Mary Rodgers

Jesse Green

The memoirs of Mary Rodgers—writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and “a woman who tried everything.” “What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931–2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent’s overwhelming talent, to become not just a theater star but also a renowned author of books for young people (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the chairman of the Juilliard School. But in telling these stories—with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from her coauthor, Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times—Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms. Both an eyewitness report from the Golden Age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don’t make anymore—and never did. They make themselves.

The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

'Mary careens across these pages with her usual wit, wisdom and honesty' - Julie Andrews 'Having had the pleasure of meeting Mary Rodgers personally its so wonderful to read her story in her own words . . . I couldn't put it down' - Elaine Page '[A] thoughtful chronicle of one woman's journey through experience to understanding - and a lot of fun to read' - The Washington Post 'Pure pleasure . . . jaw-droppingly shocking' - Daniel Okrent, The New York Times 'Mary Rodgers's book has a humour and honesty that is very rare in entertainment memoirs'. - Sir Tim Rice The wonderfully funny, candid and outrageous NYT bestselling memoirs of Mary Rodgers - writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and 'a woman who tried everything.' Mary Rodgers was the daughter of Richard Rodgers, who, with Oscar Hammerstein, wrote some of the biggest musicals of the 20th century-from Oklahoma! and Carousel to South Pacific and The King and I. Shy is the story of how Mary went from angry child, constrained by a self-absorbed mother and her father's overwhelming gift, to finally living life on her own terms-falling in love, often unwisely, marrying twice, having six children, and forging a career of her own. Through her long and rich life Mary grabbed every chance possible-and then some. Her musical Once Upon A Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. She was the renowned author of the much-loved Freaky Friday books, as well as a close friend and collaborator of Stephen Sondheim, falling in love with him at 13 over a game of chess. She also dated producer Hal Prince and worked alongside composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. With copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from Mary's collaborator Jesse Green, the chief theatre critic of The New York Times, the result is laugh-out-loud funny and frequently moving. Above all, Shy is a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don't make any more. They make themselves.

The memoirs of Mary Rodgers—writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and “a woman who tried everything.” “What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931–2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent’s overwhelming talent, to become not just a theater star but also a renowned author of books for young people (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the Chairman of the Juilliard School. But in telling these stories—with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from her coauthor, Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times—Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms. Both an eyewitness report from the Golden Age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don’t make anymore—and never did. They make themselves.

The award-winning journalist recalls how he became a sudden parent when he fell in love with a man who had recently adopted a son, in a thoughtful memoir of gay parenthood. Reprint.

An Unexpected Journey to Parenthood

The Velveteen Father

If you still believe the myth that financing and owning a house will make you money, the funny, thorough, and well-researched "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the Happy Homeowner" will show you the light. From "sociopathic neighbors who teach their dogs to pee on your mailbox" to revealing statistics about the house-pushing industry, "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the Happy Homeowner" grabs hold of all the things your bank and real estate people told you and rips them open to reveal the evil within. With jokes. "Open House: Debunking the Myth of the "Happy Homeowner" pulls no punches, turning the common wisdom about houses on its ear and making a strong case that buying a house might be the most serious financial mistake most people ever make. "Insightful and witty. Like an enema for the real estate industry. Wear your rubber boots and gloves." -- H.W. "Required reading for any potential home buyer. But if you already own a house you might want to avert your eyes." -- S.G. "Is this even a real book? I can't believe anyone is allowed to publish this kind of garbage. An abuse of the first amendments." -- S.T. "Screw you, a**hole! If I ever find you I'll beat your f*ing a**!!!" -Anonymous Facebook fan. From the book: "Given that buying a house is the largest financial commitment most people ever make, it seems a bit odd that the purchase is usually entered into based on false assumptions, inadequate information and bizarre -even delusional- financial expectations. Most people shuffle forward in a zombie-like daze on the path to house buying as if there were no other options available and being chained to a life-draining mortgage was the human equivalent of an infinite supply of zombie "braaaaains." Why are the real facts about financing and maintaining a house so surprising when (to be frank) all the information in this book was just sitting there and mostly what we've done is pull it together for you and add snotty comments? There was no initiation ritual, no scouring the depths of the "Deep Web," no dark alley interviews with cloaked whistle blowers wearing masks. You can find most of this stuff yourself using Google. In fact, once the spell is broken, you can just listen to the nonsense spewed by the house-pushers and notice how carefully they dance around the facts.: You can figure out the truth by what they don't say and how they don't say it. But only if you are listening. Why aren't we listening?"

Debunking the Myth of the Happy Homeowner

Open House

A gay New York stage designer thinks he finds "Mr. Right" in his straight roommate, and as they develop an oddly comfortable relationship that includes every intimacy except sex, their friendship takes a sudden turn. A first novel. Reissue.

Jesse Green

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