Letters from My Sister

Eve and Faye’s correspondence began with a simple letter about a bad job interview or bad hair day, seeking comfort from hundreds of miles away. As their adult lives unfolded, gender roles, career choices, and family relationships became fair game, subject to both scrutiny and hilarity as the Ledermans lovingly ridicule everyone in their path.

In one letter, Faye laments, “Every time I apply mascara before an interview my eyelashes get all clumped together. I’m afraid if the interviewer catches my profile he’ll think I’m applying for the position of prostitute.” In another, Eve ponders their father’s ineptness. “If Mom left for the weekend, she’d return home to find Dad emaciated on the floor, tin cans strewn around with bite marks.”

Ultimately, the sisters reassure each other that they are not alone in their search for the ultimate man (“a big, buff, macho, kind, sensitive, feminist”), the ideal job, or the perfect hair removal method. The Ledermans emerge as feisty, independent women who confront their femininity but aren’t confined by it. Instead, they are able to laugh long and hard at themselves, enticing and empowering readers to do the same.

Eve Lederman’s essays have appeared in the New York Times and her play, Let It Come Down, is in development. She is also a monologist and has performed with The Moth, The Liar Show, and The Museum of Jewish Heritage. Her live storytelling is featured on her CD Going Public.

Faye Lederman is a documentary filmmaker. She and Eve co-directed A Good Uplift about a bra shop on the Lower East Side, broadcast on PBS. Faye also produced Women of the Wall about feminism in Israel and is currently shooting Missed Conceptions. Eve and Faye live in New York, New York.

“A warm slice of life on the edge, with an edge. A thoroughly enjoyable tale of urban escapades.” —Michael Molyneux, staff editor, City section, The New York Times

“A racy conversation worth wiretapping and an uproarious celebration of free speech.” —Matthew Cooper, former White House correspondent, TIME magazine

“An entertaining and tantalizing literary lap dance.” —Wayne Fisk, director of programming, ABC Broadcasting

“If you loved Bridget Jones’s Diary, this is the New York gal’s version. An addictive and delicious read, and a wonderful exploration of what it means to become a woman, a sister, a friend, a daughter . . . and ultimately a grown-up.” —Alysia Reiner, actress, Orange is the New Black

“Before Girls, there were girls, like the hilarious Eve and Faye, sussing out the world and themselves with heart and wit. The sisters have written a very funny and poignant book.” —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask