She Wants to Get Drunk with Oprah

Weeks: During the process of writing your newest book entitled Moose, what was the most fun part?

Klein: Going through all my old camp stuff I save since childhood. I got to read all the letters my friends sent me and things I wrote in my diary since starting it at age eleven. I had saved all the little bits of paper and fight songs and personal elements. Revisiting that age was a lot of fun and it was shocking to see how advanced my thoughts were back then.

Weeks: What do you hope people will take away from reading Moose?

Klein: I want readers to see that the childhood identity they still hold onto is a choice. They can either discount it or accept it and move on. It’s a choice they can make. Like, I was always the fat girl and I held onto that for way to long. Today I can tell my emotions, “No way. I’m not that girl anymore. I’m beautiful and I’m confident.” I hope women will show their confidence and won’t be afraid of coming off as self-absorbed. But it seems many women still don’t know how to take compliments because they have low self-esteem. Self-esteem isn’t just about the “self.” It affects others too. For those of us who have children, we are models for their attitudes and self-esteem.

Weeks: If you could have dinner tonight with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Klein: Oprah. Definitely Oprah. I’m sorry that it seems like a typical answer, but I think she’s fascinating—where she comes from, the strides she makes to change people’s lives, how she believes in herself. She’s a real inspiration. I’d love to get drunk with Oprah—that’d be great conversation!