The Balloon Lady and Other People I Know

by Jeanne Marie Laskas

This is the first title in a new series Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction. This collection of sixteen essays encompasses a wide range of fascinating Tom Cruise, Geraldo Rivera, the woman who pilots balloons, the man who trains and races pigs and many other extraordinary people. Jeanne Marie Laskas is a highly talented story teller who looks at the world from her unique perspective.

Genres: Nonfiction

178 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Jeanne Marie Laskas is an American writer and professor.

From 1994 until 2008 she was a regular, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, where her "Significant Others" essays appeared weekly. She has written feature stories for GQ, where she is a correspondent. Formerly a Contributing Editor at Esquire, her stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including Best American Sportswriting. She also is the voice behind "Ask Laskas" in Reader's Digest and writes the "My Life as a Mom" column for Ladies' Home Journal.

A professor in the creative writing program at the University of Pittsburgh, she lives in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her writing! This is a collection of articles that focus on seemingly ordinary people who do or have done amazing things. Sometimes the "amazing" is just because she delves into what seems ordinary on the surface (like bargemen working on the Mon River). Other times, she focuses on ordinary people who have a myriad of interesting adventures in their pasts that no one would even guess. My favorite chapters were "Our Barbies, Our Selves," "The Balloon Lady," "The Slinky Lady," and "A Garden in Winter." There are so many poignant moments, but they are all blended with sensitivity and humor. Her writing makes me see life in a different way, and if a writer can elicit that reaction from anyone, it's a huge accomplishment.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd forgotten I'd read this until I saw it in Becky's "To Read" list. I read this in university, and found it quite interesting. If I recall correctly, this sparked a desire to stop and meet random people to pull out their unique story. As, after reading this, you start to feel everyone -must- have some fascinating tale to tell!

[Connie Gunderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like JML. This just a collection of stories about interviews she's done, like with the people who invented the Slinky company (still manufactured here in the good old US of A) as well as the eponymous Balloon Lady. It wasn't zomg-good but it was pretty good.

[Tommy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly my favorite donut of the dozen.