My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Liz Sjaastad, author of the book You're Too Young to Understand. Believing that memoir offers both a pathway to understanding those different from us and to finding community, Liz shares her personal stories in writing and in speaking.
During her first act as an adult she balanced her way through a career in organization development, volunteering for mental health organizations, and having three babies. Her second act has been writing a book and raising teenagers with her husband. Her third act is still in its first draft.
You can find Liz in St. Paul, Minnesota, on a tennis court, pickleball court, or walking her dogs with her hubby. If not, she’ll be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area paddling and hiking about.
In my book review, I stated You're Too Young to Understand is a memoir by Liz Fiedorow Sjaastad. Her story outlines life with a schizophrenic mother and an alcoholic father from childhood and through the later years of her parents' lives. Because of her open nature, Liz gives readers a glimpse into a world of dysfunction and what it is like to live with those who suffer from mental illness and addiction.
What I loved most was that her stories, though often covering difficult topics, were funny, touching, and very real. Even with all that was going on, there was love, tenderness, happy times, and family togetherness. What could have been an indictment against her parents reads more like a story about family, what it means, and how to care for it even in the face of terrible odds.
I walked away understanding how difficult it can be to get someone the help they need, and how taboo mental illness and addiction still are in our society. I also love that Liz, despite all she went through as a child, found a way to live life to the fullest.
If you are looking for a story of love and hope, then look no further.
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Join the Novels N Latte Book Club community to discuss this and other books with like-minded readers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3576519880426290
You can follow Author Liz Sjaastad
Website: https://www.lizsjaastad.com/
IG: @lizsjaastad
X: @LizSjaastad
FB: @lsjaastad
LinkedIn: @Liz Sjaastad
Purchase You're Too Young to Understand on Amazon:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4nRUpu9
Ebook: https://amzn.to/3IyyBo4
Teri M Brown, Author and Podcast Host: https://www.terimbrown.com
FB: @TeriMBrownAuthor
IG: @terimbrown_author
X: @terimbrown1
Want to be a guest on Online for Authors? Send Teri M Brown a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/member/onlineforauthors
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