You know when you meet someone new, and they seem nice and funny and smart, and then you find out they have a totally fucked up family situation? That happened after I met Jennifer Mascia, who works at The New York Times and is really awesome and wrote a really amazing memoir called Never Tell Our Business to Strangers. It’s the story of her life with her parents, both now deceased. When Jennifer was five her dad was arrested by the FBI, and the rest of her childhood was basically spent on the lam. Later, in her early twenties, she discovers the truth about her father’s crimes, and they’re much darker and more horrible than she ever imagined. It’s a fascinating story and a great read, and I am continually amazed at her strength and her talent. She’s reading this Sunday at Sunny’s in Red Hook if anyone cares to join me, and of course, you should buy her book. (The cover is a photograph of an actual needlepoint pillow. So great.)