In this hilarious collection of essays, comedian Faith Salie reflects on the absurd hoops she's jumped through in order to win approval. From running in place in a darkened shower in Africa at 4 am to lose weight, to agreeing to an exorcism at the behest of her crazy ex-husband, to eating pig organs with Harrison Ford's son after her producers told her it would "make good TV", Salie has done it all in the hopes of achieving positive reinforcement from colleagues, friends, and her aforementioned ex (or as she calls him, "was-band"). With thoughtfulness and sarcasm, Salie reflects on why it is she tries so hard to please others, highlighting a phenomenon that many people--especially women-- experience at home and in the work place. Equal parts laugh-out loud funny and poignant, Approval Junkie is a humorous exploration into why it is that we so desperately try to please others at the expense of our own happiness"