Links to purchase will be added on May 6th, 2025

“Liz Fiedorow Sjaastad bares her soul in this beautifully written book…Even as a helpless nine-year-old, she knows that taboos around schizophrenia eclipse alcoholism…how she copes is a lesson for us all.” —Mindy Greiling, former state legislator and author of Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker’s Fight for Her Son

Born to a Russian immigrant father scarred by the trauma of WWII and a mother silently battling schizophrenia, Sjaastad was thrust into chaos from a young age. This powerful memoir traces her journey from a childhood steeped in instability to the hard-earned healing of adulthood. With grace and vulnerability, she invites readers into a world where caring for the very people who failed to protect you becomes an act of reclamation.

Shedding light on the complexities of parental mental health and generational trauma, Liz shares the story of a life led despite the fears of “becoming her parents,” and how she showed up for her parents—and herself—when it was needed most.

“Sjaastad’s compelling memoir will break your heart, then fill it full of her generosity of spirit. This author knows how to keep readers turning the pages.”—Kate St. Vincent Vogl, author of Lost & Found: A Memoir of Mothers