Several years ago, my agent mentioned that she was working with a writer whose work I would love: Sarah Smarsh (photo by Paul Andrews). After we hung up, I found Smarsh’s fierce essay on poor teeth in a rich world. Reading it, I kept thinking of my Texan Granny, who grew up so malnourished that her adult teeth started falling out when she was a girl. Like Smarsh’s grandma, Granny had all her teeth yanked in her twenties. She wore dentures for seven decades, and took three times as long as everyone else to finish her dinner, longer still if she was trying to chew meat. At night she plunked her teeth in a jar and quietly nursed her gums.
Knowledge at an Atomic Level
Knowledge at an Atomic Level
Knowledge at an Atomic Level
Several years ago, my agent mentioned that she was working with a writer whose work I would love: Sarah Smarsh (photo by Paul Andrews). After we hung up, I found Smarsh’s fierce essay on poor teeth in a rich world. Reading it, I kept thinking of my Texan Granny, who grew up so malnourished that her adult teeth started falling out when she was a girl. Like Smarsh’s grandma, Granny had all her teeth yanked in her twenties. She wore dentures for seven decades, and took three times as long as everyone else to finish her dinner, longer still if she was trying to chew meat. At night she plunked her teeth in a jar and quietly nursed her gums.