In this celebration of imperfection, Katie Roiphe turns her exacting gaze on the surprisingly narrow-minded conventions governing the way we live now. Is there a preoccupation with 'healthiness' above all else? If so, does it lead insidiously to judging anyone who tries to live differently? Examining such subjects as the current fascination with Mad Men, the oppressiveness of Facebook ('the novel we are all writing'), and the quiet malice our society displays towards single mothers, Roiphe makes her case throughout these electric pages. This is a razor-sharp, wickedly entertaining and unapologetic defense of 'the messy life'.