The title of this post is one of my favorite lines from elna Baker's book The new York regional Mormon singles Halloween dance.- I cannot wait for the perfect opportunity to say this line to someone But I digress. I love this book and the author is one of my favorite storytellers from the moth/risk/this American life podcasts. She is (was?) A single mormon living in new York. This is a collection of stories about her life and thoughts durring her mid to late twenties. I love this book. I read it about once a year and I always get something out of it. Elna is a comedy writer but her comedy is more like mike birbiglia instead of bill Cosby, kinda slow and more funny in a sadish way. although I have never been single in ny (nor was I really single very long in my adult life) I can relate to her struggles in so many ways.. even if they are slightly different for me. Elna is known as the chubby funny one in her life, a role I seem to step into no matter what company I keep.
The core of the book is about her beliefs kinda. Most of the book she's trying to be in the world and of it a little bit while also keeping in line with what she has grown up with. For her the big issue is (was?) sex. As she puts it "since I dont have sex the longest relationship I was able to maintain was 4 weeks and that was only because the guy was out of town for 2 week." So in the book she'll go back and forth between wanting to have sex and her relationship with God. At one point in the book she states that she feels like she's riding two horses that are getting further and further apart. I can not tell you how many times I have felt that way trying to keep myself in line with my beliefs while simultaneously trying not to be "the weird one who should be interrogated." this book could've been written about me in high school (abd every so often after) if you replace the sex temptation with alcohol.
However this book is not all sad and deep religious turmoil. One of favorite stories is of the time Elna decided that for Halloween she was going to go as a fortune cookie. During the train ride to the dance the costume becomes disfigured and it's hilarious. (I suggest looking up a video of her telling that story after you read it.) However although this is a "Mormon" book (kinda) make no mistake it is written by a Mormon like me so there is swearing and some other such lauguage although its not super prevalent most of the time.
I love this book Especially if I am questioning my choices in life or the church a little ( I sometimes have an existential crisis like every couple years not like a kate kelly crazy pants but a small personal one) and this book always gives me hope and encouragement. (Although the sad post script to the story is elna left the church and abandoned all the beliefs she holds to in this book shortly before/after the john delin excommunication as she is often on his Mormon stories podcast. ) I have heard a lot of people feel like in her storytelling and this book that elna whines in a "I'm mormon so I can't but I really want to" way..
So give it a chance. If anyone does I want to hear about it. Until then off to find another book...
P.s. I linked one of her older bits. Its hilarious and although it is one of the stories in the book it'll give you an idea of how she sounds and acts.
https://youtu.be/lBvVBXpV8tI
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