chambermaid a k a saira rao visits n y c

UPDATE! saira rao's reading last thursday in nyc was fabulous. she spoke (to a large, loving crowd) about her journey in writing the book, the extreme negative reactions, & her next project. then she read an excerpt about the judge careening into a sinkhole. great stuff. she signed my book (along with a friend's who joined me), so i was on cloud nine. saira was just in philly so check out her website (see below) for more appearances near you!

also, more recent press & gossip about the "real judge"! -- finally some positive media support for saira...


since my last post on chambermaid, i ran out to my favorite bookstore (three lives & company in the west village), bought it & started reading. well 2 days later, it was all over. i just couldn't get enough of sheila raj's judicial (mis)adventures. the whole time i was reading, i thought-- yeah, this would make a perfect series (it's slated for lifetime)! i felt physically exhausted by sheila's endless ordeals with her wacko judge (and the greasy, dancing bun on the top of her head), her efforts to stay sane and find a trustworthy soul in the system while navigating the illogical rules of the "torture chamber" and enduring the constant attacks on her ethnicity with biting wit. i feel a special bond with sheila (and brilliant writer saira rao) who validated much of what i felt during my painful clerkship year and i especially cheered at sheila's attempts to outsmart janet, the bible-thumping, ass-kissing, do-nothing secretary to the judge.

i don't want to reveal much of the plot or whether the ornery (to put it mildly) honorable friedman ever shows a heart... but whether you suffered as a law clerk in your own "torture chamber" or just to laugh at the intensity of over-intellectualized young lawyer go-getters, pick up chambermaid... you won't be disappointed & you'll find a fresh, real heroine in sheila.

meet "shelia" in person-- check out saira rao's upcoming appearances. i'll be there, ready to cheer for aggrieved clerks everywhere...

in nyc: 7pm on thursday, july 19 at barnes and noble at sixth avenue and 21st street.

"chambermaid" -- a law clerk tells all!

my clerkship experience (superior court, family division) drove me insane. i fetched coffee, located lost files and served as copier girl as well as managed most aspects of my judge's life, on and off the bench. my colleagues and i shared horror stories of life in our respective chambers and working with our super ego inflated bosses. secured in my brain are many unsavory details about the experience and the man behind the robe. i still shudder at the way justice was dispensed and how our court "conducted" business. mostly i shared juicy details with friends and family, all the while wondering how to construct a story about my misadventures.

well, for all my fellow sufferers and clerks-to-be... one federal clerk-turned-author has done it! saira rao, who clerked in the third circuit, has opened the door to the chamber secrets by writing a novel based on personal observations. "chambermaid" (recently published) recounts the story of a young lawyer clerking in federal-appeals court for a "power-hungry sociopath." check out her website for an excerpt.

congrats ms. rao, for telling it like it is! i, for one, can't wait to read more.