“Munson captures, with deepening poignancy and surprisingly good humor, the practical impossibility of remaining jujitsu-cool—denying anger and self-doubt—when her world appears to be coming apart at the seams.”

“Ever hear about the power of positive thinking? Ever wonder what it looks like in real life? Ever run up against some rocky places in your relationship that scare the crap out of you? If you answered yes, read this book. Now. I for one devoured it in 24 hours. It’s pure real-life illumination.”

“This is Not the Story You Think It Is” is true to its title. The book took me by surprise. I read it in one sitting and loved Munson’s tone, wit, wisdom and writing.”

“I cried and laughed so hard through these pages-often at the same time that I thanked God I was alone in the privacy of my bedroom. Laura Munson is my new heroine. The wisest, most soulful, kick-ass friend any woman who’s ever had grenades launched at her self-esteem or her belief in love could ask for. Read every page. To the end. And let it heal you to the bone.”

“Let me tell you what this book is about. This is a book about saying yes. It’s the story of Laura Munson’s alchemical ability to create abundance and bounty in the face of scarcity and abandonment—no small triumph. Munson’s account of the summer her marriage nearly fell apart is filled with gems big and small, from her Italian grandmother’s cooking advice (don’t stir backwards . . . you don’t want to undo the sauce) to her commitment not to suffer. Munson is a wonderful guide-wise, brave, and tenaciously honest.”

“Laura Munson’s powerful and buoyant book gives us wisdom in generous slices. But it is Munson’s abilities as a storyteller that show us how to discover how to find and feel the real wisdom that may arise from our lives, as messy and heart-breaking as they may be. Woman, wife, mother, neighbor–this fine writer converts her own life’s journeys into a series of vignettes so focused and compelling, so heart-breaking, sometimes so funny, that they resound with the force of parables.”

“It’s rare to read a story that is so deeply personal, so fraught with heartache, so nakedly honest, and at the same time infused with such astute wisdom. In a world that is increasingly disposable, plastic, where our self-worth is so often determined by external factors, Laura Munson has served up a whopping portion of sanity. This book has the potential to start a cultural revolution.”

“With amiability, wit, and a modicum of self-pity, Laura Munson’s memoir reminded me of the twenty-one jars of organic tomato sauce she and her children hand-made. A chapter is like a jar lid: if it doesn’t pop as the contents cool, the seal is faulty and the sauce is worthless. Exhausted from their all-day effort, mother and kids sipped hot chocolates and listened as twenty-one jars cooled. To their satisfaction, they counted twenty-one distinct pops. In reading this brave memoir I counted about the same.”