“This is beautiful—the best thing I’ve read all year.” - Early praise for Hoodbitch
"My favorite part of each theft—after the goods are safely tucked down my underpants, or up my sleeve, or I simply slip on whatever I’m stealing—after the moment I let-go my breathing, when I feel my heart slow its slamming against my ribs—is when I step up and onto the bus and scurry to the back, slinking past ..."
- Excerpt from Hoodbitch
About Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship
Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship is an award-winning memoir by Denver journalist author Cathie Beck that bursts with uproarious wit, raw honesty, and heart-twisting moments of connection. This memoir soared to No. 1 on Amazon Movers & Shakers, captured the Midwest Booksellers Association’s Best New Book, became a Target Stores Emerging Author Selection, and earned finalist nods for both the Women’s National Book Association Great Group Read and the Books for a Better Life Award. It also clinched 1st Place in Non-Fiction from the Denver Women’s Press Club and became a five-time Denver Post bestseller—proof positive that this story resonates deeply with readers and critics alike.
Iris Rainer Dart (author of Beaches) calls it: 'A wonderfully poignant memoir that will remind every woman to call her best friend right away.'
Foreword Reviews praises Beck’s writing as 'breezy, polished, and fun to read,' describing the story as 'an endearing tale of the best kind of love.'
Alison Smith (author of Name All the Animals): 'I read Cheap Cabernet in one breathless sitting. I gulped it down and then I sat there and let the taste of love and sorrow and redemption linger for a long time.'
Elle Newmark (bestselling author of The Book of Unholy Mischief): 'Beyond wonderful—wickedly funny, poignant, and smart. Anyone who’s a fan of Mary Karr or Anne Lamott will find Cathie Beck’s Cheap Cabernet both laugh-out-loud hysterical—and heartbreaking.'
Coming Soon: Hoodbitch - On the Near East Side
Hoodbitch: On the Near Eastside is a raw, unflinching coming-of-age memoir by author Cathie Beck that captures instability, grit, and resilience. Moving twelve times before age seventeen through the fractured homes of 1960s–70s Indianapolis, Beck reflects on class struggle, yearning, and resourcefulness with piercing honesty and electric prose. This award-winning memoir has already been praised by a former Simon & Schuster editor as “the best thing I’ve read all year” and embraced by seasoned novelists and workshop peers. Hoodbitch stands alongside the works of Leslie Jamison, Maggie Nelson, and Allison Bechdel as a singular, unforgettable narrative filled with stories that resonate deeply.
Early Praise for Hoodbitch On the Near Eastside:
“This is beautiful—and the best thing I’ve read all year.” — Former Simon & Schuster editor
“I finished weeping, overwhelmed by its brilliance and truth.” — Acclaimed novelist and peer reviewer
Positioning & Comparisons:
Aligns with Leslie Jamison’s The Empathy Exams in emotional depth and feminist critique. Resonates with Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts in intellectual boldness and hybrid storytelling. Echoes the searing visual honesty of Allison Bechdel’s Fun Home in excavating family and survival.