"Cracking Up" is a girrrlbook written in the form of a letter by that growling girrrl in me who cannot tell a lie. Oh yes, that "girrrl" is really a fully grown woman who will now recollect almost all the peculiar advice she has received regarding: "What makes a young girl a successful woman?" The medium for this recollection is that oh-so-antiquated vehicle called "the Letter." Sometimes, within this letter, you'll find a furtive missive, a pithy quote, or a direct note of warning. Other times, the reader will be invited to use her imagination to invent an alternative future-as if her own life depended on disentangling herself from some dastardly spell. But, remember, each story told is absolutely true. Each bit of counsel was actually uttered under the benign auspices of wanting to direct me toward true fulfillment as a female. So, please readers, and especially my nieces, pay close attention or bear the consequences!