Monkeyface is the story of a life well-lived by an extraordinary woman, now in her 80s, who says that her greatest weakness and strength are one and the same: "You always know where you stand with me." Judith Podell tells her stories with a mixture of honesty and wit, describing growing up in New York City, the joys, and perils of parenting, succeeding in sales in the male-dominated 1970s, and the complex emotions of growing up Jewish in America.

Judy candidly describes her one true love (and the men she didn't sleep with), her sometimes difficult relationships with her siblings, and her fears and failures as a parent. Through it all runs her Jewish identity, a source of pride and vulnerability in these turbulent times. That Judy is able to communicate deep ideas and feelings, often in fewer than 1,000 words, takes her memoir to another, highly entertaining, level.