Chapter 7, Drinking in Dallas Summary and Analysis

During the summer of 1987, Wurtzel goes to Dallas, Texas. She has finished her sophomore year at Harvard and won awards in Journalism. She has been obsessed with Texas since she was a little girl, but once she arrives, the reality of her dream location is a bit different. At first, however, she is mysteriously happy in a place that she calls "depressed and depressing." There is a small counterculture in Dallas, which she enjoys and adores her new apartment. She thinks that she could be truly happy in Dallas except for one thing: since she grew up in New York City, she cannot drive, and this ultimately chains her.

Wurtzel starts to crack slowly. She starts to work extra time for the paper she is working for. She will work on projects that no one...