After carrying these stories in her head for years, Alison decided to lighten the load by putting them in a book. Drawing on her belief that real life is more interesting than fiction, she recounts moving, funny, sappy, and occasionally illegal experiences in this collection of short stories from childhood and beyond.

Alison initially described her book to friends as a "bathroom reader" they could pick up and enjoy one story at a time for as long as they were seated. She was quickly corrected by an editor who renamed it a "coffee shop reader" alternatively enjoyable in a public venue.

Either way, this sometimes funny, and moving collection of recollections is sure to make you believe too that real life often is more interesting than fiction.