Don't Kill the Birthday Girl

A beautifully written and darkly funny journey through the world of the allergic.Like twelve million other Americans Sandra Beasley suffers from food allergies. Her allergiessevere and lifelonginclude dairy egg soy beef shrimp pine nuts cucumbers cantaloupe honeydew mango macadamias pistachios cashews swordfish and mustard. Add to that mold dust grass and tree pollen cigarette smoke dogs rabbits horses and wool and its no wonder Sandra felt she had to live her life as Allergy Girl. When butter is deadly and eggs can make your throat swell shut cupcakes and other treats of childhood are out of the questionand so Sandras mother used to warn guests against a toxic frosting-tinged kiss with Dont kill the birthday girl!It may seem that such a person is not really designed to survive as one blunt nutritionist declared while visiting Sandras fourth-grade class. But Sandra has not only survived shes thrivednow an essayist editor and award-winning poet she has learned to navigate a world in which danger can lurk in an unassuming corn chip. Dont Kill the Birthday Girl is her story. With candor wit and a journalists curiosity Sandra draws on her own experiences while covering the scientific cultural and sociological terrain of allergies. She explains exactly what an allergy is describes surviving a family reunion in heart-of-Texas beef country with her vegetarian sister delves into how being allergic has affected her romantic relationships exposes the dark side of Benadryl explains how parents can work with schools to protect their allergic children and details how people with allergies should advocate for themselves in a restaurant.A compelling mix of memoir cultural history and science Dont Kill the Birthday Girl is mandatory reading for the millions of families navigating the world of allergiesand a not-to-be-missed literary treat for the rest of us.