In a market flooded with memoirs of depression and dysfunction, Jill Ciment's Half a Life stands out as a lively, life-affirming remembrance of a slightly warped girlhood. After her father loses the last vestiges of his sanity, the family finally throws him out. Forced to fend for herself throughout a fatherless childhood, Ciment endures heroically. By turns comic, tragic, and heart-rending, Half a Life artfully avoids recrimination and sentimentality. Jill Ciment is the most likable autobiographer around--brutally honest, delightfully mischievous, and most importantly, big-hearted. In this month's issue of Bold Type, the author contributes a sneak peak at her next novel, titled Teeth of the Dog. Send us comments Photo of Jill Ciment © copyright Kenneth Chen