Overview

"Sharon Emery struggled with the losses and limits she faced but couldn't change - no matter how hard she tried. And she did try. First with her incurable severe stutter, then with the death of her daughter, Jessica, and the too-early deaths of her own younger siblings. Meanwhile, her ""broken"" voice meant her long career in communications was regularly a battle. Emery wrote this memoir to help guide her children on their own life journeys, stressing the amazing resilience of humans beings. Exhibit A: herself. In the foreword, Steve Gleason - former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints, now living with ALS, and a friend of Emery's son, Ben Schneider, front man for the band Lord Huron - provides a compelling introduction to what we can gain from what we lose. Emery was a daughter, sister and mother - and lost all those roles. She was a journalist, public relations consultant, and teacher - and never able to speak fluently. Her memoir recounts Emery's challenges and achievements, tracing her efforts to give them meaning and find where they fit in her life. It's a process she considers vital to surviving what happens to you - telling the story. This is a reaffirming example of how it can be done."

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9781954786554

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Reviews

From the gut-punch opening line, I am the mother of a dead child, through gripping stories about her own disability and the deaths of her beloved siblings, Sharon Emery takes readers through a life's journey of wrestling with losses and limits. Her memoir packs more inspiration than heartbreak, a solace to anybody coping with life or death, which is all of us. -Ron Fournier, journalist, autism advocate, author of the New York Times bestseller Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations This story provides healing, understanding, and empathy for others living with disability or caring for someone with a disability. It may even help them accept their struggle as a path to peace. ... I met Ben (Emery's son and front man for the band Lord Huron) through music and, specifically, his song about life as an adventure. It's not surprising that his mother would share her life experiences to assist others on their own journeys. -Steve Gleason, former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints, now living with ALS and advocating for people with the disease via the Team Gleason foundation It's Hard Being You is a must-read for anyone who has suffered loss, which as Emery points out, eventually includes all of us. She tells her story with wisdom, insight, and touching anecdotes, creating a memoir that not only enthralls but instructs and inspires. Emery's book is a gift to the world. -Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List Sharon's story is searing, poignant, funny, touching. It is a tale told with the bark on, as the saying goes. A story about those two most fundamental elements, life and death. And how life goes on, even after death stops to knock on your door. A resilient story, told by a brave and remarkable woman. - John Engler, governor of Michigan, 1991-2003 Finally, here is a story about disability told by a person with a disability. Emery doesn't sugarcoat the losses and limits, but also gives us rare insights into real life with disability, including lessons learned, joy and even humor. Her memoir is an eye-opener about the barriers our ableist culture - including our own fumbling interactions with people with disabilities - creates. And how we can all live better. - Theresa Metzmaker, executive director/CEO, Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, founder of Her Power for teen girls with disabilities Journalist Sharon Emery dishes up a rich, powerful and beautifully written memoir about parenting a child with special needs and surviving the loss of that child, the complicated deaths of her siblings, and the personal and professional challenges presented by a life-long stutter that helped drive the author's career success. This is an engrossing and unflinching read. -Judy Winter, author of Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs: Raising the Bar of Expectations, co-founder of the Eric RicStar Winter Music Therapy Camp at Michigan State University Sharon Emery writes powerfully about the limits and losses she's faced, but she doesn't stop there. She takes the brave next step of using her experience to chart a road map for her children, which can be used by anyone struggling with adversity. Emery has the piercing insight of someone who's been there. -Chuck Stokes, editorial/public affairs director for WXYZ-TV/ABC Detroit

"From the gut-punch opening line, ""I am the mother of a dead child,"" through gripping stories about her own disability and the deaths of her beloved siblings, Sharon Emery takes readers through a life's journey of ""wrestling with losses and limits."" Her memoir packs more inspiration than heartbreak, a solace to anybody coping with life or death, which is all of us. -Ron Fournier, journalist, autism advocate, author of the New York Times bestseller Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations This story provides healing, understanding, and empathy for others living with disability or caring for someone with a disability. It may even help them accept their struggle as a path to peace. ... I met Ben (Emery's son and front man for the band Lord Huron) through music and, specifically, his song about life as an adventure. It's not surprising that his mother would share her life experiences to assist others on their own journeys. -Steve Gleason, former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints, now living with ALS and advocating for people with the disease via the Team Gleason foundation It's Hard Being You is a must-read for anyone who has suffered loss, which as Emery points out, eventually includes all of us. She tells her story with wisdom, insight, and touching anecdotes, creating a memoir that not only enthralls but instructs and inspires. Emery's book is a gift to the world. -Lori Nelson Spielman, New York Times bestselling author of The Life List Sharon's story is searing, poignant, funny, touching. It is a tale told with the bark on, as the saying goes. A story about those two most fundamental elements, life and death. And how life goes on, even after death stops to knock on your door. A resilient story, told by a brave and remarkable woman. - John Engler, governor of Michigan, 1991-2003 Finally, here is a story about disability told by a person with a disability. Emery doesn't sugarcoat the losses and limits, but also gives us rare insights into real life with disability, including lessons learned, joy and even humor. Her memoir is an eye-opener about the barriers our ableist culture - including our own fumbling interactions with people with disabilities - creates. And how we can all live better. - Theresa Metzmaker, executive director/CEO, Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, founder of Her Power for teen girls with disabilities Journalist Sharon Emery dishes up a rich, powerful and beautifully written memoir about parenting a child with special needs and surviving the loss of that child, the complicated deaths of her siblings, and the personal and professional challenges presented by a life-long stutter that helped drive the author's career success. This is an engrossing and unflinching read. -Judy Winter, author of ""Breakthrough Parenting for Children with Special Needs: Raising the Bar of Expectations,"" co-founder of the Eric ""RicStar"" Winter Music Therapy Camp at Michigan State University Sharon Emery writes powerfully about the limits and losses she's faced, but she doesn't stop there. She takes the brave next step of using her experience to chart a road map for her children, which can be used by anyone struggling with adversity. Emery has the piercing insight of someone who's been there. -Chuck Stokes, editorial/public affairs director for WXYZ-TV/ABC Detroit"

Author Information

"Sharon Emery is a communicator who struggles to speak. She forged a career in journalism, public relations, and teaching, speaking with her ""accent,"" her stutter. Luckily, it taught her a lot about life. She lives in Michigan with her husband, John Schneider, on twelve acres near Lansing and on Lake Huron near Cheboygan."

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