Wear Sunscreen: A Primer for Real Life

Looking for the answer? It's Sunscreen!

Ten years after the initial publication of her "sunscreen speech," the advice in Mary Schmich's Wear Sunscreen: A Primer for Real Life (Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, $9.99) is still heartfelt and touching, demonstrating the timeless quality of the knowledge she shares. Written as an imagined graduation speech, it begins, "Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience." But the advice that follows, based on that meandering experience, transcends scientific knowledge by insightfully probing the heart of what it means to truly experience life.

Timeless Words of Wisdom

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
• Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
• Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is about as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
• Do one thing every day that scares you.
• Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Schmich's clever composition started as a column in the Chicago Tribune but soon became an international sensation. Before long, Wear Sunscreen became a phenomenon, prompting a Billboard hit song by Baz Luhrmann, a YouTube video that has been seen by millions of viewers, and a book that has sold more than 230,000 copies. And now here's the tenth-anniversary edition of Wear Sunscreen: A Primer for Real Life, complete with an introduction by Mary Schmich and full of advice that is honest, funny, and inspiring, making it the perfect gift for graduates—and everyone else! Because, let's face it, we could all use a little advice sometimes!

Sample Interior Pages

About Mary Schmich

Mary Schmich is a columnist at the Chicago Tribune. And, for pure indulgence, she writes the comic strip Brenda Starr. Mary lives in Chicago.

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Contact: Kathy Hilliard, (800) 851-8923, ext. 6741, khilliard@amuniversal.com

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Wear Sunscreen: A Primer for Real Life

By: Mary Schmich
ISBN: 978-0-7407-7118-7
Format: Hardcover: 4 1/2 x 4 1/2, 64 pages
Price: $8.98 ($9.99 Canada)