Sophie Johnson

Discover a transformative reframing of intimate relationships with practical steps to build community and combat the loneliness epidemic in this bold and warmhearted blend of memoir and social science in the vein of When You Care and Big Friendship. Doesn’t it seem like there simply isn’t enough time to take care of ourselves, our families, and our to do lists? Even when we’re partnered and surrounded by friends, we’re often too afraid of burdening others to ask for help. So how do we survive today’s age of overwork and stress, and who can we turn to for the support we need to stay afloat? Now, writer and cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson offers a radical answer to our age of overwhelm in Kin. With richly reported stories and insights from psychology and sociology, Lucido Johnson explores the importance of our closest relationships (beyond the nuclear family) and provides the tools to forge kinship: relationships built on emotional support, physical care, and shared resources. From asking for help on a grocery run, to choosing to have roommates later in life to combat loneliness, to living in modern day “mommunes” of single mothers sharing bills and responsibilities, Kin shows the vast range of kinship structures she and others are thriving in—and how to build your own community of support.

A vibrantly illustrated collection of cat-related proverbs and idioms collected from around the world—by the New York Times bestselling author of Tiny But Mighty and Cats of the World, beloved by millions online as the Kitten Lady. There’s more than one way to get the job done, or as they say in Finland, “There are many ways, said Grandma, while wiping the table with a cat. . . .” In this charming, gift-worthy collection, renowned kitten rescuer, humane educator, and author Hannah Shaw shares 60 feline-focused phrases gathered during her worldwide travels as an animal advocate. Perfect for cat lovers, language nerds, and avid travelers, Cat Got Your Tongue? presents each saying in its native language along with an English translation, a simple explanation of its meaning and use, and a delightful illustration by New Yorker cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson. For example: • Portuguese: “Quem nao tem cao caça com gato” or “One who has no dog hunts with a cat” (we must make do with the resources we have). • Yiddish: “Vern zol fun dir a blintshik, un di kats zol dikh khapn,” or “May you turn into a blintz and be snatched by a cat” (a curse expressing ill will). • Dutch: “De kat op het spek binden,” or “tie the cat to the bacon” (to forbid something that’s very tempting, like kids with a cookie jar). Featuring proverbs from India, France, China, Malaysia, Türkiye, Holland, and many more—in languages from Arabic to Spanish—this enchanting little book reveals the central role that cats play in cultures everywhere, whether to impart a wise piece of advice, insult a rude neighbor, or as they say in Romania, to “look like the cat at a calendar” (appear very confused).