“Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein” by Julie Salamon

My sister Kathleen turns 50 years old tomorrow, December 16. This is fascinating to me because I still think of her as my little sister, circa 1976, when she was 9 years old and I was 13. She was always smiling brightly, while I was always pouting suspiciously. She had peppy blonde hair like Jan and Marcia Brady, while I hid under my chestnut locks. She was always the tap dancing extrovert to my book-reading introvert on any family occasion. However, one of the things we always had in common was our love of the playwright Wendy Wasserstein. From the time we were very little our dad took us to see live theatre, and Wasserstein’s plays were among our favorites because they were not only smart but also incredibly witty. I remember the first time I saw “The Heidi Chronicles” I got the chills because I knew I was watching something special, like no other play I had ever seen before. In November, my sister started reading “Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein,” by Julie Salamon. I picked up the book this week from the library and started reading it too. The youngest of 5 children, Wasserstein won the Tony Award and Pulitzer Price for “The Heidi Chronicles.” Her nearly four-decade long career in theatre boasted 11 plays, including “Uncommon Women and Others,” “The Sisters Rosensweig,” “Isn’t It Romantic” and “An American Daughter.” She was a prolific writer with one of the strongest and most distinct voices in American theatre during her lifetime. Then, at the age of 48 she surprised many people by having a baby on her own, and then unexpectedly died at 55 in 2006. She left behind a daughter named Lucy, and a legacy of characters that should never be forgotten for how they opened the door wide for many feminists to follow boldly in their footsteps. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.