Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives

The world is pretty anxious-making these days, so reading a book in which the author wrestles with their own anxiety might seem counterintuitive, but having read (and loved) Mary Laura Philpott’s debut essay collection, I Miss You When I Blink, I knew I was in the safest of safe hands. In Bomb Shelter, Philpott takes all the fear/messiness/worry of being a human/parent/child and makes it... not all better, necessarily, but lighter. Less lonely. And funny! This is a warm, reassuring hug of a book for any worrier who could use one. Recommended By Tove H., Powells.com

From the bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink and "writer of singular spark and delight" (Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author) comes a poignant and powerful new memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope.

A lifelong worrier, Philpott always kept an eye out for danger, a habit that only intensified when she became a parent. But she looked on the bright side, too, believing that as long as she cared enough, she could keep her loved ones safe.

Then, in the dark of one quiet, pre-dawn morning, she woke abruptly to a terrible sound — and found her teenage son unconscious on the floor. In the aftermath of a crisis that darkened her signature sunny spirit, she wondered: If this happened, what else could happen? And how do any of us keep going when we can't know for sure what's coming next?

Leave it to the writer whose critically acclaimed debut had us "laughing and crying on the same page" (NPR) to illuminate what it means to move through life with a soul made of equal parts anxiety and optimism (and while she's at it, to ponder the mysteries of backyard turtles and the challenges of spatchcocking a turkey).

Hailed by The Washington Post as "Nora Ephron, Erma Bombeck, Jean Kerr, and Laurie Colwin all rolled into one," Philpott returns in her distinctive voice to explore our protective instincts, the ways we continue to grow up long after we're grown, and the limits — both tragic and hilarious — of the human body and mind.

"This quirky work has a lot of heart." Publishers Weekly

"Philpott gently guides the reader with humor and familiarity through life's terrain, letting her readers know if she can do it, we can do it." LitHub's Most Anticipated Books of 2022

"Each of these powerful, beautifully written essays is like a tiny grenade aimed straight at the heart. Mary Laura Philpott is a trustworthy guide, ushering us through the magnificent, harrowing terrain of being human. Trust me: you will laugh, you will cry. You will fall in love with her voice." Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Inheritance

"Witty, inspiring, and piercingly honest, this book will pull you in and it won't let go. Mary Laura Philpott has the gift of making the ordinary extraordinary as she invites you to reflect and laugh. You'll leave these pages with a deeper appreciation for this exceptional and explosive thing we call life." Tembi Locke, New York Times bestselling author of From Scratch

Mary Laura Philpott, author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink, writes essays that examine the overlap of the absurd and the profound in everyday life. Her writing has been featured frequently by The New York Times and appears in such outlets as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Real Simple, and more. A former bookseller, she also hosted an interview program on Nashville Public Television for several years. Mary Laura lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.