Water Cooler Diaries
evolved from a national project in which over five-hundred women
across the country and from all walks of life chronicled a
single day in their lives—March 27, 2007. The result is a
collection of featured and excerpted "day diaries" reflecting a
diversity of job highs and lows, water-cooler drama, and
laugh-out-loud moments. In early reviews, Publisher’s Weekly
calls the book, "… both fascinating and eye-opening. "
Booklist writes, "Skimming through this collection is not a
good idea. There are sentences that will make readers stop,
laugh, tear up, nod, and otherwise savor common and
out-of-the-ordinary experiences."
Bruce, age 47 and from
Waldorf, Maryland, heard about the book project through a
call for submissions early last year to women in the world of
boxing. ""Wanda’s day diary includes everything from
dealing with signing a new heavyweight to having hot flashes—all
on the same day," says series creator and editor Joni B. Cole,
who selected Bruce’s entry to feature in the book, and
interviewed her as part of the project. "Her contribution is
wonderful, real, and funny," emphasizes Cole. "She’s an
inspiration for all women, not just those in sports."
In addition to sharing a glimpse
into women’s professional boxing, Water Cooler Diaries
also allows readers to go behind the scenes with a hot new
fashion designer trying to keep her business afloat; a
McDonald’s manager who is also captain of her pro football team;
and a trauma surgeon who has to piece together the pelvis of a
teenager who forgot to wear his seatbelt, among many others. The
book makes a point to mix the mundane with fame, including day
diaries from model and actor
Angie Everhart, television chef Sara Moulton, race car
driver Sarah Fisher, and "SnakeBabe," a.k.a. Maria Gara, billed
the world’s sexiest magician.
In soliciting hundreds of women to
share a day in their lives, Cole and her partner in the project,
B.K. Rakhra, advised contributors to simply write their
activities, thoughts, and feelings throughout the day, without
censure or second guessing. The result of this relatively simple
exercise, Cole explains, "is a window into a woman’s head and
heart, including all those fleeting insights, observations, and
meaningful moments that are usually lost in the multi-tasking
madness of an ‘ordinary’ day."
Collectively, these day diaries also
provdes a freeze-frame of twenty-four hours in history,
revealing everything from what is at the top of our national
consciousness, to the day’s headlines, to the most popular
brands of the moment.
While Cole uses the term "day
diaries" to describe the book’s content, she emphasizes
that—unlike traditional journals—these intimate, first-person
accounts are meant to be shared with the public. Part of the
mission of the This Day book series is to allow readers to see
women beyond their outward labels; to understand the individual
behind the job title or stereotype. "Outward labels may be
accurate," Cole says, "but they are always inadequate. By
sharing another woman’s perspective, even for just one day, you
not only see where she’s coming from, but also how much we have
in common."
In March, Water Cooler Diaries
will share shelf space in the bookstores with the first two
volumes of the This Day series: This Day in the Life, Diaries
from Women across America (2006); and This Day: Diaries
from American Women (2004). In a starred review,
Publishers Weekly wrote about This Day in the Life,
"There is not one piece in this compilation that is not
captivating."
People magazine concurred, "The ensemble resonates
with drama, humor and pathos. This is one unremarkable day
you'll wish could go on forever." By Amy
Greene/Press Release
