Lauren Wein oh so generously read early pages and pointed me toward Sarah Burnes, the agent of any writer’s dreams, fulfiller of mine. Sarah’s irrational exuberance for the manuscript sent me back to work in an effort to make it more like the book in her mind. She’s a fierce advocate, fair fighter, and the fairy godmother we all want in our corner.
At Holt, Caroline Zancan’s genuine respect for the work that comes before her translates into a kind of physician’s oath of editing, First do no harm. At the same time, she pushes for clarity, complexity, and originality. The many other magic-makers at Holt include Kerry Cullen, Maggie Richards, Ariel Cooper, Jason Liebman, Jessica Wiener, Gillian Blake, Molly Bloom, Meryl Levavi, Karen Horton, Tracy Locke, Vicki Haire, and, of course, Steve Rubin. Holt’s hospitality at every turn has made it feel like home.
For their forbearance and generosity in allowing me to share the most difficult part of their lives, I am grateful beyond words to Jake Pedersen and his family and to Ramya and Deepak Bhaskaran.
And finally, my deepest gratitude goes to my family for their patience with my absence during the many stolen moments it takes to make anything, even a cake, definitely a book. Gracie and Gabriel, thank you for letting me try to capture you in words (doomed task if ever there was one). Brian Morton, my mate, infused this book with his faith that writing can bring humanity and humor and heart to a senseless world, in which we seek sense. Without him, there would be no story. With him, every story rings sweeter and more true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Harpham’s fiction, essays, and reviews have appeared in More magazine and Water~Stone Review. She’s written and performed multiple solo plays including a theatrical version of this material, also titled Happiness, and a piece about climate change titled BURNING. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and SUNY Purchase and has been a visiting artist at colleges and universities across the United States. Originally from Northern California, Heather lives along the Hudson River with her family. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Two Coasts
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
San Anselmo
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Brooklyn (briefly)
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Durham
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Home
Coda
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
HAPPINESS. Copyright © 2017 by Heather Harpham. All rights reserved. For information, address Henry Holt and Co., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.henryholt.com
Cover design by Karen Horton; cover photograph courtesy of the author
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Harpham, Heather Elise, 1967– author.
Title: Happiness: the crooked little road to semi–ever after: a memoir / Heather Harpham.
Description: First edition.|New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016040488|ISBN 9781250131560 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250131577 (electronic book)
Subjects: LCSH: Harpham, Heather Elise, 1967– —Health.|Newborn Infants—Diseases—United States—Biography.|Blood diseases in pregnancy—United States.|Blood—Transfusion.|Parent and child—Biography.
Classification: LCC RJ255 .H36 2017|DDC 618.3/6130092 [B]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016040488
First Edition: August 2017
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Author’s Note: This is a true story, though some names and details have been changed.
Happiness--A Memoir Page 29