulations, Cathy's friends keep her sane. There's happily married Charlene, the office loudspeaker; exhausted Andrea, mother of Zenith and Gus; her well-meaning mom and dad; Cathy's unrealistic boss, Mr. Pinkley; and bouncy little Electra, Cathy's canine alter ego. Her frequent and frustrating shopping excursions also give rise to an enormous wave of female recognition "Skip the clothes and just shove a Stairmaster through the curtain," Cathy deadpans. Cathy Guisewite is an enormously talented cartoonist who has won numerous awards for her strip and animated television shows. Her countless fans trust Cathy to constantly express the right blend of humor and observation almost as if she had x-ray vision into the human condition.

Genres: Humor, Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Cathy Lee Guisewite is the cartoonist who created the comic strip Cathy in 1976. Her main cartoon character (Cathy) is a career woman faced with the issues and challenges of work, relationships, her mother and food, or as Guisewite herself put it in one of her strips, "The four basic guilt groups."

Guisewite was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Midland, Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. Guisewite received her bachelor's degree in English in 1972. She also holds seven honorary degrees.

In 1993, Guisewite received the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society. In 1987, she received an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program for the TV special Cathy, which aired on CBS. Guisewite was a frequent guest in the latter years of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Guisewite and her husband Chris Wilkinson reside in Los Angeles. She has a daughter and a stepson.

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read this part of Cathy before and I really enjoyed it!

[Melissa Lee-Tammeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another for the collection - Cathy always makes me smile

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Female life humor, from a past time, Cathy has a seemingly complicated, upside-down life. Today's young women would. most likely, not be able to relate to her.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cathy dates a guy ten years younger than her. And it actually lasts quite a while. Go figure.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always nice to get away from the real world and deal with cartoon problems.