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Power of observation: In Swim, Ruth makes a living helping high school students write college application essays. During her interview with Caitlyn, she observes: "Every sentence out of her sparkly pink seventeen-year-old lips came out sounding like a question. I could just imagine her sitting across from some third-world potentate and toying with the silver ring through the cartilage of her left ear. We'd like you to give up your weapons? Because biological warfare? Is bad?"
Misjudgment: Not judging a person based on his or her appearance is a theme in several of the stories. In one of my favorites, The Mother's Hour, suburban mom Alice befriends punk-rocker mom Victoria during a playgroup for their 2-year-olds. The friendship between two women from opposite sides of the social divide raises questions about child-rearing, marriage and the mindless judgments we all make.]]>
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