Ada Calhoun - Why We Can't Sleep

Ada Calhoun - Why We Can't Sleep

Thursday, Feb 06, 2020 6:00 PM

Location:
The Lola
621 North Avenue NE D-100, Atlanta, GA 30308

The Lola and A Cappella Books welcome bestselling author of “Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give,” Ada Calhoun, for a discussion and signing of her acclaimed new book, “Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis.”

“Why We Can’t Sleep” has been selected as the first title to launch The Lola’s new book club in January, and members will receive a 10% discount on their purchase of it from A Cappella Books.

A generation-defining exploration of the new midlife crisis facing Gen X women and the unique circumstances that have brought them to this point, “Why We Can’t Sleep” is a lively successor to “Passages” by Gail Sheehy and “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay.

This event is free to members of The Lola. Non-members may attend for an admission price of $5, which may be used towards their purchase of the book at the event. The venue will host a cash bar with wine and beer for attendees. 

Please RSVP and/or purchase your ticket at Eventbrite below:

If you are unable to attend the event, you may pre-order a signed copy of the book for in-store pickup or delivery below:

About the Book

When Ada Calhoun found herself in the throes of a midlife crisis, she thought that she had no right to complain. She was married with children and a good career. So why did she feel miserable? And why did it seem that other Generation X women were miserable, too?

Calhoun decided to find some answers. She looked into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages, and divorce data. At every turn, she saw a pattern: sandwiched between the Boomers and the Millennials, Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age, problems that were being largely overlooked.

Speaking with women across America about their experiences as the generation raised to “have it all,” Calhoun found that most were exhausted, terrified about money, under-employed, and overwhelmed. Instead of being heard, they were told instead to lean in, take “me-time,” or make a chore chart to get their lives and homes in order.

In “Why We Can’t Sleep,” Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X’s predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in. The result is reassuring, empowering, and essential reading for all middle-aged women, and anyone who hopes to understand them. 

About the Author

Ada Calhoun is the author of the memoir “Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give,” named an Amazon Book of the Month and one of the top ten memoirs of 2017 by W magazine; and the history “St. Marks Is Dead,” one of the best books of 2015, according to Kirkus and the Boston Globe. She has collaborated on several New York Times bestsellers, and written for the New York Times, New York, and The New Republic.