Anna Quindlen is one of the most popular, influential, and admired writers in America. She has been called "a national treasure," "the laureate of real life," and "the most eloquent voice" of her generation. Twice a week, in her Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times column, Quindlen explores the controversial domain where public and private problems converge: the economy as reflected in the job search of a fifty-year-old manager or the shopper in the checkout line; issues of gender, politics, and privacy as they relate to the judges on the Supreme Court and other public officials. Separately, policy or personal details don't tell the whole story; together, they show the truth.

In Thinking Out Loud, Anna Quindlen reveals both what's in her mind and what's at the heart of the concerns that matter. She examines the private dimensions of such public issues as the horror of war, the right to die, sexual harassment, abortion, rape. And she takes us not only into her own life but also into the lives of her subjects, famous and not so famous - a surrogate mother, a First Lady, workers at an abortion clinic, a gay-rights activist. With the sharp eye of a first-rate reporter as well as an original sensibility, humor, and compassion, Quindlen illuminates why public and private issues are sometimes at odds and suggests how to balance priorities. When Anna Quindlen thinks out loud, she movingly gives voice to the thoughts and concerns of millions.