I Keep My Worries in My Teeth

Book excerpt: This dazzling and sublimely funny debut follows three unforgettable characters--a widow, a factory worker who bites pencils for a living, and a teenage punk--fighting back after life kicks them in the teeth. Esther, Frankie, and Ruth live in a small Ohio town anchored by the thriving Juliet Pencils factory. After a freak accident at the plant, these women have to re-create their lives using the only tools they've got: wits, molars, and a new pair of shoes ... As the town unravels, Ruth spearheads a massive campaign to refocus on its future, but nothing will succeed until Ruth lets go of her past. This hilarious and redemptive story explores three women's liberation amid a tumult of grief, loneliness, and first love.