For the first time in my life, someone stood me up.
At age twenty-seven, Mindy Tsai breaks up with her long-time college boyfriend and starts an odyssey that continues to this day.
Where will she live? What does she like to do with her life?
These questions never occurred to her before. Realizing she is lost and unwell, Mindy spends the next fourteen years putting the pieces of her life together. She doesn’t seek fulfillment in a relationship with another man, but instead, she learns to find contentment in herself and with her friends. When she finally feels it is time to start dating again, she is forty-one, and the experience is awkward.
I’m with Me details Mindy’s journey as a Taiwanese-American woman learning to navigate her place in life. As one of the 47 million unmarried women in the U.S., Mindy Tsai is living proof that a woman can live joyfully and meaningfully alone. Although not accepted as the ideal, being single has great advantages. I’m with Me shows there is more than one right way of going through life.
Readers’ Impressions
Loved this book! Heartfelt, authentic, and hopeful.
“I very much loved reading this book. I really enjoyed reading about what it is like to be single and happy. All of us have a unique journey and there is no one single path to happiness. I loved how Mindy shared her journey with all the twists and turns but throughout there was a common theme of happiness that comes from within which Mindy had all along. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about cultivating your own inner joy. A must-read, I loved it!” – NK
Authentic, heartfelt and so well-written
“This book is an authentic portrayal of the author’s life as a single woman – she has a beautiful way of sharing her thoughts, insecurities, dating adventures and personal joys. I finished the book in a couple of days and found it very engaging. Single, married, or in-between – everyone will find experiences that resonate. Heartily recommend!” – Zahida
I forgot I wasn’t having a private conversation with the author
“Mindy Tsai writes about dating — and her life — in such an authentic, compelling way that I felt like we were two friends having a deep conversation over a coffee or as if the book was reading itself to me! It’s serious, then gently humorous at just the right time. Anyone who has dated will recognize the remarks that signal a date going sour. The uniqueness of her having schizophrenia is countered by experiences with friends and family that many of us can relate to. I admired Ms. Tsai’s strength in coming to terms with her single life. (Yet often nothing so tempts the Universe to change as when you declare you’ve accepted things as they are today…whatever happens in the coming years, I hope the author writes about it!)” – Ruth
Acknowledgments
In early 2019, the idea to write my second memoir was born. When some skeleton material was written, Elizabeth Brinsfield and Tracy Quinn McLennan gave me their honest first impressions. There was not enough there, and I had to work on it more. When I had a fuller draft, my four female beta readers—Mehek Bapna, Sofia Bapna, Wendy Shieh, and Maria Mutch—provided valuable critiques, validated my message and encouraged me to continue. Elizabeth Brinsfield, my developmental and copy editor, helped me transition from a rough draft to a cohesive story with better clarity. Lastly, Hilary Crist, my final editor, helped me pull it all together into the final structure, form, and shape. Thank you all for being part of my writing journey.
To my Rachels, Michaels, and family, I am grateful and blessed to have you in my life. Without you and your love, I wouldn’t be able to tell this story.
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