Estranged

Leaving Family and Finding Home

Nonfiction, Family & Relationships, Family Relationships, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Estranged by Jessica Berger Gross, Scribner
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jessica Berger Gross ISBN: 9781501101625
Publisher: Scribner Publication: July 11, 2017
Imprint: Scribner Language: English
Author: Jessica Berger Gross
ISBN: 9781501101625
Publisher: Scribner
Publication: July 11, 2017
Imprint: Scribner
Language: English

Jessica Berger Gross’s “gripping memoir about growing up in—and growing out of—a deeply dysfunctional, abusive family” (Glamour.com) redefines our understanding of estrangement and celebrates the ability to triumph over adversity.

To outsiders, Jessica Berger Gross’s childhood—growing up in a “nice” Jewish family in middle class Long Island—seemed as wholesomely American as any other. But behind closed doors, Jessica suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father, whose mood would veer unexpectedly from loving to violent.

At the age of twenty-eight, still reeling from the trauma but emotionally dependent on her dysfunctional family, Jessica made the anguished decision to cut ties with them entirely. Years later, living in Maine with a loving husband and young son, having finally found happiness, Jessica is convinced the decision saved her life.

In her “unsentimentally courageous memoir” (Kirkus Reviews), one of Elle’s “Best Books of the Summer,” Jessica breaks through common social taboos and bravely recounts the painful, self-defeating ways in which she internalized her abusive childhood, how she came to the monumental decision to distance herself from her family, and how she endured the difficult road that followed. Ultimately, by removing herself from the damaging patterns and relationships of the past, Jessica has managed to carve an inspiring path to happiness—one she has created on her own terms. Her story, told here in a careful, unflinching, and forthright way, completely reframes how we think about family and the past. Estranged is “a memoir of love, abuse, despair, and hope…a reminder that any family can hide a secret and that many victims of abuse go their entire lives without speaking out about it” (Booklist).

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Jessica Berger Gross’s “gripping memoir about growing up in—and growing out of—a deeply dysfunctional, abusive family” (Glamour.com) redefines our understanding of estrangement and celebrates the ability to triumph over adversity.

To outsiders, Jessica Berger Gross’s childhood—growing up in a “nice” Jewish family in middle class Long Island—seemed as wholesomely American as any other. But behind closed doors, Jessica suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father, whose mood would veer unexpectedly from loving to violent.

At the age of twenty-eight, still reeling from the trauma but emotionally dependent on her dysfunctional family, Jessica made the anguished decision to cut ties with them entirely. Years later, living in Maine with a loving husband and young son, having finally found happiness, Jessica is convinced the decision saved her life.

In her “unsentimentally courageous memoir” (Kirkus Reviews), one of Elle’s “Best Books of the Summer,” Jessica breaks through common social taboos and bravely recounts the painful, self-defeating ways in which she internalized her abusive childhood, how she came to the monumental decision to distance herself from her family, and how she endured the difficult road that followed. Ultimately, by removing herself from the damaging patterns and relationships of the past, Jessica has managed to carve an inspiring path to happiness—one she has created on her own terms. Her story, told here in a careful, unflinching, and forthright way, completely reframes how we think about family and the past. Estranged is “a memoir of love, abuse, despair, and hope…a reminder that any family can hide a secret and that many victims of abuse go their entire lives without speaking out about it” (Booklist).

More books from Scribner

Cover of the book Furnishing Eternity by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book The Dragon Behind the Glass by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Dead Joker by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book My Year of Flops by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Cop Without a Badge by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Nick Adams Stories by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Spider Bones by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Down and Delirious in Mexico City by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book About Grace by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Laundry by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Shadows at the Fair by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Trying to Float by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book This Is Zodiac Speaking by Jessica Berger Gross
Cover of the book Eat, Sleep, Poop by Jessica Berger Gross
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy