Hello? Who Is This? Margaret?: Essays

5 Star Review 

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Editorial Book Review:

By SB Borcy

In Hello? Who Is This? Margaret?: Essays, Dani Alpert presents a collection that is deeply human, witty, and sharp, capturing the wonder and messiness of navigating life's unexpected turns. Alpert's voice is both distinctive and resonant as she transforms personal stories into universal reflections with unflinching honesty and a comedic edge. This work not only provides entertainment but also validates the courage required to embrace vulnerability, reinvention, and self-discovery.

While maintaining literary polish, Alpert's writing is distinguished by crisp pacing, satirical bite, and a rhythm that resembles spoken comedy. Her essays exhibit remarkable control over tone and narrative flow, seamlessly transitioning from laugh-out-loud absurdities to poignant truths. She uses hyperbole, irony, and self-deprecation with skill, resulting in a theatrical and intimate immediacy in each piece.

Identity, resilience, reinvention, and the audacity of pursuing dreams beyond their "expiration date" are the central themes. The impact of Alpert's contemplations on ambition, rejection, family dynamics, and midlife awakenings is not limited to their specific anecdotes; they also prompt inquiries about the definition of success, the process of recovering from disappointment, and the potential of humor to alleviate the harsher aspects of life. Her voice is both playful and unflinchingly candid, which serves as a reminder to readers that the courage to attempt, fail, and attempt again is in itself a triumph.

The reader is impacted in two distinct ways: intellectually through her astute observations and emotionally through her candor and humor. Alpert's essays simultaneously encourage laughter and validate the fears, doubts, and hopes that many individuals are hesitant to express. By exposing her vulnerabilities with comedic flair, she encourages readers to embrace their own contradictions and imperfections with greater compassion.

Ultimately, Hello? Who Is This? Margaret? matters because it illuminates the value of persistence, humor, and self-expression in a world that often demands conformity. Dani Alpert proves that essays can be both a mirror and a release—a way to laugh at life’s absurdities while also finding deeper meaning in them.

About the Author

Dani Alpert

Dani is a Writer, Pilates Instructress, and Advocate for the Down syndrome community. Her collection of personal essays, HELLO? WHO IS THIS? MARGARET? comes out August 2025. Her memoir, THE GIRLFRIEND MOM, is the winner of the 2020 Story Circle Network Sarton/Gilda Award in honor of the comedian Gilda Radner. She spent decades working in theater, television, and film, performing, writing, and directing. Her work appears in numerous outlets. Her first headshot was her mugshot, taken after being arrested for tagging when she was a juvenile. She’s been trying to reclaim those glory days ever since.