MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Christine Hyung-Oak Lee’s life becomes disjointed and fragmented when she suffers a stroke at the age of 33. She relies on her diaries to shed light on these events, and Emily Woo Zeller’s timing and slightly detached tone are true to the stream-of-consciousness quality of the writing. By necessity, this time in Lee’s life is repetitive as she re-learns the same things over and over about her diagnosis, treatment, and even the first page of SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. Zeller successfully conveys Lee’s feeling of being lost in time and space. But the jumps in time can be confusing as Lee recalls her courtship with her husband, self-loathing in college, postpartum depression, and divorce. At times, Zeller’s performance sounds a little too enthusiastic for the trauma described, but her expressions of the flirtation and excitement of courtship are just lovely. A.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
A brave, encouraging, genuine work of healing discovery that shows us the ordinary, daily effort it takes to make a shattered self cohere.” — Floyd Skloot, author of In the Shadow of Memory
“The stuff of poetry and of nightmares… [Lee] investigates her broken brain with the help of a journal, beautifully capturing the helplessness, frustration, and comic absurdity (yes, a book about a stroke can be funny!) of navigating life after your world has been torn apart.” — Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire
“Lee excavates her life with the care of an archeologist in this stunning memoir...Her account is lyrical, honest, darkly comic, surprising, and transcendent in the way it redefines the importance of family history, memory, and what of it we choose to hold with us. A beautiful book.” — Christa Parravani, author of Her: A Memoir
“A searing memoir buoyed by hope.” — People
“This honest and meditative memoir is the story about how Hyung-Oak Lee rebuilt her life, quite literally one step at a time, and how she discovered the person she had always wanted to become.” — Refinery29.com
“Honest and insightful” — New York Times Book Review
“Emotionally explicit and intensely circumspect... . With careful thought and new understanding, the author explores the enduring mind-body connection with herself at the nexus of it all. A fascinating exploration of personal identity from a writer whose body is, thankfully, ‘no longer at war.’” — Kirkus Reviews
“Fearless... [Lee’s] engaging memoir...makes a difficult topic accessible and relatable. Lee expertly explains how the brain works and how even a damaged brain can adapt. Her narrative is both scientific and emotional, revealing the wonders of biology and the power of the human spirit.” — Booklist
Refinery29.com
This honest and meditative memoir is the story about how Hyung-Oak Lee rebuilt her life, quite literally one step at a time, and how she discovered the person she had always wanted to become.
New York Times Book Review
Honest and insightful
Susannah Cahalan
The stuff of poetry and of nightmares… [Lee] investigates her broken brain with the help of a journal, beautifully capturing the helplessness, frustration, and comic absurdity (yes, a book about a stroke can be funny!) of navigating life after your world has been torn apart.
Christa Parravani
Lee excavates her life with the care of an archeologist in this stunning memoir...Her account is lyrical, honest, darkly comic, surprising, and transcendent in the way it redefines the importance of family history, memory, and what of it we choose to hold with us. A beautiful book.
Floyd Skloot
A brave, encouraging, genuine work of healing discovery that shows us the ordinary, daily effort it takes to make a shattered self cohere.
People
A searing memoir buoyed by hope.
Booklist
Fearless... [Lee’s] engaging memoir...makes a difficult topic accessible and relatable. Lee expertly explains how the brain works and how even a damaged brain can adapt. Her narrative is both scientific and emotional, revealing the wonders of biology and the power of the human spirit.
Booklist
Fearless... [Lee’s] engaging memoir...makes a difficult topic accessible and relatable. Lee expertly explains how the brain works and how even a damaged brain can adapt. Her narrative is both scientific and emotional, revealing the wonders of biology and the power of the human spirit.
MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Christine Hyung-Oak Lee’s life becomes disjointed and fragmented when she suffers a stroke at the age of 33. She relies on her diaries to shed light on these events, and Emily Woo Zeller’s timing and slightly detached tone are true to the stream-of-consciousness quality of the writing. By necessity, this time in Lee’s life is repetitive as she re-learns the same things over and over about her diagnosis, treatment, and even the first page of SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. Zeller successfully conveys Lee’s feeling of being lost in time and space. But the jumps in time can be confusing as Lee recalls her courtship with her husband, self-loathing in college, postpartum depression, and divorce. At times, Zeller’s performance sounds a little too enthusiastic for the trauma described, but her expressions of the flirtation and excitement of courtship are just lovely. A.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
