Known for her realistic, humorous books, Erma Harris Bombeck wrote about ordinary, everyday events and problems. As a dedicated mother, she used her experiences raising children as a rich and vital source of her material. Her sense of humor and her appreciation for life made her successful in print, radio, and TV. Bombeck was born in 1927. In 1949, she began her career as a reporter for the Journal Herald in Dayton, Ohio. From 1975 to 1986, Bombeck appeared as a biweekly commentator on the Good Morning America television show. Bombeck's book titles give an indication of her style of humor: A Marriage Made in Heaven, or Too Tired for an Affair; I Lost Everything in the Postnatal Depression; and If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits? Her book, When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time To Go Home was a bestseller. Bombeck was repeatedly named one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America by the World Almanac. Her books were frequently on nonfiction bestseller lists. Bombeck died after surgery in April 1996. She and her husband Bill Bombeck had been married for 47 years and had three children.
