Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir

Roz Chast, born in 1954 in Brooklyn, New York, is an American author and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. In her 2014 memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Chast reflects on her childhood in Brooklyn, revealing that she doesn’t have fond memories of that time. Raised as the only child of George and Elizabeth Chast, whose families came to America from Russia, she had a close bond with her father and a turbulent relationship with her mother. In her memoir, Chast explores her upbringing and family dynamics: As she cared for her parents during the final years of their lives, she delved into her complex relationships with them.

Chast received a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1978, at just 24, Chast became one of the contracted artists on The New Yorker magazine’s roster. Her work has also appeared in numerous other publications, including The Village Voice, National Lampoon, and Harvard Business Review. Chast has written and illustrated various books, of which her memoir Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? is her most famous. She is celebrated for her unique illustration