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Sign up todayBreath Taking
"A master class in how to be a person." --Joanna Rakoff, bestselling author of My Salinger Year
"Astonishing...one of the most moving memoirs I've read." --Caroline Leavitt, best-selling author of With or Without You and Days of Wonder.
In Breath Taking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes, Jessica Fein takes readers on a powerful journey through the profound joys and heart-wrenching challenges of love and loss. At the tender age of five, Jessica's daughter Dalia is diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the family’s life. Inspired by Dalia's unyielding spirit and irrepressible zest for life, Jessica and her family embark on a remarkable odyssey of love, resilience, and self-discovery.
From the initial shock of diagnosis to the relentless battles against the ravages of disease, Jessica navigates the complexities of parenthood with unwavering courage and love. As each breath becomes a precious act of defiance against fate, Jessica learns to embrace the present moment with fierce determination, finding solace in the small joys that illuminate even the darkest of days.
But Breath Taking is more than a story of loss and grief; it's a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the transformative power of love. Through laughter and tears, Jessica discovers the delicate balance between advocacy and acceptance, vulnerability and strength. Along the way, she confronts her deepest fears, finds unexpected allies, and discovers the resilience of the human heart.
With poignant insights and unflinching honesty, Jessica's narrative transcends the boundaries of tragedy to offer a beacon of hope for anyone facing life's most daunting challenges. Breath Taking is a masterclass in resilience, a testament to the enduring power of love, and a celebration of the extraordinary courage found in ordinary moments.
"More than an honest and humorous memoir, Breath Taking can be the guide star so many seek when life hands them more than they ever imagined they could endure." --Daniel DeFabio, rare disease filmmaker and Co-founder of The Disorder Channel
“A story of relentless heartbreak met with wit, strength, and resilience.” –Jennifer Weisel Bailey, ELLE Magazine
Jessica Fein is an author, advocate, speaker, and podcast host. Her podcast, "I Don't Know How You Do It,” features people whose lives look unimaginable and who triumph over seemingly impossible challenges. Jessica is a working mother and a relentless warrior in the memory of her dynamic daughter, whom she lost to a rare disease in 2022. Her work encompasses hope and humor, grit and grace - the tools that make up her personal survival kit. She’s a seasoned media contributor, with forums including HuffPost, The Mighty, Psychology Today, Zibby Mag, and Kveller. Jessica is a former Boston Globe opinion columnist and the author of a book on making the transition from college to the real world. She balances writing, podcasting, motherhood, and advocacy with her work as a senior marketing executive at a global multi-billion dollar education company.
Jessica serves on the Board of Directors of MitoAction. She’s the mother of three, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala. They live in Framingham, Massachusetts with their quasi-service dog, who trained himself.
Reviews
ADVANCE PRAISE for BREATH TAKING:
"This story truly matters and people need to hear it. Breath Taking is a remarkable celebration of resilience, and a true testament to strength, love, and survival. It shows us that there's always a path forward even when it's too dark to see. You'll probably laugh and cry, and you'll for sure be inspired." --Victoria Arlen, TV host and Paralympic gold medalist
"A moving, honest, and emotionally powerful story of family dedication, pain, and love. This is a book that is both wrenching and inspiring, all at once." --Tova Miris, author of The Book of Separation
“An epic story of love and resilience.” --Kirkland Hamill, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Filthy Beasts
"Jessica throws aside pride and pretense expressing with generous vulnerability the heartbreaks and hopes that come with raising a child with a rare disease. More than an honest and humorous memoir, Breath Taking can be the guide star so many seek when life hands them more than they ever imagined they could endure." --Daniel DeFabio, Co-founder Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival, Co-founder The Disorder Channel. Advocate.
“A story of relentless heartbreak met with wit, strength, and resilience, Jessica Fein’s memoir reminds us that optimism, perseverance, and ultimately acceptance are the keystones to surviving life’s curveballs. When the choices are curling up in the fetal position or facing adversity head-on, Fein has chosen the latter in spades. Her story is the perfect illustration of how we control nothing in life but our actions and attitude.” --Jennifer Weisel Bailey, Entertainment Director, ELLE Magazine
“In Breath Taking, Jessica Fein finds the words to convey the deepest truths of being human and then shares them with vivid candor as if over a cup of coffee.” --Rabbi Susan Silverman, author of Casting Lots: Creating a Family in a Beautiful, Broken World
“Jessica Fein is that rare writer who can defuse sorrow with her sense of humor.” --Dan Zevin, Thurber Prize-winning humorist and award-winning humor columnist for The New York Times
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